rinsing sand

[dreams]

can i put the sand in the tank, add saltwater & let a magnum filter clean the sand for me?....stir it up every couple of hrs

[CarmieJo]

If you are using fine sand the dust may clog up a Magnum really quickly. I used all LS from an established tank and it took 10 days for the sandstorm to clear but I did not use a canister filter.

[dreams]

thanks carmie

this is what i have.....240 lbs of very fine playsand.....about 40 pounds of crushed coral (sitting in saltwater) from my 40g and 20 lbs of live sand

the top layer of my sandbed needs to be mixed for jawfish (that's what the cc is for)

time isn't really an issue...i really just don't want to have to tote 240 lbs up to the tub and then, back down again...i am on my own on this....but will if i have to

suggestions on the best way to go about this

[CarmieJo]

Hmm. Would it be easier to fill the tank with plain water, stir the sand up good and then drain the water? Certainly not as effective as rinsing small quantities at a time but probably would get some of the stuff out. But I'm not sure what the repercussions of not rinsing would be. BTW, here is a sand tip from a thread a couple of weeks ago. http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=768

[Rob]

there really isnt a "need" to rinse the sand, unless you feel in some way its contaminated.

[dreams]

thanks rob....when i picked up the sand, i made sure the bags were all sealed, clean, from the middle of the pallet & new (looked like they were just delivered, not sitting around for a while)....i feel pretty safe as far contamination goes

carmie, thanks for the link....great tip!

[CarmieJo]

So Rob, the main reason to rinse is to eliminate some dust in order to lessen the sandstorm?

[Rob]

So Rob, the main reason to rinse is to eliminate some dust in order to lessen the sandstorm?
yes, to remove debris or contaminants. (as far as i know)

when dealing with fine sand, you are going to have a sandstorm no matter what.
you can take action to reduce it, but rinsing alone (in general) is not going to reduce the sandstorm

[Reefbaby]

From what I've heard, you can reduce the flow for the first days (or week) until the sandstorm kind of quiets down. After a couple of weeks, it shouldn't get stirred up so easy.

Wouldn't the skimmer also help to remove some of the debris?

[CarmieJo]

Mine looked like milk for a week and wasn't clear for almost 2. My skimmer didn't seem to make much of a difference, possibly because I think that the stuff is inorganic...

[fat walrus]

i believe in rinsing small amount at a time like i'm panning for gold. i takes forever but seems to remove most dust. i put the sand in first and then slowly fill with freshwater since the dust is less bouyant than in saltwater. i add salt mix only after the dust settles. i found out the hard way that the dust is very abrasive against pump shaft seals and powerhead magnets. oh, by the way, the magnets on Magnums are especially whimpy.

[dreams]

well, that garbage thing is ingenious.......i added the last of the water about 4 hrs ago....no storm, just a little floating film on the surface:D ...thanks again for that!!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/jazzy-junk/sand.jpg

[gwen_o_lyn]

Looks very good!!

[Reefbaby]

hey hey hey! it's an almost clear tank! (sung to the tune of Fat Albert!)

[CarmieJo]

Gee Wendy. Your tank looks really good. I wish I'd know that trick. Here is mine on Day 5.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/Day5.jpg

[dreams]

carmie, i was pretty amazed....when i set the 40, it had cc that i rinsed the heck out of it & it produced more dust....still have to add the live sand, tho.....we'll see how that goes