Rinsing live sand.

stanlalee

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I didn't rinse. Not because it was going to ruin it but because I paid extra for live vs dry sand I figured I'd follow directions (clearly states do not rinse) and maximize whatever benefits I'm suppose to be paying extra for. Took days if not a week to clear completely WITH mechanical filtration but I was in no rush. You do need mechanical filtration IMO to move things along with clarify (floss, filter cartridge, sock etc).
 

Garf

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I didn't rinse. Not because it was going to ruin it but because I paid extra for live vs dry sand I figured I'd follow directions (clearly states do not rinse) and maximize whatever benefits I'm suppose to be paying extra for. Took days if not a week to clear completely WITH mechanical filtration but I was in no rush.
And this “oh, it will cloud your water for 10 days” is cobblers. Graded live sand is rinsed already. Yeah, there may be a bloom but that’s startin a reef.
 

CanuckReefer

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I didn't rinse. Not because it was going to ruin it but because I paid extra for live vs dry sand I figured I'd follow directions (clearly states do not rinse) and maximize whatever benefits I'm suppose to be paying extra for. Took days if not a week to clear completely WITH mechanical filtration but I was in no rush. You do need mechanical filtration IMO to move things along with clarify (floss, filter cartridge, sock etc).
This is an interesting debate.... I can see your point on startup. Which is what the thread is intended for lol, but in my case of a top up of substrate, I'll probably need to rinse. If things go cloudy for a few days to a week, that likely not good lol
 

Bfragale

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This is an interesting debate.... I can see your point on startup. Which is what the thread is intended for lol, but in my case of a top up of substrate, I'll probably need to rinse. If things go cloudy for a few days to a week, that likely not good lol
To top off sand- I would buy dry sand- rinse and thoroughly mix it with existing sand, and you should be good to go
 

CanuckReefer

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To top off sand- I would buy dry sand- rinse and thoroughly mix it with existing sand, and you should be good to go
Thank you. Any preference on brand? I just want something readily available in a smaller bag size....I probably need like 10 to 15 lbs at most....
 

jarviz

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if you're worried about cloudiness, just pour the water in gently or over a dish plate, or onto your rocks rather than directly into the sand. mine cleared up overnight.
 

Bfragale

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Thank you. Any preference on brand? I just want something readily available in a smaller bag size....I probably need like 10 to 15 lbs at most....
Last time I filled a tank with sand I used Caribsea aragonite- usually best deal is Petco online. I got an additional 25% off by checking out Online and picking up In store. The 10 Lb bag was $9.99 in store- on sale online for $5.39 plus additional 25% off.

I found this to be good sand and by far the best bang for the buck.
 

Fredinva

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Hows this reefcentral no rinse post working out/ it'll clear in 24 hours~


that poor guy has a reef totally littered with silt, for no benefit, and nobody lets him remove it lol.
The OP said after a few days his tank was crystal clear for about 7 weeks. The cloudiness cleared, the tank was cycled. The OP had a different problem, unrelated to sand rinsing. It was obviously a bac bloom. And if I recall, the op said he dumped his sand into a nearly full tank of water. He should have placed rocks, add sand, the add the water. His three or four day initial cloudiness would have been halved.
 

brandon429

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What about the other ten though


and what benefit did he get for being cloudy for a week? There’s no benefit at all, we show rinsing has all the benefits and that you can’t measure any single param differently between rinsed and unrinsed sands. You omit the example of the unrinsed tank that finished cycling, dropped a powerhead, and ruined the setup for days and days.


there will be a basis for non rinse claims when someone does all this work below without rinsing. It’ll never occur. Non rinsers never take on work to be accountable for outcomes they only relay their own non rinse approach to all situations, and their own tank doesn’t see the variables we show common reefs to encounter below.

 

brandon429

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Folks imply that rinsed sand will test differently than unrinsed sand, that’s not true at all they’re merely making things up.

unrinsed sand didnt nitrify and rinsed sand didn't nitrify on threads where folks did bother to look, they're even outcomes just minus the cloud. 100% of advocates for non rinsing have never done the test. I once assumed that both sands would pass oxidation, including unrinsed sand, but then again I hadn't done the test at that time either.

neither wet pack unrinsed sand or wet pack rinsed sand passes basic oxidation testing in posts comparing the two.
 
