This sand is alive yo!?!

mpty · 11/15/2007, 03:21 PM

OK folks, just a simple question, does live sand need curing?

i have a lil bit o sand, some live rock and one lil damsel mackin the tank (yeah the dude is lonely but what can ya do?) but the folks here say i need like maybe 4 inches of it! that's a whole lotta sand yo.

so i'm off to pick up another bag or three of live sand and realized that i spent all this time curing the live rock before puttin the lil sucker in and never really thought about the live sand all that much.

now that i'm here askin "to cure or not to cure", i might as well ask if any of you reefgeeks have any brilliant ideas on how to dump that sand in without it gettin too crazy murky. should i turn off the powerheads and pumps and crap before puttin it in?

hahaha. i love this crap! seriously, i've got salty wet dreams my friends! somebody please dunk my head in this tank my wallet's already lost in davy jones' locker!

mpty

reef1973 · 11/15/2007, 04:05 PM

No.

Tahlequah · 11/15/2007, 04:13 PM

no, and you dont need to go buy live sand. The "live" sand that you already have in the take will seed it just fine.

LPDK91 · 11/15/2007, 05:03 PM

buy the cheap sand the live sand you have will seed it

littlemannin · 11/15/2007, 07:01 PM

Rinse your new sand really well and add it slow. Keep an eye on the white cloud and wait till it goes away!Then add more. Then repeat. Simple. (don't use anymore live sand... it will seed!)

madreefer14 · 11/16/2007, 12:16 AM

In the future you might want to concider putting the sand in first then filling the tank with water. Diffuse the water with a piece of live rock as this will also help to seed your sand. It doesnt hurt to seed it with a cup of live sand from a well established tank either. you could use a plain ol' bowl as well. Keep in mind no matter what ya do, just like sparkin up a cig, things are gonna be a bit smoky.

mpty · 11/16/2007, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by madreefer14
In the future you might want to concider putting the sand in first then filling the tank with water. Diffuse the water with a piece of live rock as this will also help to seed your sand. It doesnt hurt to seed it with a cup of live sand from a well established tank either. you could use a plain ol' bowl as well. Keep in mind no matter what ya do, just like sparkin up a cig, things are gonna be a bit smoky.

sweet. thanks. now all i need are lights... and a bf to buy it for me! lol.

Vin7250 · 11/16/2007, 02:30 PM

i put the sand into smaller ziplocks zip them shut sink them to the bottom and then open them and slowly sift the sand out into the tank, like the madreefer said its like a cigg, nothing will 100% skip getting the tank cloudy but with the way i do it its clear in about an hour!!

goldmaniac · 11/16/2007, 03:02 PM

any live sand is enough to seed the rest of the stuff

you can turn off all pumps before dumping the rinsed new sand onto the live sand

and then stir (a little)with a ruler or stick or something, I find that keeps the mess to a minimum.

I also like the ziploc bag idea. You could do that with just a glass and slowly tip it over once the glass 'o sand is sitting on the bottom.

Turbovinny · 11/16/2007, 03:32 PM

i would pour it down a 4" PVC tube if u had one around

techreef · 11/16/2007, 03:59 PM

yeah, pouring the new sand down a tube into the tank is the best method i've heard of to keep the sand storm to a minimum. get a tube long enough to end at the sandbed in your tank and still stick out the top of the water. then dump your new sand into the tube, i guess using a funnel of some sort, and slowly move the submerged end of the tube around your tank, dispersing the new sand. good luck!

mpty · 11/19/2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vin7250
i put the sand into smaller ziplocks zip them shut sink them to the bottom and then open them and slowly sift the sand out into the tank, like the madreefer said its like a cigg, nothing will 100% skip getting the tank cloudy but with the way i do it its clear in about an hour!!

thanks! baggie method rules, sounds cool too!

