Sand question

Neoz

Neoz

New member
I have the old sand from the tank when I purchased it. Tons of it as the previous owner had a DSB. The sand has been sealed up sitting in tubs out on my deck. I was planning on using the old sand and just giving it a good rinsing?

But now after reading a few threads on the forums, it seems people recommend throwing out the old sand and buying new? What are members thoughts on this?

If the suggestion is to replace it then my next question is with how much and what kind? From reading the boards it seems most people stay away from the real fine sand. But i got to tell ya that really white sand is great looking in a tank. Of course it won't stay that way? :D

Looking forward to your suggestions...
 
My personal opinion is to pitch it. As to what type of sand to use, I think it depends on what type of SB you plan on having. SSB or DSB. My preference is for aragonite. I don't like the look of crushed coral and it traps a lot of crud. Never tried the fine stuff, but I've seen some really nice tanks that have utilized it well.
 
Think i'll price out some new aragonite. Just not sure how many lbs I'll need. I plan on going with a SSB. Off to look around and price shop.
 
I only intend on buying dry :) . Going to take a run and see if the LFS has some. Just wondering how much to get lbs wise. I have 2ft by 6ft tank.
 
Piazzon12 how fine is that sand? Am I wrong in my thinking that too fine of sand and the power heads / flow blow it all over? How big is that bag?

Just got back from the LFS. All they had was crushed coral. Didn't really like the look or color of it. $30 for a 40lb bag. Needless to say I didn't get any. Just didn't like the looks of it.

Any thoughts on this sand? Can't really make out the color.
http://www.marcorocks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=66&HS=1


Can't wait for my rock to be here in the morning!

:D
 
If you have enough RO/DI water, you can thouroughly rinse the existing sand out and you should be ok. Let it all dry, then rinse with RO/DI, let dry again, and then rinse again. It may be a huge pain, but would let you keep the sand that you already have. Stay away from crushed coral as it traps lots of detritus. This is what i'm using now, in addition to about 30lbs of Fiji Pink from my old tank.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...5494&thumbpage=1&list=4221,4220,5494&breeds=1

If I had the chance to set up a new tank again, i'd like to try the Australian Gold type from Natures ocean, just for a different look.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/239680/product.web
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15224801#post15224801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Neoz
Piazzon12 how fine is that sand? Am I wrong in my thinking that too fine of sand and the power heads / flow blow it all over? How big is that bag?

Just got back from the LFS. All they had was crushed coral. Didn't really like the look or color of it. $30 for a 40lb bag. Needless to say I didn't get any. Just didn't like the looks of it.

Any thoughts on this sand? Can't really make out the color.
http://www.marcorocks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=66&HS=1


Can't wait for my rock to be here in the morning!

:D
Click to expand...

FWIW I am not a big fan of the way kolorscape looks. I have used it in the past and it doesn't look as natural as the sand you linked to on marco rocks. That looks like good sand there. You definitely don't want crushed coral!! What you want is an oolitic (very fine) Aragonite (calcium carbonite) sand. Positioning your powerheads properly will avoid sand storms in the tank. That's just my opinion.
 
The sand is pretty fine and it does get blown around by power heads in my tank... but it wasnt and issue until I recently added to more koralias.

Also, you dont need to use r/o to rinse the sand if you choose to go that route.... just a waste of RO IMO. Tap/hose water will be just fine
 
I decided to just place another order with marco rocks again. But I'm not sure how much to order. Would 120lbs of sand be enough in a 2ft by 6ft tank? Or will i need more? Maybe 160lbs.

Just want to make sure I order enough but also not waste any.. LOL Looking for feedback here from the experts..
 
I'm not really sure as a first time setup. Just read that I really do not want a DSB. So what qualifies as a SSB?
 
shoot for between 1.3-2.5" I just try to have enough to come up above the edge of the trim on the glass. I think it looks more natural that way instead of having it lower than the edge of the trim
 
Dave,

Rinse the sand very well and re-use it.
Since you have no livestock in the tank, You can always rinse it best you can, and then stir it in the tank and let the skimmer remove any waste you may have missed.

If you still want to buy new, there is a Calculator on RC to tell you how many pounds you need to buy
http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/SandBed.php

Good Luck, however you choose to proceed.

Steve
 
Steve thanks for the Link. According to that I need 225lbs for a 2.5 inch deep sand bed. 180lbs for a 2" bed of sand. That is a nice little calculator.

The only problem with the old sand is I just didn't care for the look of it. The color is just dull. Of course new sand will probably become that way anyway ;)
 
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