filtering sand before adding to DSB ?

slimtim260 · 03/17/2006, 02:18 AM

when i first added sand to my DSB i pretty much ended up dumping bags in the tank. that didnt compact that well and for closr t oa week every night ive been pushing the sand down in a attempt to remove the fine powderish stuff on the top of everything. i have a extra bag and if i decide to add it to the tank how should i go about filtering out the fine stuff of the sand before i add it to the tank ? i was thinking of dumping the sand into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and buying some fine screen and cutting the top part but keeping the round part that goes around the outside to hold the screen on and shaking it around to get the fine stuff to the top then dumping it out (if the screen is fine enough then the finer particles will wash out and keep the other stuff in the bucket) how do you guys filter the sand before putting it in the tank ?

fishtk75 · 03/17/2006, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by slimtim260
when i first added sand to my DSB i pretty much ended up dumping bags in the tank. that didnt compact that well and for closr t oa week every night ive been pushing the sand down in a attempt to remove the fine powderish stuff on the top of everything. i have a extra bag and if i decide to add it to the tank how should i go about filtering out the fine stuff of the sand before i add it to the tank ? i was thinking of dumping the sand into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and buying some fine screen and cutting the top part but keeping the round part that goes around the outside to hold the screen on and shaking it around to get the fine stuff to the top then dumping it out (if the screen is fine enough then the finer particles will wash out and keep the other stuff in the bucket) how do you guys filter the sand before putting it in the tank ?

Yes you need to clean the all sand of the fine stuff.
I have a bucket that I use only for fish that was new and had not use for soap.
You do a little at a time dump 4" in the bucket and go the the sink a put water in till it is above the sand a then stir it up with our hand then set it settle dump the white water out and repeat till it looks clear then dump out clear water out for the last time and slowly add to tank and repeat till all that sand you need to add.
There is alot of fine silt in the bags from the factory and shipping made.
You will never get it all washed out put this will get 90% out that I do this way.

slimtim260 · 03/19/2006, 02:59 AM

will you lose any of the sand if youre dumping out the water ? i wanted to have the screen there as a safety thing. with my luck id try to dump out the water and the sand would go out with it.

fishtk75 · 03/19/2006, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by slimtim260
will you lose any of the sand if youre dumping out the water ? i wanted to have the screen there as a safety thing. with my luck id try to dump out the water and the sand would go out with it.

Only a very very small amount that will slip out even if you use a screen some will even go thought that also.
Know matter how careful you are you will lose some.
You need to go very slow dumping the water out I put it sitting in the sink slowly tip the bucket the white water slowly goes over the edge till you see the sand coming to the edge of the bucket and then add more water till clearer.
When you add the water put in not fast so the sand does not comes out over the bucket.
I put a second bucket if you went to save the small amount and lwhen the water comes to the sand stop and the finish dumping the water into it the second bucket.
Hope that help?

slimtim260 · 03/19/2006, 05:11 AM

yeah thatll work i dont mind losing a little i just dont wanna lose the whole thing

slimtim260 · 03/19/2006, 05:12 AM

thanks

fishtk75 · 03/19/2006, 06:21 AM

happy to help

RicksReefs · 03/19/2006, 07:35 AM

if your going for a DSB, that fine oolitic aragonite sand is beneficial
to the microlife. I have and use about 1/2 ton of oolitic aragonite sand and it clears up in a day or two every time. and if your using live sand, you'll be rinsing millions of bacteria out of it.

slimtim260 · 03/20/2006, 02:51 AM

its not live sand already. i bought some sand from HD that is distributed by old castle. its not super fine. yuo can actually see the bigger chunks but its nowhere near the size of cc. i kind of wanted to get the bigger stuff because im going to have fish in there (i dont think ill go the argessive route of triggers again) but im sure as he** not gonna have any tangs or anything like that. the sand does have a lot of the smaller particles so i wanted to get the bigger stuff on top so that way it wouldnt become as cloudy if it gets disturbed.

03/17/2006, 02:18 AM	#1
slimtim260 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 104	filtering sand before adding to DSB ? when i first added sand to my DSB i pretty much ended up dumping bags in the tank. that didnt compact that well and for closr t oa week every night ive been pushing the sand down in a attempt to remove the fine powderish stuff on the top of everything. i have a extra bag and if i decide to add it to the tank how should i go about filtering out the fine stuff of the sand before i add it to the tank ? i was thinking of dumping the sand into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and buying some fine screen and cutting the top part but keeping the round part that goes around the outside to hold the screen on and shaking it around to get the fine stuff to the top then dumping it out (if the screen is fine enough then the finer particles will wash out and keep the other stuff in the bucket) how do you guys filter the sand before putting it in the tank ?

03/19/2006, 02:59 AM	#3
slimtim260 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 104	will you lose any of the sand if youre dumping out the water ? i wanted to have the screen there as a safety thing. with my luck id try to dump out the water and the sand would go out with it.

03/19/2006, 05:11 AM	#5
slimtim260 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 104	yeah thatll work i dont mind losing a little i just dont wanna lose the whole thing

03/19/2006, 05:12 AM	#6
slimtim260 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 104	thanks

03/19/2006, 06:21 AM	#7
fishtk75 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: PA Posts: 1,530	happy to help

03/19/2006, 07:35 AM	#8
RicksReefs Moved On Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: In America's Dangling Junk State. Posts: 6,413	if your going for a DSB, that fine oolitic aragonite sand is beneficial to the microlife. I have and use about 1/2 ton of oolitic aragonite sand and it clears up in a day or two every time. and if your using live sand, you'll be rinsing millions of bacteria out of it.

03/20/2006, 02:51 AM	#9
slimtim260 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 104	its not live sand already. i bought some sand from HD that is distributed by old castle. its not super fine. yuo can actually see the bigger chunks but its nowhere near the size of cc. i kind of wanted to get the bigger stuff because im going to have fish in there (i dont think ill go the argessive route of triggers again) but im sure as he** not gonna have any tangs or anything like that. the sand does have a lot of the smaller particles so i wanted to get the bigger stuff on top so that way it wouldnt become as cloudy if it gets disturbed.