How To Rinse Used Aquarium Sand for Safe Re-Use
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Rinsing out used sand saves money, and you can safely put that clean sand in your next tank without concern. It's a good project to tackle in the warmer months, best done outdoors. Easy, sort of. Here's a blog entry about rinsing out tank sand: www.reefaddicts...
Link to Shade foam blog: www.reefaddicts...
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i have followed this advice from your web site for the last few years when ever i have moved tank
Having not had an reef aquarium for a couple years I can just smell the old dirty sand right through the screen...lol! Its something you don't ever forget. That seems to be the best way I've ever found to wash out and reuse sand....very tedious process.
lol - smell-o-tube!
Just did the same thing with some new sand for a new 125 gal tank. It is hard on the back and I'm feeling it this morning!
I am upgrading soon from a 29 to a 90 gallon tank and am glad to see I can reuse my existing sand! Thanks!
Is it just me or is there something satis satisfying about watching this sand get cleaned
I'm really glad you posted this video because my sand bed in my display has been looking rough. I've thought about pulling it out for some time to either rinsing it or buying new sand altogether. I'm not sure what the best approach would be but it might be worth it.
Ever sense the beginning of summer I've had some pretty nasty cyano and brown dust on my sand bed. To combat it I updated my plumbing for better tank turn over, got a better return pump, added more bio filtration, and an algae turf scrubber. My tank also sits close to a window which the summer sun hits perfectly, so I blocked that off. I changed my 1.6 year old RO/DI filters (oops). Everything seems to be improving already. But I still believe rinsing the sand would be a good idea.
I used this same method on some sand I got with a used tank. Always wondered if it was ok to reuse it, glad to see it was. 🙂
Am about to star using the miracle mud on my refugium am still watching videos that's why am checking all yours
Thank a lot
Washing sand seems so much fun
The phrase "watching paint dry" can now be replaced with "watching sand get rinsed."
I think that is a fair assumption lol
I have found if you take off the nozzle you will get more water flowing through and it goes a lost faster. I have really good water pressure off of the hose and the nozzle just slows it down.
Thanks for the tip!
You won! Be sure to send me your full name and shipping address via email at hello@melevsreef.com
Sweet! Thank you I was thinking it should be fine to reuse but wanted to be positive and ended up finding a whole method to take care of my problem! Thanks for the solution, at least I’ll only have to replace my aqua soil not my sand :) (probably replacing it with sand since I can keep it forever)
I usually just buy more or stick to river stone and the fluval substrate, but I’m so sick of fluval lol
Great video, I enjoyed it, you are a genius. You actually got me to watch the whole video.
Looks great Marc! How many buckets did it take to do the whole thing? And why didn't you scrape the back panel of the fuge?
I scraped the back panel on the refugium side, but what you saw was coralline on the opposite side of that clear acrylic baffle. I left it since it helped shadow the gear behind that zone. I had to rinse out three batches of sand, so about 1.5 buckets total.
OK, I had commented to early, this process is easy enough that it has inspired me to make one like this. Question though, I could not tell, but is there a pump pushing the water back into the tank or sump? I figure there is as (somewhere) since it is ground level. Thanks man, great information for a newbie like me.
The water draining from the tank feeds into the sump in two locations. 75% goes to the skimmer section, 25% to the refugium. Both of those zones flow into a return section (behind the plants in this video) and a return pump pushes that water back into the display tank.
Do you ever have concerns about the sand absorbing phosphates and storing it? Detritus is easy to rinse but I always thought some things just couldn't be rinsed.. Nice to hear you have done this for years tho. 🍻🍺🍻
I totally agree... it's not worth it, spend the $50 to replace it!!
No, not at all concerned. When I rinsed out all the sand for the 400g, set it up and added my livestock, there were no measureable phosphates in the system for the first 90 days or more. It's the feedings, the fish poop, and the waste accumulating that causes PO4 to rise. Hence the clean out of this zone of my sump, since there was four years' worth of debris built up in that area.
+melevsreef thanks for the reply... Was def curious about absorbed phosphate. Sounds like it wasn't the case... Happy reefing 👍🏾
Great video, thanks for posting your process.
What were ur nitrates before and after cleaning mine are at 100ppm for the last 9 months and was about to pull all the sand in my tank and do the same thing
Like your videos help out a lot
I'll admit that I'm a freshwater guy and am not too familiar with reef ecology... are the beneficial bacteria in the refugium a significant part of the biochemical cycles in the tank? also, do anaerobic bacteria build up under the sand ever and produce some nasty compounds? that's sometimes a problem in freshwater tanks with dense substrate that is not often agitated.
