Cleaning old sand

[porpoiseaquatics]

I'm sure this has been discussed here on more than one occasion but the search tool doesn't like me very much so I have a difficult time in locating certain topics. This would be one of them. So even at the risk of this being heavily discussed before...I'm starting my own thread as the question:

How do you clean your old sand?

I've gained 2 1/2 buckets of Fiji pink (or equivalent) and would rather not throw it away. It's been out of circulation for a couple of months but it has been kept in saltwater. It doesn't have a sour smell to it. What are your suggestions?

 

[1mbrews8]

id be interested in the answer as well cus i got over 200lbs used pink fiji!!

 

[ichthyoid]

Unless you have a large volume of saltwater to use, I would just flush it very well with freshwater from the hose out in the driveway. After that it will be dead again, but I have had good results with both Fritzzyme #9

https://www.fritzzyme.com/fritz-zyme-9/">https://www.fritzzyme.com/fritz-zyme-9/</a>

and Seachem Stability also, used for re-establishing the bacterial population/cycling in just a few days. I have always done this with a light bioload, per personal preference.

IMO- no sense wasting otherwise good substrate.

Also, if you want to sterilize it and/or eliminate any organic substances, I would use hydrogen peroxide after an initial good rinse. It will rapidly oxidize any organics, including disease organisms, food, waste, etc. It's usually a buck ($1) per liter at Kroger. Use a pretty good amount (maybe 1-2 bottles per 100 pounds) and let sit for a while with some added water, then rinse well again with a lot of water. If you spread the substrate on some plastic or a tarp in the sun it will dry in a day or two and be ready to use. Hydrogen peroxide leaves no residue when dried.