Save Sand?

[Joe]

I'm breaking my tank down this weekend. I'll be moving everything into temporary containers while my tank gets drilled and Dan builds me a sump. My question is, should I save my sand? I have sixty pounds in my 43 gallon tank that has been set up for two years. I've heard different opinions. Save all of it, save half of it, just save a little bit, just save the rubble and throw it all away and start with new sand. Opinions and ideas, please.

Thanks, Joe

[alexwolf]

save half and give me the rest!!!! :D

[Joe]

Seriously! I need to know what is best for my tank. If saving half is best and putting the other half in new/fresh, you can definitely have the rest.

[alexwolf]

when i bought my new tank, i used a fresh bed. This move, im keeping it becase it wont be out of the water longer than 1-2 hours. Hopefully!

[matt]

It depends on what's in your sand. Search for a thread that alex started about this subject a few months ago. Also search Ron Shimek's author forum on reefcentral. You'll get the full picture, and can make an informed decision.

[StephenA]

The sand will only last about a week without being spread out in a tank with flow. It turns real nasty after that.

[matt]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. If you're going to save sand, you must keep it in an aquarium or large tub spread out with good water circulation, and definitely ALOT of water. If you just keep it damp or barely submerged in buckets, the animals in it will die very quickly.

[JimD]

Regardless of what you do, moving the sand like that will generate a substantial cycle. You cant remove it and then put it directly back into the tank unless youre feelin really lucky. What I did, carfully remove the top 2-3 inches with a flat scoop device (plastic dust pan) this is where most of the delicate life will be, gently place it in a container with a similar footprint then add saltwater enough to cover the sand at least 3-4 inches. aerate well and keep relatively gentle fow, take the remaining sand and do the same exact thing in a seperate container. Monitor ammonia closely. When it goes back to zero, reverse the process. I know it sounds like a PITA, but if you really dont want to buy new sand, this is the only safe way to re-use the old, established, full of beneficial life,,,, sand.

[Joe]

Okay, that's what I wanted to know. So now, I have approximately sixty pounds of two year old sand that is up for grabs. Anyone interested? I'll probably have the tank completely down tonight or first thing in the morning if someone wants to come buy and get it. This would also be a good time for someone to buy a small flame angel. Call me if you're interested. 2103652333.

Joe

[Instar]

If that sand has black patches in it or smells like rotten eggs, it either has to be washed before using it, or put the lower stinky sand in the new tank with nothing else until it cycles and the ammonia goes away, then stir it and let it settle. Siphon the crap off and do a 100% water change. Then add the top layer that doesn't stink and has lots of beneficial critters in it and wait for it to stabilize. Then I would change water, at least some of it and try a few polyps to see if you got it right. Otherwise, the toxins from anaerobic breakdown and all the stuff collected over the 2 years has a high percentage chance to kill your animals. Its lots of risk and trouble to move a sand bed. I still have one in a tote that I finally decided not to use any of it. I have no regrets from that decision. JimD's post above has a good way to move.

[kaiser]

sent PM on Flame Angel.

[Joe]

PITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm either gonna get new sand or go bare bottom. The sand is still available to anyone who wants it. Doesn't smell bad. What about setting the tank back up with just shells and rubble on the bottom?

[Instar]

Rubble, as in coarse aragonite, crushed shells and bits and pieces of live rock makes a fantastic home for little brittle stars, amphipods, copepods, worms of all kinds other than spaghetti worms and even some tunnel building fish. Rubble as well as bare bottom are not friendly tanks for wrasses that bury at night, scooter blennies (also bury at night), sifters of any kind, nassarius snails, burrowing feather dusters and no doubt a bunch of things I haven't mentioned here like small neon gobies. Too easy for something to sit there and grab them from a hole. Some wrasses in the fairy wrasse family, triggers, angels, butterflies, damsels, clowns, firefish, all of the mouth breeders and groupers would love this kind of tank. My favorite bottom is a combo of from 1/2 inch to 1 inch of white aragonite that is a little larger than sugar fine with rubble piled in the corners and around the base toward the back of the live rock. White sand out in front. Its not fine enough to be a sponge, its open enough for lots of life and thin enough for critters to stir it and keep it clean. Bare bottoms look like wholesalers tanks; sterile and not all that pretty to look at unless they are covered with zoos, green stars, etc. Jims tank had coarse aragonite and fine rubble to the front but was bare under the rocks toward the back. Lots of different methods work. Why not sell the sand and just start the sand bed over again? Since it doesn't stink, sounds like you could save some of it for reseeding a new sand bed. And it also sounds like you got it right since it smells ok. No matter what kind of bottom you go with, you still have to get it colonized with bacteria and microscopic life to keep the tank in good shape. In other words, the culture still has to be there regardless of the media used to grow it on or in.

[Joe]

Thanks for the advice. BTW the sand is not for sale, it is free to anyone who can come get it. Otherwise, it will be thrown away.

[StephenA]

I'd re-use it. As long as it doesn't smell it's fine. I tried keeping mine for 2 months. It got nasty. You could smell it 3 doors down when I tried washing it.