The beneficial bacteria is everywhere in a saltwater setup. It'll be in the main display of course, but also is found in the refugium zone, on the inner walls of the plumbing, within the sump, on the equipment... As you clean things, you remove some of it but it will repopulate relatively quickly if you don't do too much at once.
Anaerobic bacteria tends to dwell within the top 1/2" of sand, and deeper down pockets of anoxic areas may occur. These shouldn't be disturbed intentionally because you don't want to release that into the water column. During a clean out (break down), those zones will be black and smell sulfuric. That portion would be disposed of, salvaging what sand is still useful.
As a general rule, we don't touch the sandbed in a reef tank. The clean up crew, worms, and pods will take care of that, coupled with good in-tank flow.
You know i think i might do this.
Let me know how it goes.
+melevsreef sure thing.
I love washing sand
Do you recommend washing sand in the display tank? If so, how often?
Only if you are resetting the tank anew. My 280g ran for nearly exactly 6 years, and I never cleaned the sand. And during the breakdown, it was very clean. No black zones, no sulfuric smell. There was detritus, but that was to be expected after all those years. But the sand was quite useable, after another good rinsing. The clean up crew and adding live sand from time to time keeps the bed healthy and clear of crud.
Just curious is it possible to start a mini cycle in your tank after cleaning the sand like this?
😳 I read through comments and found my answer. Sorry I missed you say that in the video
Will cleaning a refugium cause in type of spikes?
No, not at all. If you had rock in there, exposed rock can cycle. But if you move it into a barrel of saltwater to keep it submerged, you won't have anything to worry about.
could you do this with your DT sand aswell? I know whenever I move a rock or stir up any section of sand a nice dirty cloud comes with it... :/
Unless there is a specific need, I wouldn't do that. I would during a full reset, but not part of normal reefkeeping. You can create a sandstorm in the tank and use a filter sock to trap all that stuff, and plug in a Maxijet (with an extension cord) to blow junk out of all the rockwork once a week. This is a good method to help remove excess nutrient buildup.
Ok thanks
No worries using tap water for this?
Nevermind... finally got to that part of the video. lol
@@brandonbuell3519 Thank you for listening to the rest of the video.
@@melevsreef Thanks for making it!
same way I clean my sand when it needed and it saves money
i thought it was interesting i have bought some used tanks and i would have had alot of sand and it saves money
Whats your views on canister filters?
We don't typically use those on a reef tank. But I did get one a year ago thinking it would be a great way to vacuum/filter up the stuff in my sump. Turns out that idea didn't work so well after all, so it's on the shelf. :) It's easier to use a pass-through pump, some vinyl tubing and a filter sock to setup an impromptu vacuum for detritus removal. What size tank were you thinking of?
Melevseef, I was given bags of Fiji pink live sand I wanted to use for my tank upgrade. Problem is the sand is past the date on the back. I'm hoping to transfer everything in my current tank to the larger and utilize this new(er) sand. Any advice?
Is the bag filled with wet sand? Sand typically can't expire. But if it was live sand, the bacteria may be past viable date. Just means you may not get any bacteria from that sack.
I understand that. Should it be washed before use? I was hoping to transfer everything from my current tank to the larger tank, minus the sand.
You shouldn't need to wash out new bagged sand from the store.
what light you using in your sump
It's a LED fixture from a company that isn't around any longer.
hey melevs, my sump recently cracked and im getting a new one sent next week. In my previous sump, there was a refugium section with a deep sand bed. Could i reuse that sand this way for reuse in an already established aquarium?
Yes, just like I did above. Rinse it well, maybe saving one cup to seed the new refugium. Or take a cup of sand from the display to seed it.
❤
I used a pillow case to rinse sand worked great
So the sand stays in the case and the detritus comes out the fabric?
Yep :)
Nastay!
It was so much nicer at the end, fortunately. :) It's like fixing a sprinkler head in the yard. Gotta get muddy for a while to get a nice spray of water later.
+melevsreef for sure. Feels good when you are done and you see the final result
If anyone still watch is this I know Aquarium sand can get get really pricey I found a hack though I go to either Home Depot Lowe’s or Menards and you get play sand like for a sandbox and only cost five dollars for a giant 60 pound bag and then obviously you just rinse it out A couple times then put it into your tank and it works great with the plants as well I’ve been using that kind of sand for about five years now
Playsand isn’t clean enough for saltwater aquariums.
