Is my sand still alive?

Eel Freak · 08/09/2011, 07:07 PM

Hi!

I have kept around 400lbs of sand I pulled from two of my tanks about a month ago in a Brute and a few 5g buckets. the sand has been submerged the entire time in the water I siphoned from the tanks. It was kept since I am setting up my 125g refugium this week. I need all of the sand that is in those buckets and Brute. My question is: is it safe for me to consider it "live" and add most if it at once to the 125 which is tied into my 200g display reef? If it isn't, I'll slowly add it all in over the course of two weeks...

I run an SRO-XP5000E so I have tons of skimming power. 200lbs of live sand in the display, about 150lbs of cryptic live rock in my sump, and around 100lbs of live rock in my display. I also have another 150 or so pounds of liverock in yet another Brute that will be going into the refugium as well.

All thoughts are greatly appreciated, thanks!!

Playa-1 · 08/09/2011, 07:24 PM

In my opinion, it's not safe to reuse the sand at this point. That is unless you're planning to recycle the whole system. You may want to replace the sand or thoroughly clean the sand, dry it out and then slowly add it back to the tank over an extended period of time.

thegrun · 08/09/2011, 07:28 PM

Agreed, you are bound to have had a lot of die off of the sand that is buried deep in the Brute. Anything below 4" has been sitting in an aerobic zone and most of what was once live is now dead.

Eel Freak · 08/09/2011, 08:07 PM

Okay. That's what I feared. Thanks. I'll add all the sand and rock into the tank, but I won't turn the circulation on until ammonia and nitrite read zero in the tank, so it will essentially be like starting a new tank and letting it cycle...

Thanks again!

08/09/2011, 07:07 PM	#1
Eel Freak Fimbriated Moray Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: The Space Coast Posts: 830	Is my sand still alive? Hi! I have kept around 400lbs of sand I pulled from two of my tanks about a month ago in a Brute and a few 5g buckets. the sand has been submerged the entire time in the water I siphoned from the tanks. It was kept since I am setting up my 125g refugium this week. I need all of the sand that is in those buckets and Brute. My question is: is it safe for me to consider it "live" and add most if it at once to the 125 which is tied into my 200g display reef? If it isn't, I'll slowly add it all in over the course of two weeks... I run an SRO-XP5000E so I have tons of skimming power. 200lbs of live sand in the display, about 150lbs of cryptic live rock in my sump, and around 100lbs of live rock in my display. I also have another 150 or so pounds of liverock in yet another Brute that will be going into the refugium as well. All thoughts are greatly appreciated, thanks!! __________________ I plan to procrastinate. Current Tank Info: 205g Mixed Reef - 3x Radion XR30w Gen 2, twin VorTechs, SRO-XP5000e, 50g estuary, 125g fuge, OM 4-way

08/09/2011, 08:07 PM	#4
Eel Freak Fimbriated Moray Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: The Space Coast Posts: 830	Okay. That's what I feared. Thanks. I'll add all the sand and rock into the tank, but I won't turn the circulation on until ammonia and nitrite read zero in the tank, so it will essentially be like starting a new tank and letting it cycle... Thanks again! __________________ I plan to procrastinate. Current Tank Info: 205g Mixed Reef - 3x Radion XR30w Gen 2, twin VorTechs, SRO-XP5000e, 50g estuary, 125g fuge, OM 4-way

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Black Sand, is it safe?	osi	Reef Discussion	11	03/09/2013 12:39 PM
Deep sand bed or shallow?	JStraz4991	New to the Hobby	21	12/07/2010 09:10 PM
To sand or not to sand?	Mikilios	Reef Discussion	7	05/06/2010 08:44 AM
Is my live sand stil alive?	hihikeke	Reef Discussion	5	11/14/2009 08:22 AM
This sand is alive yo!?!	mpty	New to the Hobby	11	11/19/2007 09:53 AM

08/09/2011, 07:24 PM	#2
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	In my opinion, it's not safe to reuse the sand at this point. That is unless you're planning to recycle the whole system. You may want to replace the sand or thoroughly clean the sand, dry it out and then slowly add it back to the tank over an extended period of time.

08/09/2011, 07:28 PM	#3
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Agreed, you are bound to have had a lot of die off of the sand that is buried deep in the Brute. Anything below 4" has been sitting in an aerobic zone and most of what was once live is now dead.