Do I need to rinse my sand and how?

kmasonbx · 04/01/2011, 04:51 PM

So I just got some new sand from marcorocks and eventually plan on making a DSB but right now I don't have the funds to A) get enough sand and B) get the critters I need to make the DSB as affective as possible. I've had my tank for a while but I'm starting over since I was doing it all wrong and I will be taking the sand out that is already in there since it's too coarse and big for a DSB.

The instructions say to rinse the sand off but I got advice from people on this board not to rinse if I'm doing a DSB. However since I'm not doing a DSB right now should I just go ahead and rinse so there is no 100% guarantee that I'll ever get around to doing a DSB? If so how should I go about rinsing the sand. It's 40lbs worth of sand.

bertoni · 04/01/2011, 05:22 PM

I wouldn't bother rinsing the sand, but you could run some tapwater over it, and stir it a bit, then dump the water. Repeat a few times. The water won't get clear, not without an excessive amount of rinsing.

JacknJill · 04/01/2011, 07:26 PM

Yep thats what I did,, get a bucket fill to about 3 quarters high then add water to where its at about 1" above the sand then shake and stir it then dump the water and repeat

Virtuoso · 04/01/2011, 08:59 PM

I rinsed my sand and I really think it helped it clear up faster after I put it in. There was a ton of stuff that floated to the top while I was mixing. I just put it in a 5g bucket with tap water, about half full, and stirred it with a PVC pipe.

kmasonbx · 04/01/2011, 09:08 PM

When you guys rinsed did you lose a lot of sand when you dumped the water out?

billdogg · 04/02/2011, 06:26 AM

give it about 15 seconds to settle, then pour it out carefully and you will avoid dumping too much down the drain.

Virtuoso · 04/02/2011, 09:38 AM

I didn't notice a lot coming out and I poured it out on my back patio, where I would have seen it.

bertoni · 04/02/2011, 04:42 PM

I didn't notice any sand lost, either, back when I rinsed the stuff.

JoeRonda · 04/02/2011, 06:27 PM

It doesn't matter, to rinse or not to rinse, that is the question. I did not rinse and I had a major sand storm for like a week. On the positive side, I didn't waste any sand or sand dust (LOL) and I didn't introduce any impurities from the tap by rinsing. Some people rinse and still have sand storms in their tanks, so you can't avoid The Cloud.

kmasonbx · 04/02/2011, 06:40 PM

I guess I'll just pass on rinsing, sand storm isn't a big deal since the tank will just be cycling anyway and it won't bother me much. Thanks guys.

Sk8r · 04/02/2011, 06:42 PM

I use medium grade aragonite for mine: I put a little in a bucket of ro/di and swish, pour off water, dump sand, pour water back, rinse more sand, etc. It's messy, but you want that rock powder out of there---it's rife with phosphates, I swear it is.

04/01/2011, 04:51 PM	#1
kmasonbx Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 67	Do I need to rinse my sand and how? So I just got some new sand from marcorocks and eventually plan on making a DSB but right now I don't have the funds to A) get enough sand and B) get the critters I need to make the DSB as affective as possible. I've had my tank for a while but I'm starting over since I was doing it all wrong and I will be taking the sand out that is already in there since it's too coarse and big for a DSB. The instructions say to rinse the sand off but I got advice from people on this board not to rinse if I'm doing a DSB. However since I'm not doing a DSB right now should I just go ahead and rinse so there is no 100% guarantee that I'll ever get around to doing a DSB? If so how should I go about rinsing the sand. It's 40lbs worth of sand.

04/01/2011, 05:22 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I wouldn't bother rinsing the sand, but you could run some tapwater over it, and stir it a bit, then dump the water. Repeat a few times. The water won't get clear, not without an excessive amount of rinsing. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

04/02/2011, 06:26 AM	#6
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	give it about 15 seconds to settle, then pour it out carefully and you will avoid dumping too much down the drain. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

04/02/2011, 04:42 PM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I didn't notice any sand lost, either, back when I rinsed the stuff. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

04/02/2011, 06:42 PM	#11
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I use medium grade aragonite for mine: I put a little in a bucket of ro/di and swish, pour off water, dump sand, pour water back, rinse more sand, etc. It's messy, but you want that rock powder out of there---it's rife with phosphates, I swear it is. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/01/2011, 07:26 PM	#3
JacknJill Moved On Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: El Segundo Posts: 51	Yep thats what I did,, get a bucket fill to about 3 quarters high then add water to where its at about 1" above the sand then shake and stir it then dump the water and repeat

04/01/2011, 08:59 PM	#4
Virtuoso Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 727	I rinsed my sand and I really think it helped it clear up faster after I put it in. There was a ton of stuff that floated to the top while I was mixing. I just put it in a 5g bucket with tap water, about half full, and stirred it with a PVC pipe.

04/01/2011, 09:08 PM	#5
kmasonbx Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 67	When you guys rinsed did you lose a lot of sand when you dumped the water out?

04/02/2011, 09:38 AM	#7
Virtuoso Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 727	I didn't notice a lot coming out and I poured it out on my back patio, where I would have seen it.

04/02/2011, 06:27 PM	#9
JoeRonda Made in the U.S.A. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Washington,PA Posts: 694	It doesn't matter, to rinse or not to rinse, that is the question. I did not rinse and I had a major sand storm for like a week. On the positive side, I didn't waste any sand or sand dust (LOL) and I didn't introduce any impurities from the tap by rinsing. Some people rinse and still have sand storms in their tanks, so you can't avoid The Cloud.

04/02/2011, 06:40 PM	#10
kmasonbx Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 67	I guess I'll just pass on rinsing, sand storm isn't a big deal since the tank will just be cycling anyway and it won't bother me much. Thanks guys.

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