I never said Salt water when it comes to a salt tank there is no short cuts shit gets pricey
@@camerondabney4899 you didn’t, but this topic is specific to saltwater. 😇
@@melevsreef my bad buddy i didn’t even realize I just happened to click on ur video
I will ask u this tho cus you obviously have just as much knowledge as me but what do U personally use for filtration system do u have ur own subpup set up or a brand canister with skimmers sorry i’m just generally curious because I’ve been through so many canisters different brands and everything I even did my own sub pump set ups which I did enjoy for a while but I just like learning new things
This was really satisfying to watch
You're watching all my videos, aren'tcha? ;)
waste of time and energy...put the sand in a bedroom pillow case and simply let the water flow through it for 15 minutes....done.
Gurvinder Parmar i’ll try that next time!
melevsreef it works! Just try finding one in your house that's not too thick...you want one that is thin....then just run the hose inside the pillow case with the sand for 10-20 minutes.....you can keep the pillow case on the floor as long as you swirl the water nozell around..
Used this same technique when taking sand from the ocean here in Hawaii. always get some cool hitchhikers even after a freshwater rinse. Mahalo.
That’s so lucky!
Great video. I also used a pasta strainer...the sand went through but all the dead bristleworms and snail shells didn't. I have to say though, I probably spent 30 min a bag. Nice to know I need to dry it out if I am not going to use it away. I'm going to have to wash it again a few times then dry it out....
Appreciate your content! I will be using this information to clean out an old biocube so I can get it started up!
We Texans recognize a Dickey’s BBQ cup when we see one!
In Colorado, in 2022, it would be cheaper to buy new sand than to dump all that water down the street.
Contest winners announced in this video: th-cam.com/video/Jm_-ZNjcvMw/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for all the comments, you guys rock!
@D.K. Music Yes, tap water is perfectly fine for this. The video covers several points; hope it helps!
Hi, I have a 20 gallon freshwater aquarium, it is filled with a brown algae, it sticks to everything and doesn't have any hairy bits of anything, but I'm really worried it will kill my tank. I was wondering if anyone knew what it was.
Also I posted this as my question for the contest.
I don't know what to tell you, as I only keep saltwater tanks. Maybe someone else can help.
Great video! If you did this to the display tanks sand would you be worried about losing bacteria and causing a mini cycle?
With a display, you'd have to remove the rock and livestock first. All the rock needs to stay submerged under water at all times to avoid a cycle. And a few cups of live sand (or a bag of live sand from the fish store) would reseed the clean sand you just added back into the tank.
can't believe I found this really interesting
What about tank nutrients instability with taking such a large filteration part out. As it will take time the new clean sand start doing some filteration again.
The tank has a massive sandbed. Cleaning out waste from this small area will not affect the tank adversely.
that's exactly how I would clean my gravel in my fresh water tanks, when I started with saltwater at the time everyone told me it was a no. Over the years I decided to go back to my old techniques and got away from Deep sand beds, I do believe in max flow to keep detritus from collecting and to increase filtration in the system. Great Vid.
Trying to figure out how to do this in an apartment with no garden hose... 🤔
Might have to use a Bucket Vac, which is sold by Hone Depot.
Thanks for this. It is my first time cleaning out a used tank and so wasn't sure if the process was the same as for new sand. What a relief it is. Great to hear your stories too.
Hi! I rinsed my sand like that too in a bucket.. in my sink.... when I moved! I had to clean it because it was so nasty! I noticed though the less sand in the bucket the better, faster and easier to clean.
I just checked to see if it was within 72 hours for the beer glass. Was caught off gaurd when I saw 5 years! 🤣
Time flies when you’re having fun. 😉
@@melevsreef Indeed. 🍻
2 Cool things. . Melev Glasses and beer. . woo woo. . that's a win win. . pick me. .
Is there any danger of extra silicates in the sand by using straight hose water?
No, you can rinse all you want. Nearly all the water drains off. Moist sand will not contain anything that could harm the aquarium.
@@melevsreef that was the fastest most convenient reply ever! Thank you!
I did this too. My task was for a 130G so it took FOR EVER!!! ...but it worked.
One thing to watch out for, if you have a big project, limit the "fluffing" with your hand because the grains provide a lot of friction against your skin and it will wear your skin out! Wear a glove if you have a lot to do.
