Live Sand Questions

[KilaSmallzeZ3]

I have an established tank for almost 2 months already. My question is that I have sand that a friend gave me and its been sitting dry for almost 6 months. If i rinse it out with fresh water and pour it into my tank will it affect anything? Will it build ammonia and will nitrate go up? Also does the sand need to be cycled during its time in my established tank? Please hlp this new reefer out.

 

[al0ha]

i believe the sand needs to be cycled again i think there will be a spike in water parameters

 

[masterswimmer]

I'm not saying this to be sarcastic, so please don't interpret it that way, but your first sentence is a bit frightening. When we talk about an established tank, saying two months 'already' sounds like you're describing a fully cycled, mature tank. Yours is still an extremely young, unsettled, maturing, cycling tank. There are more cycles than just the ammonia cycle. There are also algae cycles that you will experience as well.

How much sand from your friend are we talking about? I'm sure you'll get some great information here on MR. BTW, I see this was your first post......welcome to MR. I should have started with a welcome........bad me

swimmer

 

[basiab]

What is in your tank now and where is the sand from? If the sand was never in a tank then no problem just put it in. If you have no animals in your tank then also no problem just put it in regardless of where it came from. But if you have animals that will suffer from an ammonia spike and it was in a tank for a while then you want to clean it good before you put it in.
Even where I suggest to just put it in I would rinse it a bit since it is not live and nothing to lose except some dust that may cloud the water.

 

[jrobbins]

if it was in someones tank before, and was then sitting dry, odds are there are a lot of organics in there that are just going to decay in your tank and foul your water.

substrate is pretty cheap, i would just buy some and either seed it with a bit of sand from an established tank, or just be patient and wait for the critters in the rock to colonize the sand.

no sense in risking anything for 15 or 20 bucks of sand. just my 2 cents...

 

[cobalt ftw]

i wouldnt add it just to be safe. u never know whats in the sand

 

[newtoit]

I have an established tank for almost 2 months already. My question is that I have sand that a friend gave me and its been sitting dry for almost 6 months. If i rinse it out with fresh water and pour it into my tank will it affect anything? Will it build ammonia and will nitrate go up? Also does the sand need to be cycled during its time in my established tank? Please hlp this new reefer out.

I have done this rinse is well sift it if you want then add a lil at a time. do it in like 12 inch sections of your tank if you don't try to overload the system to much you should be fine but I do suggest sifting the sand and discarding all the fine fine sludge

 

[CAPTAIN STABBIN]

If you disturb it the brown will come.
History tends to repeat itself!