Gilliroo Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 We're gearing up to move all of our livestock to a new tank this weekend. I'm not sure what the best plan is for the sand. Our current tank has a 1.5-2" fine aragonite sand bed. Should I try to move the sand to the new tank? Rinse it and move it over? Or should I start with new sand and seed it with a few cups of the old? Our current setup is in really good shape, with no nuisance algae or cyano, and the sand looks really clean. I'd like to minimize whatever cycle we're going to get. What's the best plan? Thanks! Gillian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islandoftiki Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 If it were me, I'd use new live sand or new dead sand and seed it with a couple cups of the stuff from your current tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I would go with new sand and seed it with some of yours. I find it really makes a huge difference in terms of nutrient load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 What about setting aside a few cups of the old sand, then try cleaning the old sand and re-seed it? I don't know...I'm asking?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 The old sand may look clean, but when you get to the bottom... Watch out. If there are any "dead spots" it will turn the sand a black color (sulfide reacts with the calcium in the sand) and it will smell of rotten eggs. Furthermore, any sulfide is toxic to most things you like to keep in your tank. When you move all the stuff, don't stir up the sand until everything living is out, then go to town stirring up the sand and you will see tons of detritus and you will probably smell the sulfide... YUCK! Unless it is cleaned well, you will be putting all that junk in your new tank. Probably not what you want to do. Do yourself a favor and get new sand, but seed it with some of the TOP LAYER of your old sand. Don't get any gunk, and if it is black then throw it out!!!! Good luck with the move. dsoz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead77 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Jason, the former owner of Coral Reef - someone who most of us trusted wholeheartedly, once told me to smell the sand. After you have emptied most of the water from your tank, take a scoop of sand with your hand from from the bottom and smell it. Do this in several places. If it smells like the beach, it's ok to re-use. Do NOT rinse it as you will lose all of the beneficial stuff in the sand. However, if it smells like rotten eggs, toss it and start with new. You can re-use this bad sand after you have rinsed it thoroughly and let it completely dry out by spreading it on a tarp in the sun. I used this method for two tank upgrades and did not lose a single piece of livestock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate213 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Just read this thread and happened to be cleaning the sand out of my old 75. Here are some photos of the black sand area I found: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliroo Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 Eeew. Ok, I will definitely go with new sand! I was thinking it would be bad to lose so much of the bacterial population, but it must re-seed pretty quickly. That was an easy decision! Thanks everyone! Gillian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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