southdown sand-should it be washed?

[LLLosingit]

Do NOT RINSE the sand ... just as stated above the reason Southdown is recomended so highly is because of the fine particles.
You can put in it in the tank then lay a garbage bag on top of the sand, then when you pour your water in the tank dump it on the bag...as the water level rises the bag will float so just aim for the bag until the tank is full. I have done this several times and the water was never very cloudy and it clears up in hours not days or weeks.

 

[ChrisRD]

FWIW, the gradation of Southdown playsand is actually COARSER than Ron Shimek's recommendations for a DSB sediment already. Rinsing it will only remove more fines resulting in an even coarser substrate.

 

[reefsRcool]

one more vote for no no no

the dust will settle and your skimmer will work like junk for about two weeks but long term benifits far outweigh short term ugly

 

[Expos Forever]

Another vote for no

The true "dust" will form a foam which can easily be removed. I let my sand sit for 3 weeks and threw in some shrimp because I was putting it in established tank. The theory is the bacteria weigh the smaller particles down. My fish were back in the tank in about 5 hours. I also used the garbage bag trick. It worked very well.