Would you reuse old live sand ?

[Marek-S]

I have 3 years old 150 gal reef tank with live sand and thinking about upgrade to 225 gal - could I reuse the old live sand ?

 

[cmantis]

Yeh but its a PIA to clean but I've done it and will do it again very soon.

 

[Marek-S]

Did you clean it with new salt water ?

 

[duromega]

No my friend, I will never re-use old live sand
not recommended but renegades do

 

[samksy]

yes, rinse off with water change. unless you can clean it very well, i won't dump everything into the new tank all at once.

 

[cmantis]

What I do is get some of those big rubbermaid containers and just use tape water with final rinse RODI. You just fill the tub, swirl the sand around, allow it to settle and then drain the water. Keep repeating until it is clean and do a final rinse with RODI.

 

[Marek-S]

Using tap water will kill all the beneficial bacteria - right ?,
if I use salt water it might be saved

 

[cmantis]

Yes but you are talking a lot of saltwater its going to take many rinses to get clean. I think you are better off just cleaning it and saving some to re-seed.

 

[Marek-S]

I read that some people say when you reuse live sand you might have issues with phosphates - any thoughts on that ?

 

[cmantis]

That is why you have to clean it. You can't just take it from one tank and put it into another without problems because you will be stirring up everything trapped in there. Why it is best to clean it well or just start with new. You can use a cup or two of the old to seed it again.

 

[Dre]

Rinse a few pounds several times and test for nitrate and po4. If all is clear reuse...

 

[Marek-S]

If I decide to go with new live sand anyone know good ( money wise ) place to get it from ?

 

[kres1024]

If I decide to go with new live sand anyone know good ( money wise ) place to get it from ?

I use tropic Eden reef flakes
Not the cheapest but the cleanest when rinsing

 

[BioMan]

Ill answer your question with a question. Since you're UPgrading you'll need more sand so will you mix it with the old or put it on top?

 

[Reef Reaper]

I would not!

 

[BioMan]

I would not!

After what I've went through I will never use old sand again! The labor and ro/di etc just ain't worth the 60 or 80 bucks you'll spend on new sand.

 

[rickytr23]

use the old sand for the snow and just buy a new bags of sand, Ive reused sand and it was a bi@@ch to clean and it takes time.

 

[Marek-S]

Buying new live sand wouldn't be a issue if not the size of the tank I'll need it for , which is 225 gal, so if I like to have 2 inch sand bad I'll need more likely 200 lb. of sand, which would coast somewhere between $250-$300 --- I think. --- and that is why I'm asking you guys about reusing the old one.
But definitely I don't want any problems after all, so may have to skip the lunch and dinner for a week , save some $$$ -- and buy new sand

 

[Marek-S]

After what I've went through I will never use old sand again! The labor and ro/di etc just ain't worth the 60 or 80 bucks you'll spend on new sand.

If that would be $60 or $80 I wouldn't think twice, but $300 hurts a little

 

[Paul B]

Sand is not milk, it has no expiration date and does not go bad, it is already millions of years old. Stir it up and suck out the slime with a canister filter or strain it through a coffee filter. Old sand is better than new sand which is why a new tank with new sand and new water looks lousy and can't hardly support anything.
Forget about it absorbing nitrates, phosphates or Loch Ness Monster fry. My substrait is 42 years old and just getting to where I like it.
(Except for those dam Loch Ness Monster fry)