Next time, I hope to rig up something like a paint stirrer but my battery operated hand drill as a drive probably won't last long enough to finish the job. I'm guessing that if I just rent a more powerful unit, the project will go much quicker.
Should I remove fish before removing all substrate? Could I slowly remove and replace sand with them in tank?
I'm upgrading from 50g to 125g. My thought was to move fuge to keep bacteria with the increase in water volume. Do I just start a new sand. I'm very concerned about loosing bacteria. I got enough new sand for fuge. What's best? Next time get a milk crate to sit on mark.
That WAS the plan, until I took my mom into the fish store with little experience, she fell in love with a carpet anemone, I must admit it was pretty cool, until my tangs disappeared... So when I told her I was selling it back to the store she asked me to set up a tank just for it. Then I found an old 10 gallon for frags. Too many systems! Trying to get the biocube. Very basic and for beginners but it's all in one which is my best bet right now. Thanks for responding!
this gets to be one if my projects soon. sand will be moved from display to a new sump in my next build. new display will be bare bottom
Thank you so much for this! I wish I could talk to you in person more regarding this topic but your video covered the majority of my questions! Thank you so much for this!
I am setting up a used aquarium with used sand and rock. I soaked the rock and got some amonia. It was slightly used though and hadnt even changed color from the beige color. I am going to rinse sand like this and can I leave it set to cycle like that? Do I do water changes when amonia is over 5 ppm or when. Do I need to have sump working? Can I add some sand to my ten gallon? I have high nitrates now, beacuse of trying to get some sick coral to eat the reef roids. How do i bring nitrates down with no skimmer? I do have an 8 lb bag of live sand. Can I add that to my 10 gallon because sand level is getting below an inch from constant turkey bastin pellets from sand and it pulls up a lot of sand. Do you know a better way to get up pellets of food? My cleaner shrimp, hermits and nassiurs snails arent doing a good job of it! also. This new aquarium has no overflow just plumbed directly to it, its a 36 gallon, how important is an overflow? I read it was important foroxegan exchange at the surface, is it he vents that make it more oxygen rich. I plan to point wavemaker towards the top like i have in my 10 gallon and to try to keep water turbulent at surface. I dont see how a overflow helps that. I do have 3 drains. Lots of questions sorry
I was always wondered about how to clean sand safely.
like always It's nice to have a beer and enjoy your videos.
Cheers 🍻
Thank You so very much. I needed this... I just bought a 125 Gallon Reef Tank, moved it 120 mile's and reset it up in my garage (1st) to be sure everything is still water tight prior to putting it in my home. The Live Sand has worms (for sure) and I wasn't sure how I could clean it? thought that I might damage the aquarium's eco-system (so to say), so when I prepare to move it into my home I'll do the complete CLEANING with out worry! Again Thank You So Very Much' Obviously I am reasonably new to LIVE/Salt Water REEF Stuff'
I know this is old but I was wondering if washing the sand in the display tank would start over the nitrate cycle because you remove all the beneficial bacteria?
I removed the comment since you said you had earlier videos. I didn't see them here which is why I asked.
I’m pleased to see I use the same method, I even have the same “Kent MarIne” bucket. As previously mentioned I’m replacing a 500ltr (130 gals US) after a tank leak. My fish and rock are currently living in a bucket (75 gals US). Because my new tank is still being built I will wash the sand again before use, I’m sure there will be some bristle worm remains to flush out.
What made this easier for me was no hose tip, just hose, and leave bucket upright. And then just keep plunging the hose down. It goes down easy and the nasty water keepers overflowing with the updraft and sand keeps overturning but the wait drops it down. This eliminates all your stiring and the tipping After about 5-10 min You have crystal clear water
Hello. I have the Coral Rock pieces in the bottom. Whats the best way to clean it? I love your informational videos.
I have wanted to rinse old sand a number of times but did not for fear of reintroducing detritus. I am relieved to see a pro endorse 'recycling' sand; I hate to throw away such material. Thanks for the info.
O Man U have no idea how much headache I had till I saw your video I just purchased a used tank yesterday !!it came with nice aragonite sand but everyone was telling me to throw it out and start with a new sand and I Am like why throw it a way when I can wash it dry it and reuse it will save me at least $70 but thank god I came across to your video and I subscribed you !!thanks again I will be watching your videos to learn cuz I am new to the hobby
Very helpful, I’m reusing some basalt I saved from a tank I broke down earlier this year and I wasn’t sure how I was going to rinse it
I have done this before ..... What I do is leave the hose in the bucket so that the nozzle is at the flat bottom and then decant the water off ... I do this like over a time of 5 minutes .... But the schedule is actually annual ... This way the detriments is mostly removed but most of the beneficial bacteria is retained [The hardy ones]....
