Hey guys anyone have thoughts on keeping or putting in new sand after needing to repair tank leak. I had leak in bottom seal last night which made me empty tank of everything coral fish live rock etc. as well as sand , which is currently in a tote with a heater and a circulation pump. Not sure whether I should get rid of it and put new sand in or try to keep it worried about the sand been dying off and completely crashing the tank later. Thoughts anyone with any past history of doing either?
Tank leak and not sure if I should save live sand or dump it?
- Thread starter pelfiredc
- Start date
I don't know the glues for tanks but the key to your other question is how old is the tank? If above five years in this setup, it would be a good idea to trade for new sand. I'd go for the live sand, not my usual choice, plus several cups of the old provided it doesn't smell like rotten eggs. (hydrogen sulfide) THe reason I'm thinking live sand is the dry sand takes time and a ferocious lot of water to wash, 2 cups at a time, while the other comes in conditioned and wet and though I've never used it i read (look-up) that you don't have to wash it. With all else you have to do, that could be a plus. It would also help speed any mini-cycle and get it all assembled faster.
No idea on the tank, but I'd keep a couple of scoops of sand in your holding container to seed new sand. You won't have any cycle issues if you start fresh with or without the cup, but I like to always seed new sand with old. It adds microbes and critters that you might not have had. Whether it actually helps or not is too hard to prove, but I know it doesn't hurt. Biodiversity is a good thing and difficult to maintain in a closed system.
Thanks guys I’ll take sand out and put it in the other tanks that are holding the rocks and corals as well as live stock....... yeah the tank is 8 yrs so I have lots of critters in sand as well as in sump refug..... the live sand in a bag is what I used with some others when I UG to the 90..... ty again !!
joseserrano
Member
Throw it away
wsboyette
New member
Any clear pure silicone sealant will be best for re-sealing your tank. That is what the tanks are originally assembled with.
What SK8R said. You can rinse most of the gunk out of old sand and not kill the bacteria by fumping a gallon or so into a bucket of aquarium water. This is messy and you'll need to do it several times with a clean saltwater each time so it does use up a lot of water and may not be practical to di.
For silicone the GE Silicone 1 mentioned above is good. You do not want anything with mold inhibitors in it. Keep in mind just because a tube says 100% silicone that only means pure silicone was used before other stuff was added. If you can find it Momentive RTV 128 is quite a bit stronger than the GE 1
For silicone the GE Silicone 1 mentioned above is good. You do not want anything with mold inhibitors in it. Keep in mind just because a tube says 100% silicone that only means pure silicone was used before other stuff was added. If you can find it Momentive RTV 128 is quite a bit stronger than the GE 1
What SK8R said. You can rinse most of the gunk out of old sand and not kill the bacteria by fumping a gallon or so into a bucket of aquarium water. This is messy and you'll need to do it several times with a clean saltwater each time so it does use up a lot of water and may not be practical to di.
For silicone the GE Silicone 1 mentioned above is good. You do not want anything with mold inhibitors in it. Keep in mind just because a tube says 100% silicone that only means pure silicone was used before other stuff was added. If you can find it Momentive RTV 128 is quite a bit stronger than the GE 1
For silicone the GE Silicone 1 mentioned above is good. You do not want anything with mold inhibitors in it. Keep in mind just because a tube says 100% silicone that only means pure silicone was used before other stuff was added. If you can find it Momentive RTV 128 is quite a bit stronger than the GE 1
Ty Tim I bought the Momentive yesterday as well as GE 1 .... the GE does say mold free for 10 years but is the one that’s silver that everyone says to use....... I’m going to probably just buy new sand and seed with 3 lbs I set aside....the rest is still in bin with circ and heater......
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