Reef nutrition

How to clean used sand

well, rinsing in tap water will kill 100% of the bacteria due to chlorine and chloramines. i know the same bacteria is found in fresh and saltwater. its all the same bacteria as far as the type (nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter). so not sure how much will be killed in ro/di. if the sand is still damp, and fresh from another good running tank, why clean it? maybe stir it up in a bucket of salt water to remove any excess detritus. but, on the same note, if you are going to add l/r then l/s isnt necessary as it will re-grow the bacteria. unless you are trying to jump start a system with alot of bacteria, then there is no reason to worry about the loss of bacteria in ur sand from washing it. but i wouldnt rinse it in anything but ro/di, altho saltwater would be the best solution regardless.
 
Another factor to consider is that when you wash the sand it washes a lot of the fine calcium carbonate (sand) particles away. The fine particles have more surface area to volume than bigger sand particles which means you'll get less beneficial bacteria growing in your sand bed. Also, the fine particles are the first particles to dissolve into the saltwater easier which means that you're buffering capacity won't be as good.
 
[quote author=Reefdad link=topic=6495.msg83389#msg83389 date=1235330460]
If I am going to get used live sand to start a new system is there a proper way to wash it so that I don't potentially introduce something into my new setup.
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Is the sand moving right from an established system into your tank or is it being stored somewhere?
 
Reeferdad, you are starting a system from scratch anyway. Just rinse or don't rinse. IT's up to YOU.. If it helps jumpstart the cycle from extra organics great. It won't matter if it makes your tank cycle again. Your tank is not yet cycled to begin with.. Contrary to what everyone else said I say don't run the skimmer for at least 2-3 days. All of the fine particulate just wears on all of your pumps.. Just let the water sit for a day or two until the dust settles. Then turn everything on..
 
When moving sand that is live, I rinse the sand with old tank water to remove the suspended detritus and other "gunk". This keeps the bacteria alive and avoids the decomposition cycle caused by all the dead bacteria killed by a FW rinse. If however the sand is old or dry, I'll use a hose and bucket to rinse it several times with FW until the water runs clear.
 
[quote author=Fingerwrinkles link=topic=6495.msg83605#msg83605 date=1235416156]
When moving sand that is live, I rinse the sand with old tank water to remove the suspended detritus and other "gunk". This keeps the bacteria alive and avoids the decomposition cycle caused by all the dead bacteria killed by a FW rinse. If however the sand is old or dry, I'll use a hose and bucket to rinse it several times with FW until the water runs clear.
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+1.... that's exactly how I would do it in both scenarios....
 
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