Storing live sand for later use

[AquaLogic]

So, I'm about to setup a Deskmate Florida, and I am going to use the CaribSea Ocean Direct, perhaps mixed with special grade for an overall larger grain size. However, it's hard to locate small bags and I'll have more than I need. I own a vacuum sealer for food and was wondering if anyone knows if resealing in a vaccum would extend it's shelf life to preserve for when I setup my next nano (a 15 gallon IM) in maybe 6 months to a year or so.

Anyone have any experience storing sand this way, or enough experience with bacteria to know how well this would work? Thanks!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Is it that you want the sand to still be 'live sand'?

I've stored sand in 5 & 7 gallon buckets for many months. But before I use it, I give it a thorough wash with a garden hose and then drain it of all the water that will run out. The fact that it is still wet hasn't been an issue in any of my tanks.

 

[brandon429]

you don't need to preserve it, reef tanks don't benefit from sandbed bacteria, they tolerate them and they tolerate the waste that sandbeds catch and store and rot in the water column (sandbed bacteria compete for systemic oxygen, they produce waste acids and gasses as bioloading you don't get to see or enjoy) you'd pre rinse all the sand so it runs clear, it'll take hours to rid the silt, then let the unused portion dry out and store it dry in a bag.

if a bag of sand came with moving crabs and worms and pods we wouldn't rinse it. you're not buying that sand for its bacteria, we don't need sandbed bacteria in all of reefing-you're buying it because those grain mixtures look and perform well/tolerate strong current etc.