Substrate

[oli5]

Hi everyone. It just so happens I'm setting up my tank as we speak. I have 60 pounds of CaribSea Aragamax Select Sand. Should I rinse it really good before I add it to my tank or will this remove all the beneficial bacteria and all the helpful things that come in it? Thanks.

 

[loafiedb]

rinse it, i think it even says on the bag to rinse, i made the mistake of not rinsing so i had a bad dust storm and still have some residue on the sides of my tank

 

[bertoni]

I don't bother with rinsing sand. If the tank is going to have a live sand bed, rinsing will remove small particles that animals would use. Rinsing does reduce the initial clouding, though.

 

[JohnnyM2]

If you don't rinse it (and, actually, even if you do), be sure you add it to an empty tank and then add the water by pumping it (slowly) onto a bowl or saucer sitting on the sand until you are above the sand. Then add your live rock structure and, finally, completely fill the tank. Nevertheless, be prepared for a 1 to 3 day dust storm if you don't rinse it. Good Luck.

 

[oli5]

wait so then if I add the sand first without any water in the tank, is it safe to add fresh water to it and mix the salt in the tank? And then add the live rock?

 

[bertoni]

I'd mix the salt into the water before adding sand, or in a separate container. Undissolved salt particles might irritate animals, and the sand is likely to capture some.

 

[chris.hampton]

You can also fill the tank first add the salt then add the live rock then the sand, this way helps to avoid rock slides and and burrowing fish you get from digging underneath the rock.

 

[hmello@bermexin]

Also I placed the rock in first and backfilled the sand in around it for fear some critter in the future would dig in and undermine the rock causing a landslide. Things that live in glass aquariums should not throw stones....

 

[chris.hampton]

Oh and if it is "live" sand then don't rinse it, although it's not very good because it has been sitting on a shelf for god only knows how long you will rinse out anything that might be in the sand. Lol i like hmello@bremexin's saying!!