Live Sand

[sassyfrassy]

Ok so I can get the LS from the badly neglected (over a year) tank to go into my refugium, which appeals to me because of the bacteria. However I got one cup of this sand to seed DT - took 4 washings to get the brown stuff out of it and run clear. Question is - does sand absorb phosphate? Can it be washed clean, but still be bad and leech undesirables into my tank?

[Ruskin]

The sand you washed may have been live before hand but it isnt after you rinsed it so it wont seed anything. IF you placed sand in the refugium, it would only be a matter of time until the sand in the display became live anyways.

[shereth]

I wouldn't think a cup worth of LS could have enough phosphates (or anything else for that matter) to be of a major concern to your new tank unless the environment it came from was extraordinarily polluted.

[ChadTheSpike]

Yes, the LS can and does absorb phosphate to a concentration proportional to the environmental phosphate levels. This is an equalibrium process, meaning that if the system does not have higher phosphates, the sand will release phosphates to the system. But only until it reaches equalibrium again. The sand does not preferentially bind phosphate and build up to be later released. But phosphate does have a tendency to build in our systems unless we have a scheme to remove it.
Bottom line is you could use the sand, but it probably has high phosphates in it that you will have to deal with for a while. I would probably use some of it to seed the sand bed in your fuge, but since sand is relatively cheap, Id probably replace the rest of it. There is not likely a large diverse microfauna population in the sand from the swamp tank that you want in your fuge. I think the benefit from the sand will likely be limited to beneficial bacteria.

[sassyfrassy]

The sand you washed may have been live before hand but it isnt after you rinsed it

I washed it w/SW to hopefully preserve the bacteria.

Hi Chad, glad to see you're online - looked for you earlier but didn't see you. I had already put the other LR in clorox - I'm going to get M acid today - do I need to rinse the rock well before putting it in the acid (any kind of chemical reaction acid/clorox?) What is the proportion acid to water? You said soak a few hours - then what?

[shereth]

Acid + bleach = bad news, it can release chlorine gas. You wanna rinse it off as good as possible before exposing it to the acid.

[ChadTheSpike]

Originally Posted by shereth

Acid + bleach = bad news, it can release chlorine gas. You wanna rinse it off as good as possible before exposing it to the acid.

Hi Carolyn!

+1 to this

Yes, if possible I would rinse it and then let it dry out. If not possible because of your time constraints, put it in fresh water and use a strong dechlorinator several times and test for chlorine prior to using the acid. Chlorine tests can usually be found in the pool maintenance section or from a home water treating company (like commercial use of a well).

Its been a long time since I used muratic acid, I think there are some other threads on here that discuss it, so please double check my numbers and follow the directions on the container. Its actually normally used for a very similar purpose to what you are using it for (etching masonry work). I would probably use 3-1 or 4-1 water to acid, and look up again right before you do it (I always do) which direction to pour. Carefully read the directions, and do it outside in a well ventilated area with proper safety gear. (it works great, but does require respect and proper usage).

Once soaked, rinse in fresh water and let the rock dry. It will be very white and ready for aquascaping.

[sassyfrassy]

Thanks -
Chad I PM you re: same thing - disregard.

[sassyfrassy]

if possible I would rinse it and then let it dry out.

Steve is rinsing the rock for me now - figure I'll soak in the MA 'til Sunday after church - then rinse well and leave to dry during the week I'm gone.

[ChadTheSpike]

If you are going to do a longer soak, you could dillute the mixture further. Although Im not sure how much more benefit you get after a few hours, basically once the bubbling stops...

[sassyfrassy]

OK I forgot you said only a few hours - too much info running around in my head - gets all mixed up. Well that's even better. Looked at your seahorse DT and it's awesome. My setup will be just like yours - DT w/ refugium beside it, but I didn't realize I needed so much light for my refugium - what's the least amt, light I can get by with on fuge for the chaeto to grow & critters. Buying these lights is breaking my bank!!! Re: lights for DT - I have a hood and I like the look of a hood (want light in tank not illuminating whole room) and I have a center bar on my aquarium. I have a 250 industrial M58 ballast w/ capacitor (I know it won't be as good as 660 IC, but I already have it). So this is my thinking (considering I know NOTHING re: lights) I'll retro my hood w/ 2 24" T5s on one side and the 250 MH on the other, along w/2 36" T5s. Is that at all a practical arrangement? If not, what would you suggest? Chad - lets move this discussion over to Sassy's new setup so I have all info I need in one place.

[ChadTheSpike]

Its crazy how much information there is!! You seem like your doing pretty well with it though
Thanks on my tank, I have had similar setups to this before and I really enjoy the benefits of it, although there are some intricacies that need to be worked out (siphon related)... we will get there though...
As far as the lighting on my tank, its excessive, but I did it for two reasons, one because I didnt have to buy anything new, I used to have 15 tanks set up, now I have one that has my favorite pieces of equipment from everything else on it... and a REALLY loud, annoying, and overpowered chiller that will be replaced in a few weeks with something nicer. Also, I like the looh of MH lighting, its pretty the way it makes shimmer lines in the water.
Since you plan on using your hood, just make sure it is properly ventilated, its much easier to minimize heat input from MH lighting if the lights are off the water and there is moving air between the lights and the water (MH lights run around 600 degrees or so, stagnant air can heat up a lot). I am a little confused about your proposed lighting, do you intend to put a 250 MH, 2x24 inch t5's and 2x36 inch t5's all under the same hood?
I think the the 24" t5s may be excessive, what are the fuge dimensions? could you use them there? Also, is the center bar solid plastic or glass? You could also set up the 250 MH slightly off center, sometimes using this setup aquascaping can be really cool, just something to think about. The t5 and MH setup that you plan is good, though. Keep the MH about 12" from the surface of the water.
Depending on what your fuge dimensions are, I may recommend a DIY 70W MH similar to what you are doing now. I have not set one of these up before, but I know the nano-folks do it fairly often and you can probably find a good thread about it in the nano-forums.