1/2 in. of sand in tank

[rostato]

I have about a 1/2 in. of sand in the tank from the previous owner. Should I remove that before I add my RO/DI water? I am just curous because after I leak test all the plumbing and add salt I dont want it to just settle on the sand and not get mixed.

Think it will be a problem?

 

[rostato]

True, but I would rather have freshwater leaking on my floor than saltwater.

I have always been told to do your leaktests with freshwater and then add salt let it mix then add sand and then rock. Was this wrong?

 

[rostato]

Oh I see, So you fill it first then remove all the water and then start?

That sounds like a better idea. I will do that.

The sand I have has only been without filtration for about 3 weeks and its been in a little bit of salt water too. I don't think I will have to rinse it.

 

[skriz]

rostato;196121 wrote: Oh I see, So you fill it first then remove all the water and then start?

That sounds like a better idea. I will do that.

The sand I have has only been without filtration for about 3 weeks and its been in a little bit of salt water too. I don't think I will have to rinse it.

it's probably dead. I wouldn't reuse it like that.

Like dawg said, empty and clean the tank. Fill it with tap water to test for leaks. IF all is good, drain it and fill with saltwater. I would add sand first, then sw, but if you're hell bent on mixing your saltwater in the tank, then you'll need to do that sans sand.

 

[rostato]

Well if the sand is dead then wouldnt just cycling the tank work it out? hmm now you guys really have me doubting myself...

 

[stickx911]

rostato;196162 wrote: Well if the sand is dead then wouldnt just cycling the tank work it out? hmm now you guys really have me doubting myself...

yes, but I would guess that the cycle would take longer because you'd have to rid all that die off.

 

[rostato]

dawgdude;196165 wrote: If the sand bed is dead, then there is dead stuff in the sand and you dont want that in your tank because it will not help the cycle, just increase the amount of waste in the sandbed to start with. The waste in a used sand bed doesnt really degrade like other waste and kinda stays in a sludge in the sand. Cycling means that the bacteria cultures and other living things in the rock had a die off and the population is regrowing to a sustainable amount. I would also look at going with a Deep sand bed.

Have you ever set up a tank before?

Yeah I set up my 12g nano and also my old 72g bow front. The 12 was easy I just took some sand and rock from the 72. The 72 was a nightmare. I bought it used and it had crushed coral, so I ended up changing to a sand bed.

I just have never had to nor wanted to rinse sand that really sounds like a pain in the ***. I have about 70 lbs of sand in the bucket now (just weighed it).

Man I really wouldnt think that it would die in 3 weeks when you can buy the stuff at petsmart thats been sitting on the shelf for months with no poblems.:confused2: All the sand, even in the bucket has had 1 in. of water over it the whole time.

 

[rostato]

Oh, I cannot find eggcrate for the bottom of the tank ANYWHERE. Any ideas?

 

[skriz]

The pre-pakaged "live sand" isn't really live sand. The sand in your bucket is dead because it has suffocated. If you had a powerhead in the bucket to circulate water, you would've been okay. Trust me, the stuff is dead.

I would rinse it and let it dry out on a tarp.

 

[rostato]

Makes sense to me now... For that much hassle I might just go buy some sand. I was planning on doing a 4 in sand bed.

 

[rostato]

Eggcrate is available at any home improvement store. Its in the industrial lighting section.

quote]

I checked home depot and lowes today and couldnt find it. Asked the guys and they looked at me like I was an idiot. I asked them for light diffusers for floresant lighting and they just gave me blank stares.

 

[rostato]

I'll try. All they had was the solid stuff.

So how do I sinse the sand again. I can't find a good how to. I am a visual learner so it's hard for me to invision it.

Just add a little to a bucket and rinse. What about using a screen like what you would use to cook with?

I have also heard that argonite sand has silt in it that you don't want to get rid of when rinsing. Is that not a huge deal?

I will probebly rinse it and put in a cup or 2 of sand from my nano tank to seed it.

 

[skriz]

check HD again. they all carry it. Check the isle where they have the ceiling tile.

 

[rostato]

ok I'll try that

 

[theplatypus]

Light diffuser

 

[rostato]

I know thats what I asked for and got blank stares.

 

[rostato]

OK, I will do that.
as for the sand...
Just add a little to a bucket and rinse? What about using a screen like what you would use to cook with?

 

[rostato]

will do. the sand is bigger than the holes in the screen. I will do that tomorrow probebly.

 

[rostato]

I just rinse and rinsed and rinsed for about 2 hours today and let it dry out...

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it wasnt completly dry when I put it back into the bucket, but I didnt want it to sit out all night with bugs.... Also I had to use 2 buckets because it was so much more fluffy. 70 lbs of sand almost ready to go in! I will probebly need more than that to do a DSB, so I will probebly buy another 20lb bag.

 

[tsciarini]

One thing I'd like to point out is make sure you are not filling your tank with FW when you have sand in it. Following the other guideline mentioned: always add sand to water... not water to sand.