Live sand advice please.

[Cornishlass]

I've been offered some live sand. And I already have dry ( previously live) rock. I was planning on curing the rock. Will it be ok to add the sand and rock to the container at the same time? Will the live sand live whilst the rock cures?

 

[Dr. Reef]

it will help speed up the curing/seeding process.

 

[SteveNMegz]

Don't reuse sand. Buy new and add to tank when you're ready

 

[SnoopyDaPimp]

Don't reuse sand. Buy new and add to tank when you're ready

+1

I tried reusing once after a move and all it did was cause problems. 6 months after the move I had to set up temporary tanks to hold my rock, coral and fish while I removed the old sand to replace it. I did leave a few pounds behind and covered it with the new sand. Mine old substrate was very fine so it also begged me to change it out due to the high flow.

 

[Cornishlass]

This sand is for the tub the (dry live) rocks are curing in. I will not be using it in the tank. Should i still use it in the curing tub? What sort of problems did it bring.

 

[anthonys51]

so you want to use the live sand to help seed/cure the dry rock faster. the only probably i see is sand from most people tanks will have a lot of detritus in it. from the top that sand might look nice and clean, but trust me , if you ever mixed up sand from a person tank, there is a lot of crap in it. so i would probably shy away from using old live sand for that reason. to much detritus might cause the water to smell like rotten eggs

 

[Ron Reefman]

You'd be better off to use new sand or thoroughly wash the old sand before you use it. Buy a small amount of LR for a fellow reefer or an LFS to seed your dry rock.

BTW, to SnoopyDaPimp, I've taken sand from a 6 year old DSB, washed it and used it in a new display tank setup with no issues. If you wash it well, it will be just fine. If you don't wash it till the water runs clear, you are asking for problems.

 

[Cornishlass]

Ok thanks. I will just get some new sand for the tank and not bother with any in the curing tub.