Sifting sand

[91mini]

I have (2) 5 gallon buckets of what used to be live sand. It's been in storage for over a year and I am about to start up a 100G tank. I am using all dry rock and maybe 5 pounds of LR.

I would like to sift out the large rocks in order to reuse just the sand and hopefully only have to buy 1-2 bags of live sand but have no clue how to sift it out. What could I use to sift out the sand for reuse and is it a good idea to reuse? I hate throwing anything away especially is it means saving a little money in order to buy better fish in the end.

 

[saf1]

hardware store, screen.
Home good store, flour sifter maybe.

 

[91mini]

Flour sifter is not a bad idea but may take awhile.

 

[mt4sure]

+1 for the sifter... but def expect it to take time

 

[Jawbone flats]

why couldn't you just use a big colander sieve or strainer like you would use for pasta.

I assume this sand is dry already and would also suggest washing it ALOT due to leftover bio matter will still rot when re-introduced to your system

 

[Flippers4pups]

How was this sand stored, dry or wet? And what grade is it? IMHO, I wouldn't want the hassle of dead bio mass releasing back into my system, no matter how much you rinse it. Just me.

 

[91mini]

What is the proper way to wash it?

 

[91mini]

How was this sand stored, dry or wet? And what grade is it? IMHO, I wouldn't want the hassle of dead bio mass releasing back into my system, no matter how much you rinse it. Just me.

It was stored wet but with an open top. The top of the buckets are very dry but I'm not sure about the bottom. If this will cause major issues I will spend the money and get all new sand. Sounds like a lot of people on here are saying don't use it?

 

[Flippers4pups]

RO at least. No chems. Using a strainer and using your hand to turn over the sand till the water coming through is clear.

 

[Flippers4pups]

It was stored wet but with an open top. The top of the buckets are very dry but I'm not sure about the bottom. If this will cause major issues I will spend the money and get all new sand. Sounds like a lot of people on here are saying don't use it?

Just not worth it. Buy new.

 

[madean]

I could be way out of line here but imo its not worth it. How about buy a few bags of live sand and just get regular sand that's not live. Really what are we talking about 40-50 bucks. To me I would rather start with fresh stuff and not have the possibility of it coming back and biting you in the butt in the future. Maybe im commenting on this in an uneducated manner but logic tells me that it's not worth the possible headache of this for 40-50 bucks. What if you don't strain this right and a lot of dead bio mass gets put into the system and sets you back months. Like I said I could be wrong. I also think this question might be in the wrong forum. I would try and post this question again in the chemistry forum.

 

[madean]

Yeah I checked to make sure it was the right forum I was sending you to, and it is. Try the chemistry forum and hopefully a few people like bertoni or Randy will chime in and explain the possible side effects if any.

 

[gregjonesonline]

if you blast it with a hose long enough in a 5 gallon bucket there won't be any bio matter left in it. sifting that much material seems like fun!

 

[Photobug]

Trying to save money on my 55g setup I bought some used rock and sand. I stored the sand in a container with heater and power head.

The sand was in a bucket and kept wet. I rinsed it many times with salt water until it rinsed clean and did not smell. Then put it all in the tank and let it sit. The phosphates were off the chart. Like blue was 40 on the phosphate color chart this was a deep purple and stayed that way for 2 plus months. Eventually I had to buy a phosphate reducing chemical at $20 bottle. After buying a second bottle the phosphate reduced to a point I could put a clean up crew in. It took 3 months before I was comfortable putting in fish and corals. I did not save any money buy having to buy the phosphate chems. The one plus was I was forced to wait 3 months and had a very stable tank as a result. The only advantage of using old sand is the forced patience i would not have had otherwise.

 

[91mini]

Trying to save money on my 55g setup I bought some used rock and sand. I stored the sand in a container with heater and power head.

The sand was in a bucket and kept wet. I rinsed it many times with salt water until it rinsed clean and did not smell. Then put it all in the tank and let it sit. The phosphates were off the chart. Like blue was 40 on the phosphate color chart this was a deep purple and stayed that way for 2 plus months. Eventually I had to buy a phosphate reducing chemical at $20 bottle. After buying a second bottle the phosphate reduced to a point I could put a clean up crew in. It took 3 months before I was comfortable putting in fish and corals. I did not save any money buy having to buy the phosphate chems. The one plus was I was forced to wait 3 months and had a very stable tank as a result. The only advantage of using old sand is the forced patience i would not have had otherwise.

Thanks for your real life situation story. These are always better to help me make a decision than the what if's. I may have to find a low spot in the yard that could use a little sand and rock.

 

[Photobug]

Thanks for your real life situation story. These are always better to help me make a decision than the what if's. I may have to find a low spot in the yard that could use a little sand and rock.

No problem like I said it worked out well for us with a stable tank eventually. We are looking to step up in size once again and have sand around I am tempted to use. What I would like to do is set up the new tank for a while with the new rock and some old sand.for a few months in the garage. Letting the sand and new rocks stabilize and create a nice ecosystem before removing the rocks, draining water then moving the tank to the stand. and transferring the livestock.

 

[sur4die]

Trying to save money on my 55g setup I bought some used rock and sand. I stored the sand in a container with heater and power head.

The sand was in a bucket and kept wet. I rinsed it many times with salt water until it rinsed clean and did not smell. Then put it all in the tank and let it sit. The phosphates were off the chart. Like blue was 40 on the phosphate color chart this was a deep purple and stayed that way for 2 plus months. Eventually I had to buy a phosphate reducing chemical at $20 bottle. After buying a second bottle the phosphate reduced to a point I could put a clean up crew in. It took 3 months before I was comfortable putting in fish and corals. I did not save any money buy having to buy the phosphate chems. The one plus was I was forced to wait 3 months and had a very stable tank as a result. The only advantage of using old sand is the forced patience i would not have had otherwise.

Old sand gave me phosphate fits for over a year. Definitely rinse it well, or better yet, don't use any sand at all!

 

[billdogg]

Not sure where you live, but around here (central Ohio) the best use for old, used, and poorly stored sand is as anti-slip compund on the ice so I don't land on my butt this winter. I've got a 5g bucket or 2 of it out in the garage now! As an added bonus, if there is any residual salt in it, it will act as a deicer too.