live sand

[p00num3lli]

yea im about to buy 110 pounds of new livesand for my tank. and im not sure how to *cure it* i have had a answer to were i cure it likelive rock, and to were i put it in a bucket of fresh saltwater and slursh t around until all the depre is ou then dump the water then put in in the tank, and a couple more. so what way should i do it?and when ever it is done being *cured* how should i put it in? i dont have corals or anything, just liverock and 2 fish. should i put all my liveorck into a little box next to it then remove the origanal live sand then put the new live sand in then put the liverock back? or wouldtha be to much of a shock for my few livestock

thanks, jesse

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

There will be some debirs I think no matter what, it just will take some time to settle. Nothing you can really do about that. It will cloud your tank when you add it. Do you know somebody who can house the fish for you? If so there are some good paths that way.

[p00num3lli]

There will be some debirs I think no matter what, it just will take some time to settle. Nothing you can really do about that. It will cloud your tank when you add it. Do you know somebody who can house the fish for you? If so there are some good paths that way.

nope... closest place is about an hour away...

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

What kind of filter do you have? The debris floating through the water will grind out a hang on the back filter, so you should be careful about that. The fish can survive the debris, but they won't like it. Do you have a tank to cure the sand in? If so cure it, adding a little sand to the aquarium at a time. Monitor ammonia and nitrates, get some prime that will help. If you want to get real crazy about it, use a turbidity curtain.

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

If you have sand in there already you might be better off just adding some live sand seed, and waiting for it to colonize. What is your substrate like now? The live rock will seed the sand in time, it might be better than just adding the live sand. Is there any particular reason you want the live sand?

[ErikH]

you could wash the sand, and if the sand is not live, it is recommended. 110 LBS is alot of sand to wash, so it may take awhile. What I mean by wash is basically what you described... 5 gallon bucket, some RO and swirl it around. Get as much fine stuff suspended in the water column and dump out the water leaving the heavier sand. Keep washing until you are happy with it. When you put it in the tank, remove some water first to get the level closer to the sandbed, that way when you add the sand, there isn't a sand storm. Right before you add it, run your fingers through your sand combing it. This way you break up any areas that may be clumped together before you add the new sand. That way the sand should mix together easier. Remove the fish during this process as the water should be so low that the fish won't be able to swim in it. Leave the rocks in place, or move them all the way down to the glass. The sand will anchor the rocks and help keep things from tipping.

[p00num3lli]

If you have sand in there already you might be better off just adding some live sand seed, and waiting for it to colonize. What is your substrate like now? The live rock will seed the sand in time, it might be better than just adding the live sand. Is there any particular reason you want the live sand?

i have to remove my origanal sand inthere, because it is filthy, i bought the tank from someone who didnt take good care of it. the rocks are jsut filthy and mesed the nitrates up really high, so i have to remove them and get new sand. anyways the origanal stuff isnt really"sand" its like pig pepples, a little smaller than marbles and they look ugly and unatural

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

Understandable then. Those pebbles aren't for saltwater tanks. Great answer scorpiNo. You should do that. Get the dead sand and let it colonize, it will save you a bunch of money I am sure.

[ErikH]

Those pebbles aren't for saltwater tanks.

Pebbles and rockbeds are for FW, in SW you need real sand and pourous rocks for help with biological filtration. Keep asking questions, it will benefit you, your tank, and your experience to get it right the first time. I saw your post about the skimmer, good stuff.