xoxompty

11/15/2007, 03:21 PM	#1
mpty Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 154	This sand is alive yo!?! OK folks, just a simple question, does live sand need curing? i have a lil bit o sand, some live rock and one lil damsel mackin the tank (yeah the dude is lonely but what can ya do?) but the folks here say i need like maybe 4 inches of it! that's a whole lotta sand yo. so i'm off to pick up another bag or three of live sand and realized that i spent all this time curing the live rock before puttin the lil sucker in and never really thought about the live sand all that much. now that i'm here askin "to cure or not to cure", i might as well ask if any of you reefgeeks have any brilliant ideas on how to dump that sand in without it gettin too crazy murky. should i turn off the powerheads and pumps and crap before puttin it in? hahaha. i love this crap! seriously, i've got salty wet dreams my friends! somebody please dunk my head in this tank my wallet's already lost in davy jones' locker! mpty __________________ "Nuthin turns me on like a reefgeek boy rambling coral gear specks under an actinic blue light. Seriously. What else could a gal ask for?" Current Tank Info: Glass 65G, PC Lunar Aqualight, CL SuperSkimmer 65, Eheim Cannister, 80lbs live rock, 2" sand, 10G Fuge - 4" sand/mangrove/cheato, shrooms, duster, buttons, occelaris, japonicus tang, chromis, shrimp, bubble, open brain, leathers, frogspawn. Last edited by mpty; 11/15/2007 at 03:51 PM.

11/15/2007, 04:13 PM	#3
Tahlequah Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tahlequah, Ok Posts: 311	no, and you dont need to go buy live sand. The "live" sand that you already have in the take will seed it just fine. __________________ "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." Current Tank Info: JBJ 30RL

11/16/2007, 12:16 AM	#6
madreefer14 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Iowa Posts: 345	In the future you might want to concider putting the sand in first then filling the tank with water. Diffuse the water with a piece of live rock as this will also help to seed your sand. It doesnt hurt to seed it with a cup of live sand from a well established tank either. you could use a plain ol' bowl as well. Keep in mind no matter what ya do, just like sparkin up a cig, things are gonna be a bit smoky. __________________ And the corals sang praises unto me Shouting "You are my sunshine, my only sun shine."- me Current Tank Info: 55 gal reef tank filled 11/05/07 t5 lights w/2 actinic+, 1 10000k and 1 super actinic on 660 IC, 40 gal home made sump, 4000HH return pump and via aqua 388 skimmer w/ 1200gph CPR overflow, Koralia #4 PH. Tank to be mainly sps

11/16/2007, 03:32 PM	#10
Turbovinny Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: 617 Posts: 47	i would pour it down a 4" PVC tube if u had one around __________________ Vinny Current Tank Info: 110 SW - rest of my tanks are for Flowerhorns

11/15/2007, 04:05 PM	#2
reef1973 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 53	No.

11/15/2007, 05:03 PM	#4
LPDK91 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: ASHLAND OHIO Posts: 253	buy the cheap sand the live sand you have will seed it

11/15/2007, 07:01 PM	#5
littlemannin Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Maine Posts: 276	Rinse your new sand really well and add it slow. Keep an eye on the white cloud and wait till it goes away!Then add more. Then repeat. Simple. (don't use anymore live sand... it will seed!)

11/16/2007, 02:30 PM	#8
Vin7250 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Connecticut "The Big East" Posts: 1,144	i put the sand into smaller ziplocks zip them shut sink them to the bottom and then open them and slowly sift the sand out into the tank, like the madreefer said its like a cigg, nothing will 100% skip getting the tank cloudy but with the way i do it its clear in about an hour!!

11/16/2007, 03:02 PM	#9
goldmaniac Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yardley, PA Posts: 1,567	any live sand is enough to seed the rest of the stuff you can turn off all pumps before dumping the rinsed new sand onto the live sand and then stir (a little)with a ruler or stick or something, I find that keeps the mess to a minimum. I also like the ziploc bag idea. You could do that with just a glass and slowly tip it over once the glass 'o sand is sitting on the bottom.

11/16/2007, 03:59 PM	#11
techreef Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Montclair, NJ Posts: 1,046	yeah, pouring the new sand down a tube into the tank is the best method i've heard of to keep the sand storm to a minimum. get a tube long enough to end at the sandbed in your tank and still stick out the top of the water. then dump your new sand into the tube, i guess using a funnel of some sort, and slowly move the submerged end of the tube around your tank, dispersing the new sand. good luck!