To rinse or not to rinse...?

[footballcs12]

The instructions on the live sand I have says not to rinse before using. I have been looking around and am seeing a few mixed emotions on this. The sand I have is: CaribSea Arag-Alive.

What does RC think about rinsing live sand before using it?

 

[thegrun]

I would rinse it in salt water, otherwise plan on a cloudy tank.

 

[albano]

I would rinse it in salt water, otherwise plan on a cloudy tank.

+1...rinse it!

 

[sporto0]

RC thinks it's a bad idea to buy live sand specifically for this reason, rinsing it out defeats the purpose, not rinsing it out makes a mess. Regular sand becomes live sand very quickly & can be rinsed clean to the point where you will not have any cloudiness.

 

[albano]

RC thinks it's a bad idea to buy live sand specifically for this reason, rinsing it out defeats the purpose,

I don't believe that...IMO, rinsing in salt water won't remove all the bacteria

 

[sporto0]

I don't believe that...IMO, rinsing in salt water won't remove all the bacteria

With all due respect, how are you going to rinse it out properly in saltwater the way you can with a hose and a bucket? I would hate to think how much saltwater you might use & still not get it very clean, logistic nightmare.

 

[drolic]

I would actually call it decanting verses rinseing. Pouring weak salt water over it, stirring letting it settle for a couple minutes, pouring water off the top. I recommend doing this 2 or 3 times. Your just trying to get rid of the bulk of it.

I did this for the last tank I setup and was very happy with it. The first tank, with no rinse, took weeks to clear. But I still took about 3 weeks before applying real bioload.

 

[ken55]

I am new and will fully admit that I know little to nothing, but I used the exact same sand when I started and did not rinse it. I had a "sand storm" that took over 24 hours to settle out. Then I had to change filter cartidges because they started to clog up. I would buy it again as I believe in the benefits, but I would be extremly careful in how I applied it.

 

[albano]

With all due respect, how are you going to rinse it out properly in saltwater the way you can with a hose and a bucket? I would hate to think how much saltwater you might use & still not get it very clean, logistic nightmare.

This is not 'dirty' sand, this is new sand, that will still be cloudy, without rinsing.

Fresh water (from the hose) will definitely kill the bacteria...

To rinse sand in a bucket, is not that hard and and probably uses LESS water than a hose...I've done this too many times to count over the past 15+ (?) years, (since we stopped using crushed coral), and never had a problem

 

[sporto0]

This is not 'dirty' sand, this is new sand, that will still be cloudy, without rinsing.

Fresh water (from the hose) will definitely kill the bacteria...

To rinse sand in a bucket, is not that hard and and probably uses LESS water than a hose...I've done this too many times to count over the past 15+ (?) years, (since we stopped using crushed coral), and never had a problem

I guess we disagree on the "usefulness" of "live" sand, I don't doubt you have perfected a way to rinse it without creating a sand storm in your tank, on the other hand the one time I used it (rinsed in old salt water), it was very dirty, perhaps they have since started bagging cleaner "live" sand. I guess I just prefer to rinse new sand obsessively until it is almost clear, because I don't think you gain anything by using "live" sand, again this is just my opinion & experience. (17+ years)

 

[cordell]

I will only comment here because I used one bag of that sand when I started up my tank. I also used a bag of the carib sea oolite dry sand. Didn't rinse either bag, just put in the dry sand and then the "live" sand on top. If you lay the empty sand bag down on top of the sand and slowly fill the tank with something slow like a maxijet900 (what I used), directing the water on top of the bag instead of the sand, it won't create very much of a storm at all. It took about an hour or so to fill the tank because of the slow pump and head pressure, but it worked and I barely had a sand "storm".. The bag floats up with the water level as it rises so the water from the pump never directly hits the sand. Take that for what it's worth, which may not be much.

 

[ganjero]

RC thinks...

is that RC for ReefCentral? :wildone:

 

[Ron Reefman]

I will only comment here because I used one bag of that sand when I started up my tank. I also used a bag of the carib sea oolite dry sand. Didn't rinse either bag, just put in the dry sand and then the "live" sand on top. If you lay the empty sand bag down on top of the sand and slowly fill the tank with something slow like a maxijet900 (what I used), directing the water on top of the bag instead of the sand, it won't create very much of a storm at all. It took about an hour or so to fill the tank because of the slow pump and head pressure, but it worked and I barely had a sand "storm".. The bag floats up with the water level as it rises so the water from the pump never directly hits the sand. Take that for what it's worth, which may not be much.

+1
I agree with cordell. I used new live sand in 2 set ups and the first one took 24-48 hours for the cloudiness to 'settle out'... so big deal. Wait for the water to clear, then put in your LR and then turn on your powerheads. The 2nd time I put a large dinner plate on the sand and slowly added the water onto the plate. I had very little cloudiness in the water and it cleared up in less than 6 hours. I don't see the big deal other than people being in a hurry to get stuff in their tank. As has been stated hundreds, if not thousands of times here on RC, nothing good happens quickly in an aquarium.

 

[shaginwagon13]

I would rinse it in salt water, otherwise plan on a cloudy tank.

+2

I always rinse. You don't HAVE to, but I would.

 

[lemmy_k]

I'm with Ron... so what if it's cloudy? Best not be putting fish in there already. If it clogs filters, rinse those and put 'em back in until it's all better.
And, again with what Ron said, nothing happens fast in this hobby, let it settle over night. When ya wake up in the morning, it's all clear and you feel like ya got something done!!

 

[dzfish17]

+1
I agree with cordell. I used new live sand in 2 set ups and the first one took 24-48 hours for the cloudiness to 'settle out'... so big deal. Wait for the water to clear, then put in your LR and then turn on your powerheads. The 2nd time I put a large dinner plate on the sand and slowly added the water onto the plate. I had very little cloudiness in the water and it cleared up in less than 6 hours. I don't see the big deal other than people being in a hurry to get stuff in their tank. As has been stated hundreds, if not thousands of times here on RC, nothing good happens quickly in an aquarium.

I agree with Lemmy, who agrees with Ron, who agrees with Cordell.