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Fredinva

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What about the other ten though


and what benefit did he get for being cloudy for a week? There’s no benefit at all, we show rinsing has all the benefits and that you can’t measure any single param differently between rinsed and unrinsed sands. You omit the example of the unrinsed tank that finished cycling, dropped a powerhead, and ruined the setup for days and days.


there will be a basis for non rinse claims when someone does all this work below without rinsing. It’ll never occur. Non rinsers never take on work to be accountable for outcomes they only relay their own non rinse approach to all situations, and their own tank doesn’t see the variables we show common reefs to encounter below.

He said his water was initially cloudy for 3 days, not a week!
In the old days I would have had it clear in 6 hours, drop in my diatom filter hoses!
Every new set up is different:
Tank size, filtration size, filtration media, flow, live sand, dead sand, etc.
I wouldn't waste time with filter socks. I'd simply use floss, change floss, change floss, and change floss again.
In my new 120 build, I will say I will rinse at a minimum. I'll poke numerous pin holes in the live sand bags, rinse with a gallon or two of RO water and let most of the 'milk' drain out.
Any cloudiness in the DT will dissipate shortly.
 

brandon429

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what about the testing mentioned, have you ever tested rinsed vs unrinsed sand for oxidation changes

what you are offering without testing it in others tanks is the inference that rinsing removes a test performance that not rinsing preserves. even if you havent ran that test, link results for one you can find regarding rinse vs non rinse.

until we see that testing info, I'm not sure how you can hold firm to the premise that rinsing is bad considering the fifty pages of rinse outcomes above. if you like having the clouding potential that's fine, but we show in reading the sand rinse thread how beneficial it was when others chose oppositely.
 

brandon429

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Pntbll687

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2Wheelsonly said:
So, my current tank is a 300G 96x30x24 tank pictured here:

72FY2ex.jpg


This is an older pic, needless to say it's even fuller with SPS and large colonies. My fish crew is the following:

3 Yellow Tang (decent sized about 7 years old)
1 sailfin (also 7 years old)
1 PBT (about 5 years old so decent sized)
1 Blue Hippo (5 years old but getting pretty big)
1 huge green wrasse
1 medium melanarus
2 clowns
1 file fish
1 anthias (lone survivor running strong)

I started this tank with a mix of live and dry rock 7 years ago so I would think my rock is all full of bacteria...newest piece of dry rock added over a year ago.

The new tank is a 72x48x30 450G. I plan on filling it up with water, buying 50-75lbs (maybe more) of cured live rock from my LFS (will drive it home in water). I will use this as the base of all my new structures. All new sand.

My current tank is FILLED with vermatid snails (thousands of them) so I plan on cutting as many out as possible when I transfer rocks one at a time. My plan is to cut off MOST encrusted SPS but keeping the expensive ones in tact like my orange passion/WD/Cherry Bomb etc. I will move all the live rock one by one but I will assume I will throw away close to 30-40% of it due to having too many snails to remove.

Because I will be using pretty much all live rock and assuming I don't have die off moving from one tank to another I assume I don't need to cycle my new tank for weeks prior right? I plan on filling it up and then moving everything like 2-3 days later. I plan on putting the new live rock in first once the tank is heated properly and sand has settled. Once the rock is placed and my corals are all in the tank I will then have a much easier time getting my fish out and place them in after. Once that is done I plan on moving my calcium reactor/denitrator/skimmer/pumps over and then setting up my existing lighting over the new tank. (tank will be without light for 12-24 hours most likely).

Should I expect a havoc of dead fish/sps or should my tank be ok with bioload even if I don't have as much rock as before?

btw as I move rock and cut off the vermatids I plan on rinsing in tank water and cutting over a brute can to keep them wet.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you have a good plan.

I wouldn't expect die off, or havoc going on, especially if the rocks are out of the water for minimal amount of time. Corals might be stressed a little, but shouldn't be anything crazy.

Rinse the new sand!! I made the mistake of not rinsing it clean, and I was fighting diatoms and dust every time I moved something the first few months.
 
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