adding sand to tanks

tbarr5 · 08/17/2008, 09:23 PM

hi all, i am new to posting on this site but have been lurking for a little while so here goes...i have now, for the THIRD time forgotten to rinse my sand before adding it into a new tank, and while im sure that this isnt a huge problem (like i said i have done it twice before) it seems to me that it leaves a lot of nutrients in there adding to the length of the cycle and seems to make the water terrible cloudy evertime i ove somthing around in the sand. the sand i used was 80# of caribsea (i think, definitly one of those psuedo live sands). my tank is still in the stage of curing the live rock and if i feel that it is warrented i could take my rocks out and throw them into a rubbermaid tub for a day whil i partially darin the tank, scoop out the sand and rinse out the crap... this is not an appealing prospect however if there seems to be a benifit then...
does everyone out there always rinse their sand before adding it?

also, i got some pre-cured ( thats a fancy way of saying uncured i think) LR form premium aquatics and when i got it it was very colorfull but became a great deal whiter almost immediatly after adding it. I have never dealt with mailed or uncured LR so was wondering if this is normal and the color will eventually return.

LobsterOfJustice · 08/17/2008, 10:42 PM

I wouldn't go through and take out all the sand. I don't even think you're supposed to rinse that "pseudo-live" stuff as you call it. But if you have a lot of small dust particles left over, maybe you can use a gravel vac on the sand but pinch the siphon tube so only the dust size particles get taken out.

AJDuran · 08/17/2008, 10:56 PM

The color will return on the rock just give it time keep your calcium and alkality levels where they should be the same thing happend to some rock i bought from the LFS it was nice and purple when i put it in my tank the purple turned white now it's purple again.

scapes · 08/18/2008, 05:58 AM

To Reef Central

08/17/2008, 09:23 PM	#1
tbarr5 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: bloomington indiana Posts: 35	adding sand to tanks hi all, i am new to posting on this site but have been lurking for a little while so here goes...i have now, for the THIRD time forgotten to rinse my sand before adding it into a new tank, and while im sure that this isnt a huge problem (like i said i have done it twice before) it seems to me that it leaves a lot of nutrients in there adding to the length of the cycle and seems to make the water terrible cloudy evertime i ove somthing around in the sand. the sand i used was 80# of caribsea (i think, definitly one of those psuedo live sands). my tank is still in the stage of curing the live rock and if i feel that it is warrented i could take my rocks out and throw them into a rubbermaid tub for a day whil i partially darin the tank, scoop out the sand and rinse out the crap... this is not an appealing prospect however if there seems to be a benifit then... does everyone out there always rinse their sand before adding it? also, i got some pre-cured ( thats a fancy way of saying uncured i think) LR form premium aquatics and when i got it it was very colorfull but became a great deal whiter almost immediatly after adding it. I have never dealt with mailed or uncured LR so was wondering if this is normal and the color will eventually return.

08/17/2008, 10:42 PM	#2
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	I wouldn't go through and take out all the sand. I don't even think you're supposed to rinse that "pseudo-live" stuff as you call it. But if you have a lot of small dust particles left over, maybe you can use a gravel vac on the sand but pinch the siphon tube so only the dust size particles get taken out. __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

08/17/2008, 10:56 PM	#3
AJDuran Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 846	The color will return on the rock just give it time keep your calcium and alkality levels where they should be the same thing happend to some rock i bought from the LFS it was nice and purple when i put it in my tank the purple turned white now it's purple again. __________________ -Ashby Current Tank Info: 30g currently being transferred to a 60 cube

08/18/2008, 05:58 AM	#4
scapes Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Millbrook, AL Posts: 2,520	*To Reef Central*