old substrate

[skunkmere]

i had to emty out my 90 gal tank cause of a leak and i stored the crushed argonite in tubs covered with tank water. my question is should i rinse the substrate out before i put it in my tank or put the stuff in with my left over water. i didnt heat the tub with the substrate and its been in the tubs for about a month.

 

[bryanth73]

replace it all kinds of nitrates and dead bacteria

 

[hansnfrans]

I am sure that your substrate is full of all kinds of nasty dead "stuff" due to a lack of water circulation. But I would figure that rinsing it well, in tap - water would be enough to clean it up (but I'm not sure of that). Just make sure not to put it in the tank without atleast rinsing it first.

Do you plan on putting this into a tank that is already cycled, or are you going to cycle the tank after you add the substrate??

 

[skunkmere]

i was going to cycle the tank again. i was going to set the tank back up using the old substrate and i was told that if i let the substrate dry it would lock in phosphates. so i kept it wet using the old water. so should i toss this stuff or rinse it off? it would suck to toss it cause that stuff was like 15 bucks a bag.

 

[bryanth73]

po4 will leach back out if substrate is argonate is meant to disolve slowly over time and this will cause po4 problems

 

[skunkmere]

thanks guys. im gonna toss that stuff out and get some new substrate. do you think i should get sand instead of crushed coral?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Sand is best for reef tanks.

 

[skunkmere]

this tank is fish only. im not runnig a reef, would the phosphates still be a big problem if use the old argonite with fish only.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Personally, I don't understand why you can't just rinse out the substrate well & reuse.

 

[skunkmere]

yea, if i let it cycle and change water out often you think it would work?

 

[Pufferpunk]

What do you mean by "let it cycle"? If you mean not to rinse it, I think that's a really bad idea.

 

[skunkmere]

no im gonna rinse it but im not going to put any fish in there for about two weeks

 

[Pufferpunk]

And how do you plan on cycling it?

 

[hansnfrans]

If it's FOWLR, then it shouldn't be a problem. What I'd do is:

1) Rinse sand well
2) Put sand in tank and cycle for 4 weeks
3) On 3rd week, add Phosban Reactor
4) After 4 weeks, toss the fish in

The only reason that I would suggest the the Phosban, is to keep unsightly hair algae from growing in the tank.

 

[Pufferpunk]

How do you suggest cycling the tank? If you're not a patient man, you can instant cycle w/Bio-Spira & fully stock your tank.

 

[hansnfrans]

Pufferpunk - I've seen that Bio-Spira stuff, but never used it. How fast can it cycle the tank??

 

[skunkmere]

i was just going to wait it out but ill probly try that instant cycle i didnt know there was stuff like that.

 

[Pufferpunk]

As soon as you add it to your filter/tank, you can fully stock the tank. Be sure you get if from someone repuatable, that hasn't let it get warm at any time. I went to a shop that had it on their counter & said it had been there for months. After I insisted it had to be refrigerated, they put in in their fridge to sell to some unsuspecting customer!

 

[hansnfrans]

Pufferpunk -Just ordered some up. Thanks for recommending it!!

Skunkmere - check out this link (cheapest place that I found):
http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/biosp02.htm

 

[Pufferpunk]

Make sure you order it from somewhere that guarantees cold delivery. Here's where I get it from:
http://fishstoretn.com/bio_spira.html