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12/03/2011, 10:58 PM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,518
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Cleaning old sand
Anyone have tips on how to do this right... Well I broke my tank down a month ago or so and now I want to set up new tank but the old sand needs cleaning....
Do I use bleach? Does just a garden hose work?
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President of "NY REEF CLUB" OFFICE 300gal SPS reef tank with 400gal sump,150 GAL Frag tank,30gal frag= 890gal total HOUSE 400gal reef tank with 250gal sump = coming soon. 5x3x3 with 1" think acryli |
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12/03/2011, 11:18 PM
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#2 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Northern California
Posts: 166
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Do you have a sump?
When I transferred my 75, I used a filter sock in there to catch debri. Or perhaps an in tank filter if your dealing with a sumpless set up or bio cube etc
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Live For Today, Hope For Tomorrow!!! Current Tank Info: No Tank at the moment. Will be setting up an Innovative Marine 50 Gallon EXT very soon. |
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12/04/2011, 01:16 AM
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#3 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Orlando
Posts: 62
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A micron canister filter or diatom filter...
I recently did a major cleaning. Removed all rock and fish, most crabs, some snails with water... Added fresh salt water... stirred and filtered, stirred and filtered, stirred and filtered... and cleaned the micron filter. Towards the end I ran it as a Diatom filter. Found my "problem" where some kid had played wishing well with my tank and tossed a dime (90+% Cu!) in (as well as an aluminum coke can tab). 
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1:1 Ocellaris clowns('04) + BTA('05), 1 Yellow watchman goby('04), 1 Yellow tail damsel('09 lives in QT), 1:1 Scooter blennies('11), 1 Royal Gramma('11) Current Tank Info: '04 65 gal hex w/ MH |
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12/04/2011, 01:54 AM
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#4 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,041
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I put all the sand in 5 gallon buckets, and rinsed with the garden hose while "scrubbing" the sand with gloves. It took maybe 8 cycles of filling the bucket with garden hose water, scrubbing, and dumping before the water was relatively clear. Then I let the sand air-dry in the sun for a few days before adding to the new system.
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12/04/2011, 06:54 AM
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#5 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Lake Clear, NY
Posts: 69
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Dumb newb question...
Why is it better to clean/sterilize it as totally as is described above than to remove most of the waste and leave some microbes intact in the sand for the tank? Jamie |
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12/04/2011, 07:19 AM
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#6 |
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Registered Member
 Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Where the fish are biting
Posts: 95
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When I broke down a 180 and transferred everything to a 150 cube I took about 80 percent of the sand out in five gallon buckets(only fill half way) and stuck a garden hose in each bucket, let it run wide open while constantly stirring it with my hand until the water was clear. Then when I put it in the new tank I added the other 20 percent to it. I never had any side effects from this nor have I had any algae problems in three years. My 180 was very heavily stocked and you get some very serious funk under your rock after 5 years that is impossible to get to without breaking don the tank. Good luck
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12/04/2011, 05:12 PM
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#7 | |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,041
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Quote:
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