Re using sand

[Deton8it]

I am tearing down both of my tanks right now because of a military move. Is it worth my time and effort to dry out my sand and reuse it once we move? I'm already planning on buying some pukani rock and running it in a tub for a while to clean it out so I can do the same thing with the sand too. That is why I think that it might be worth it. Also, how would you dry it out?

Thank you,

John

 

[Greysoul]

I'd wash it with tap water, then use a clean (probably new) tarp, spread it out, and let it dry... make sure you get a calm day with no wind, or do it inside. Guess it also depends on how much sand, and how much time you have. If it's less than 30-40 pounds you could probably just dry it in an oven really quick....

Before you re-use it rinse it like new sand in case any dust of foreign matter managed to get into it during the move.

Keep in mind that most of the bacteria in it will die (some will just go dormant) so expect it to cycle in the new tank... the organic matter is still there. You MIGHT be able to burn it off with bleach, but I wouldn't bother trying to.

 

[Deton8it]

Thank you. I have been debating this for a while. I tore my sons 20 gallon down today. I'll see how hard it is to dry his sand before I decide on what to do with mine.


John

 

[karimwassef]

Why dry it? Just store it in small waterproof buckets.

 

[Deton8it]

Rinse it and store it wet? It might be sitting for several months before it goes in a tank.


John

 

[karimwassef]

Why rinse it? Store it wet in salt water.

 

[Greysoul]

You can store it wet, but when I've done that it starts to stink after a few weeks. Not sure what companies like Carib-Sea do to prep their sand for long term wet storage but clearly they get away with it. In my experience it makes a sulfurous bucket of horrid death stink.

I do have a tub of slightly damp sand that I rinsed and never put in a tank... it seems fine. It's not wet, I couldn't squeeze a drop out of a handful, but it'll hold it's shape if formed... it's been in a tub for like 2 years and I opened it a few weeks ago and it was fine.


Of course even stinky sand can be rinsed and reused if allowed to properly cycle in a tank.

 

[karimwassef]

I've stored sand in salt water for 7 years.. The lower layers don't smell of sulfur. It's the smell of the sand when you dig in the surf zone at the beach.

Of course, I did wash it all in my reef tank's water before storage and I had little nitrates and no phosphates when I did. I barely fed and had a strong skimmer. So - I don't think there was much to rot in the sand.

 

[hllywd]

I've stored sand in salt water for 7 years.. The lower layers don't smell of sulfur. It's the smell of the sand when you dig in the surf zone at the beach.

Of course, I did wash it all in my reef tank's water before storage and I had little nitrates and no phosphates when I did. I barely fed and had a strong skimmer. So - I don't think there was much to rot in the sand.

I'd guess that in a much shorter time than 7 years all the organics will die/be metabolized/broken down into products that don't smell bad. Basically like cooking rock over a much longer time, only without the H2O changes you would do with rock.

Moving the sand? Kind of depends on a few things IMO. How much sand are you talking about? With a couple bags worth, what are you really saving? A hundred pounds would fit in 2 or 3 5 gallon pails depending how heavy you load them. What is the cost of moving them? Will you need to find a place to store it for a while? It can become pretty putrid if you leave it wet, and don't rinse it.

 

[Deton8it]

Yeah I'm thinking a 100, maybe 150. The cost of the move is a wash since I'm already moving anyway. It will probably just go in the back of my truck.

 

[sfsuphysics]

If the sand wasn't from a DSB that's been up for a while and was filled with crap (literally and figuratively) I would just dry it out then store it in buckets. A quick rinse when you're ready to start, and any decaying material in it can simply be your cycle kick start. If it had tons of crap in it... yikes might not want to reuse it unless you're prepared for quite a few rinsings.

I had dry sand that was in buckets for a few years sitting outside, first I removed the leaves, then proceeded to take smaller batches to rinse individually, top layer had a bit of a funk to it, lots of crap that got rinsed out, middle layer was pretty clean, the bottom part of the tank smelled like the inside of Death's backside, years of rain filling the bucket and slowly evaporating with decaying matter... took a little bit to clean it.

 

[Deton8it]

My display tank has about 2-3 inches deep of sand and crushed coral mixed, about 80-100 pounds total. This tank has been up and running since 2008 and has a ridiculous amount of life in the sand right now. It might be tough to rinse it out. I'll give it a try unless when I scoop it out it looks and smells bad horrendous.

 

[Aquatron]

Start fresh when ready sand is cheap save yourself down the road