moving sand

reefndude · Dec 10, 2013

Im moving my 75 to a 125. Im wanting to move my sand. Is there a good way of doing that or is it to risky?

revhtree · Dec 10, 2013

The risk really outweigh the advantages IMO. You can use it again but I am not sure I would use it in an upgrade. I would clean and rinse it very well.

kacrocorals581 · Dec 10, 2013

I'd use 90% new 10% old just to seed the new

reefndude · Dec 10, 2013

Thanks guys. Man thats what I thought. Just when my sandbed has really matured

Flameback Pair · Dec 11, 2013

I am switching tanks. The old has a sandbed and the new will be barebottom. I just bought a CUC a couple of months ago with some super tongan nassarius snails and other sand dwellers that I don't want to throw away. I will move sand to middle chamber of sump temporarily where I will slowly and painstakingly remove the sand and leave the dwellers. Now here is where the trouble is: when it's time to move sand, how do I put sand in buckets for a period of time without suffocating dwellers? I'm only moving across town but my experience is when livestock sits in buckets they starve of oxygen. Maybe if I put shallow layers of sand in many buckets? Did I miss anything here?

stunreefer · Dec 11, 2013

powers2001 said:
I am switching tanks. The old has a sandbed and the new will be barebottom. I just bought a CUC a couple of months ago with some super tongan nassarius snails and other sand dwellers that I don't want to throw away. I will move sand to middle chamber of sump temporarily where I will slowly and painstakingly remove the sand and leave the dwellers. Now here is where the trouble is: when it's time to move sand, how do I put sand in buckets for a period of time without suffocating dwellers? I'm only moving across town but my experience is when livestock sits in buckets they starve of oxygen. Maybe if I put shallow layers of sand in many buckets? Did I miss anything here?

I would take the CUC to a LFS for credit and call it a day. No reason to temporarily move some sand into your sump just to remove it. Then you don't have to worry about the CUC during the move.