How to clean new sand

djcool563 · 01/13/2006, 04:37 PM

hello i bought about 120 pounds of sand from somone a while ago and it has been sitting around till now because i am setting up my tank. i know the sand had to have been in some tank because it has alota snail shells and such. The sand looks clean like maybe he already cleaned it a long time ago.Do you think i should still rinse it? and if so how would i do that?

Entropy · 01/13/2006, 05:15 PM

I would definatley rinse it with RO water. Just put it in a really big container and fill it up about half way. Stir the sand really really good and poor off the water. Repeat until it runs clear, even after stirring. The problem with using old sand that has not been rinsed really good is that it will hold a bunch of left over nutrients and nasty stuff, which will creat a really neat algae bloom in your new tank. If it is really bad and your source (tap) water is not too bad, you can run a hose into the bucket and do the final rinse with ro water.

djcool563 · 01/13/2006, 05:16 PM

Well unfortunatly i cannont rinse with RO water because my unit is to slow. It took me from sunday to thrusday to fill a 55g tank (only making like 10gpd because of the cold water. Can i rinse with just normal Tap water?

Entropy · 01/13/2006, 05:34 PM

You can but you will have to do a final rinse with ro or risk leaving what ever is in your tap water still in the sand. I guess if you drain it really well it would be ok. Just make sure you get all the detrius and other stuff out of the sand. I made that mistake and I am paying for it now three months later. I transferred my 90g over to my current 150g and used the old sand for half (new sand on the other half). Now I have all kinds of algae blooms on one side.

That is what I get for being lazy when I rinsed the sand.

djcool563 · 01/13/2006, 05:36 PM

Thanks for the help. Guess i should start making the water right away then

djcool563 · 01/13/2006, 05:46 PM

The problem i see is there there will still be some sand in the rinse water after i dump it but i can get ANY sand down the drain as it will clog.

Craig Lambert · 01/13/2006, 06:28 PM

I remember a post from Ron Shimick when someone asked if they could use the sand from a tank that was taken down sometime earlier. His response was do not use the sand as it has many dead micro organisms in it and you will have the mother of all algae blooms. Just an FYI.

djcool563 · 01/13/2006, 06:58 PM

Well i am rinsing it very well so i should be safe

01/13/2006, 04:37 PM	#1
djcool563 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NE OHIO Posts: 1,233	How to clean new sand hello i bought about 120 pounds of sand from somone a while ago and it has been sitting around till now because i am setting up my tank. i know the sand had to have been in some tank because it has alota snail shells and such. The sand looks clean like maybe he already cleaned it a long time ago.Do you think i should still rinse it? and if so how would i do that? __________________ " A man truly at peace with himself has the potential to do something, but the ablility not to" "Think not why the sky is blue but instead think that the sky is blue for a reason" Some of my quotes Current Tank Info: 55g with 250w MH 14k bulb with 2 110w VHOs

01/13/2006, 05:15 PM	#2
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	I would definatley rinse it with RO water. Just put it in a really big container and fill it up about half way. Stir the sand really really good and poor off the water. Repeat until it runs clear, even after stirring. The problem with using old sand that has not been rinsed really good is that it will hold a bunch of left over nutrients and nasty stuff, which will creat a really neat algae bloom in your new tank. If it is really bad and your source (tap) water is not too bad, you can run a hose into the bucket and do the final rinse with ro water. __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g

01/13/2006, 05:16 PM	#3
djcool563 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NE OHIO Posts: 1,233	Well unfortunatly i cannont rinse with RO water because my unit is to slow. It took me from sunday to thrusday to fill a 55g tank (only making like 10gpd because of the cold water. Can i rinse with just normal Tap water? __________________ " A man truly at peace with himself has the potential to do something, but the ablility not to" "Think not why the sky is blue but instead think that the sky is blue for a reason" Some of my quotes Current Tank Info: 55g with 250w MH 14k bulb with 2 110w VHOs

01/13/2006, 05:34 PM	#4
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	You can but you will have to do a final rinse with ro or risk leaving what ever is in your tap water still in the sand. I guess if you drain it really well it would be ok. Just make sure you get all the detrius and other stuff out of the sand. I made that mistake and I am paying for it now three months later. I transferred my 90g over to my current 150g and used the old sand for half (new sand on the other half). Now I have all kinds of algae blooms on one side. That is what I get for being lazy when I rinsed the sand. __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g

01/13/2006, 05:36 PM	#5
djcool563 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NE OHIO Posts: 1,233	Thanks for the help. Guess i should start making the water right away then __________________ " A man truly at peace with himself has the potential to do something, but the ablility not to" "Think not why the sky is blue but instead think that the sky is blue for a reason" Some of my quotes Current Tank Info: 55g with 250w MH 14k bulb with 2 110w VHOs

01/13/2006, 05:46 PM	#6
djcool563 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NE OHIO Posts: 1,233	The problem i see is there there will still be some sand in the rinse water after i dump it but i can get ANY sand down the drain as it will clog. __________________ " A man truly at peace with himself has the potential to do something, but the ablility not to" "Think not why the sky is blue but instead think that the sky is blue for a reason" Some of my quotes Current Tank Info: 55g with 250w MH 14k bulb with 2 110w VHOs

01/13/2006, 06:28 PM	#7
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	I remember a post from Ron Shimick when someone asked if they could use the sand from a tank that was taken down sometime earlier. His response was do not use the sand as it has many dead micro organisms in it and you will have the mother of all algae blooms. Just an FYI. __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic

01/13/2006, 06:58 PM	#8
djcool563 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NE OHIO Posts: 1,233	Well i am rinsing it very well so i should be safe __________________ " A man truly at peace with himself has the potential to do something, but the ablility not to" "Think not why the sky is blue but instead think that the sky is blue for a reason" Some of my quotes Current Tank Info: 55g with 250w MH 14k bulb with 2 110w VHOs