my upgrade journal/journey

[smitten with ocean life]

would you guys use the sand in my current tank if i rinsed it? or is it better to just throw it away?

 

[luis angel]

would you guys use the sand in my current tank if i rinsed it? or is it better to just throw it away?

New sand

 

[kevgib67]

would you guys use the sand in my current tank if i rinsed it? or is it better to just throw it away?

I haven’t done it but I have read enough threads stating you can use it after you rinse it. Put it in a plastic container hose it down, empty the water and repeat until the water you’re pouring off is clear.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

oh boy. i guess its been too long since ive done this! lol. wet or dry sand? and which kind?!

 

[kevgib67]

New sand

Less work!

 

[luis angel]

Less work!

Less everything lol, when I did my transfer the sand had all kind of things and too much bad smell lol

 

[Calmwaters]

would you guys use the sand in my current tank if i rinsed it? or is it better to just throw it away?

I used the sand that was in the tank when I got it. I didn't even rinse it...

 

[smitten with ocean life]

thats what i did too the last tank transfer. but i was thinking of starting fresh this time. just not sure what the benefit if wet sand is if you rinse it anyway like the dry sand. @tbrown or @Fish Styx do you have any tips what to buy? i was thinking a more coarse sand so i dont have a snow globe!

 

[tbrown]

Rinsing it will get rid of a good portion of the "live" and make it sterile basically EXCEPT it will be Phosphate bound so you won't have to worry about bottoming out as much as with fresh sand - wet or dry.

I've used bagged live sand (wet), bagged dry sand, old sand, new sand...

Rinsing it is good for getting the fine dust and particulates out which helps make your water clear faster.

 

[Fish Styx]

Rinsing it will get rid of a good portion of the "live" and make it sterile basically EXCEPT it will be Phosphate bound so you won't have to worry about bottoming out as much as with fresh sand - wet or dry.

I've used bagged live sand (wet), bagged dry sand, old sand, new sand...

Rinsing it is good for getting the fine dust and particulates out which helps make your water clear faster.

At the end of the day, any live sand, once rinsed is going to lose its "life", but rinsing IS essential, as Tim said, to remove the fine particulate. I am a fan of Tonga Mesoflake for high flow systems. It is coarse and, unless disturbed, stays put. My system runs 2 MP60's at 90% and four additional SLW30's full bore. No sand storms. You can seed the sand with live mud and some critters from IPSW. It'll be "alive" soon enough.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

im leaning towards the aquaforest bio sand .5-1.5mm. anyone familiar with it?

 

[smitten with ocean life]

At the end of the day, any live sand, once rinsed is going to lose its "life", but rinsing IS essential, as Tim said, to remove the fine particulate. I am a fan of Tonga Mesoflake for high flow systems. It is coarse and, unless disturbed, stays put. My system runs 2 MP60's at 90% and four additional SLW30's full bore. No sand storms. You can seed the sand with live mud and some critters from IPSW. It'll be "alive" soon enough.

thank you. havent heard of that one. ill look into it. who sells it?

 

[Fish Styx]

thank you. havent heard of that one. ill look into it. who sells it?

Tropic Eden

 

[smitten with ocean life]

id like more sand in the tank than what i have now. does about 1 1/2 in sound right?

 

[kevgib67]

id like more sand in the tank than what i have now. does about 1 1/2 in sound right?

I have 2” due to my diamond watchman goby and it came in handy for my yellow wrasse to sleep in but if you don’t have or don’t want fish like that 1 1/2 inches is fine.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

ok. i dont currently have a fish that sifts it. but would like to get one sometime. my jawfish does make a burrow

 

[kevgib67]

ok. i dont currently have a fish that sifts it. but would like to get one sometime. my jawfish does make a burrow

If you do want to get a sand sifter, twin spot gobys are supposed to be less messy. Rumor has it that Tim used to have one, if it’s true, you never know with the rumor mill on R2R ( someone started a rumor that I’m going to upgrade my tank and that I went to public school, ouch that one hurts), you could ask Tim about them. I’ve researched them and they seem like great fish and will keep your sandbed sparkling.

 

[tbrown]

id like more sand in the tank than what i have now. does about 1 1/2 in sound right?

Or 3" for wrasses like a Halichoeres leucoxanthus or Halichoeres chrysus. Also a Macropharyngodon meleagris.

 

[tbrown]

Twinspots really need a mature sand bed. They sift all day and eat from the sand. Not enough junk in the sand and they can starve.

 

[Fish Styx]

Twinspots really need a mature sand bed. They sift all day and eat from the sand. Not enough junk in the sand and they can starve.

Sadly, they usually do in most systems.