Moving Live Sand
- Thread starter James331
- Start date
down and outman
New member
I'd save a little live sand and wash out the rest. After all, it's sand, which is inert. Wash it out and reuse it. When I dug out the sand out of my first tank, it was nasty.
I've had my tank up for about 3 months, a shallow SB. Could the SB really contain that many toxins that if I take it out of the system and put it right back in it will release those toxins and cause a cycle? This is essentially what I will be doing moving it 3 hours away. Wouldn't a new bag of sand do the same thing? create a new mini cycle?
down and outman
New member
3 months worth should not be a problem. Maybe a mini cycle is about all. My tank and the stuff in the sand, I'd have to clean it. Oh, my daughter saw a tiny brittlestar in my tank tonight. she was excited, and didn't want to go to bed.LOL>
ccampo
ORCA Web*****
Last Sunday was the big move and it was a nice experience.
- Placed all corals and fishes in temporary tanks
- To expedite the cycling I used the same water, the same rock and the same sand.
- Water and rock were placed in rubbermaid containers, leaving only 1/2 inch water over the sand, removed the sump and everything in the stand to allow me move the stand for the new one.
- At that time I placed the stand in the correct spot and then the tank over it.
- Added 30 pounds of new clean aragonite sand (washed with RODI water)
- Added the first 5g of old water
- Added live sand from old tank to new one making sure not to disturb the sand too much, this step took me a lot of time, but it was worth.
- Added the rest of old water, 70g in total with 20g I took from the sump, also taking good care not to disturb the sand.
- Added the old live rock.
- Added more new water to fill the tank
There's +150# of LR, +120# of LS in the tank, and the water is not too cloudy.
The tank is running with a couple of power heads only, Koralia 3 & 4, no skimmer or filter yet, also no return pump yet.
Water Testing:
On Monday night I noticed a little bit of ammonia (only 1 though), but I was expecting that and Nitrates 5 (same reading as old tank). Water very clear.
On Tuesday night no traces of Ammonia and the same Nitrates. Water even more clear.
Cleaning crew on board, 20 blue leg hermit crabs, 20 turbo snails and 12 Nassarious snails.
On Wednesday (today) no Ammonia and the same Nitrates, I think the tank had just a little minicycle, I'll continue testing daily though.
Not disturbing the sand too much when moving the sand from one tank to the other helped me, I did it with very good care.
- Placed all corals and fishes in temporary tanks
- To expedite the cycling I used the same water, the same rock and the same sand.
- Water and rock were placed in rubbermaid containers, leaving only 1/2 inch water over the sand, removed the sump and everything in the stand to allow me move the stand for the new one.
- At that time I placed the stand in the correct spot and then the tank over it.
- Added 30 pounds of new clean aragonite sand (washed with RODI water)
- Added the first 5g of old water
- Added live sand from old tank to new one making sure not to disturb the sand too much, this step took me a lot of time, but it was worth.
- Added the rest of old water, 70g in total with 20g I took from the sump, also taking good care not to disturb the sand.
- Added the old live rock.
- Added more new water to fill the tank
There's +150# of LR, +120# of LS in the tank, and the water is not too cloudy.
The tank is running with a couple of power heads only, Koralia 3 & 4, no skimmer or filter yet, also no return pump yet.
Water Testing:
On Monday night I noticed a little bit of ammonia (only 1 though), but I was expecting that and Nitrates 5 (same reading as old tank). Water very clear.
On Tuesday night no traces of Ammonia and the same Nitrates. Water even more clear.
Cleaning crew on board, 20 blue leg hermit crabs, 20 turbo snails and 12 Nassarious snails.
On Wednesday (today) no Ammonia and the same Nitrates, I think the tank had just a little minicycle, I'll continue testing daily though.
Not disturbing the sand too much when moving the sand from one tank to the other helped me, I did it with very good care.
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