Reusing old sand

[cdness]

I am upgrading from a 75 to 125 soon. The 75 has only been set up for a year with the current sand. Do you think it would be OK reusing it since it really isn't too old?

 

[swannyson7]

It would be ok to use the old sand, just make sure that you rinse it really well. Lots of detritus will build up in a sandbed and if you re-use it without rinsing first, you'll probably have a huge NO3 & PO4 spike

 

[cilyjr]

Many people will say do not use old sand... I however usually do reuse sand. I have a 45 gallon tub that I put the sand in then bury a hose in it and run the water so it comes up over the top and I keep stirring it until the water runs more clear/sandy white and don't smell like low tide anymore

 

[cdness]

I figured I'd use saltwater to rinse it first and get all of the nass and cerith snails out of it first, then run the majority of it through with the hose then RODI...

I know of all the risks associated with it but this is only 1 year old so I figured it would still be OK to use... Keep the opinions coming.

 

[Wy Renegade]

While older sand will bind and leech nutrients back into the water, if its only a year old you shouldn't have many issues. Rinsing with RO and or a hose will also help dissolve the outer layer and release any bound nutrients.

 

[shred5]

You have to look at the tank its coming from. In most cases yes you can just rinse it well.. If the sand is calcium carbonate based which is the case in most reefs it isn’t so easy. Calcium carbonate binds with phosphate, so if you have ever had a high phosphate issue the sand could have bound allot of phosphate (this can happen with live rock too). The sand will over time erode or dissolves and release some phosphates back into the tank. People have seen the same affect with calcium reactors and the media used.. But sand dissolves at such a slow pace it should not be a issue especially if other phosphate binders are used like gfo..

Dave Polzin