Brittle worm stings are no fun at all,thanks for the vinegar tip.btw just watching this made my back ache a bit lol.
I am glad you are making videos again.... save the trouble just send me the glasses already ha ha ha - I never win anyway ha ha ha nice 1.1 video good reminder...
Dickie's BBQ is pissed you degraded one of their big yellow cups for this job!
Easier to do in a shallower container like a tub 24” by 12” by 6” deep.
I'll be trying that next time.
You could use Bubble Bags that hash makers use. There made to use in the bucket you use N water can run out the bottom. Really cheap aswell
great video very informational. I like using black sand. I like the color.
I cleaned out my sand with tap water as well and did the same method but in my bathtub. my nitrates dropped pretty quickly after
i did the same thing of rinsing the white sand from aquarium, but still i could smell dirty dry fish smell. what shall i do to rinse off the smell after rinsing out the water
What i like to do when i clean my sand is put a little square i made to fit in a 5 gal bucket with holes drilled in it hooked up to a massive air pump and then add the sand on top of it then add water and wait for the air pump to bubble all the junk out and then do a few minutes of the rinsing like you are doing
Good call on the plastic bag for redumping thr sand!
Eu fiz isso tudo e tive uma camada de ciano. Só me livrei com antibióticos. Da próxima vez que fizer isso vou fazer uma meia hora no forno a200* Celcius depois de lavar com H2O.
That should have been a very tough job to clean that much of sand....but it worth it...
Great idea w/ the use of trash bags to transfer sand into tank, it should cut down on getting water and stuff on the floor. Great video what a process
So……..are the cups still available? Hahahaha
to much work for me right now because of school.. I am afraid of to much algae growing.
I just got done doing this to a clients fuge. Was a process, but it really paid off.
just a question but will cleaning out the sand send the tank in to a little cycles
Lol shit I did jus watch 12 minutes of u washing sand
Yup!
I have a 40 gallon breeder freshwater tank with black sand. The tank got overrun with algae and has been just sitting there being ignored and half empty. We're moving in 6 months and I'm planning on converting it into a saltwater tank at our new home. What's the best way to prep the sand from going from freshwater to saltwater to ensure anything it's absorbed is removed? I'm planning on rinsing it like crazy and drying it out on a tarp (hopefully in the sun to help bleach off anything that shouldn't be there), but what's the likelyhood of any residual ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/etc leeching into the saltwater tank? I'd really like to avoid having to buy all new sand since the stuff I have is exactly what I want for my reef tank.
Thank you so much for your videos! Your website was my favorite resource when I first started in the hobby back in 2010. I learned a LOT from you (including how to build my own sump) and it's wonderful to now get to see videos of your tanks. Your 280 gallon tank was what really gave me the inspiration to jump into the hobby.
Hi Elly. Rinse it well, let it dry in the sand and store it in a couple of trashbags until you're ready to use it. It won't harbor anything else; it'll be clean dry sand ready to use. Good luck on your new saltwater build. :)
cool video, i want to add one more bag if live sand to my display what do yoi think is the best way? thanks
I have an article about that: www.reefaddicts.com/content.php/57-How-to-add-sand-to-an-existing-reef-tank
Thanks man love your videos. You’ve really helped me thru the years. You just saved me a lot of money.
Loved the video!!! This has helped me save lots of money when I upgrade to my 120 gallon
A lot of work, but it´s a big differance after cleaníng
I'm combining two 75 gallon tanks into one large system next year. Will rinsing all of the sand send the new tank into a nitrogen cycle? Should I only rinse half of the sand?
Rinse it all clean and set up the new large system. Add a few cups of live sand to seed it.
I've done this process several times and have done it exactly how you did it. What I don't think you mentioned is the smell. The first time I did it was in the basement sink and I got an ear full cuz the house smelled like death.
I think if I'd made this video the day after I shot it, I would have remembered to mention it. lol But since I did this a few months ago, I forgot all about it. Thanks for the reminder. hehe
I have used this rinse method before on my freshwater system that had sat empty for 8 years. It works great for remove all the unwanted debris. thanks for the video
You won! Be sure to send me your full name and shipping address via email at hello@melevsreef.com