fine sand or crushed coral for setting up new tank

[deynon09]

I just got a 75 that I'm going to be setting up in the next week, and I have plenty of LR that is being kept live from the old tank.

My question is should I toss the sand that came with it and buy dry and cycle it? Phosphates being released from old sand could be a problem from what I hear. If so, what kind of substrate should I get. I really don't like the crushed coral as it is so coarse, but I hear the finer sand doesn't have the circulation to be healthy in a tank. What do people here use and what benefits/problems have you had with it?

 

[afboundguy]

Sand... You will have countless problems with crushed coral down the road...

 

[Leroy]

Sand... You will have countless problems with crushed coral down the road...

Keep the sand, wash it through. Now that the weather is nice you could lay it out on a tarp in the sun to dry it out. Crushed coral will trap all the debris and will be a problem with nitrate levels.

 

[jbishop]

Rinse / wash the sand. crushed coral is a problem from day one.

 

[deynon09]

Okay then, rodi and really nothing else or should I use salt water. I have plenty of LR to start the cycle again, so should I just strain and put it in? I will get some dry from my lfs to boost the depth. It really wasn't that deep.

Now, should I get "finer" aragonite? Or straight sand? I heard the sand is too... "fractionated" or sharp for certain livestock. Could it hurt them, or can I just go to the local stoneyard and pick up some mason's sand?

 

[stingythingy45]

Explain more about where this sand is now,how long it's been in a tank.
Also,I would not get my sand from a mason yard.If you want to go cheap look into a product called High Dessert Play sand made by Pavestone at H.D.
It's white and actually does show signs of being calcium based.

 

[deynon09]

I think the sand is a year old, now in a bucket (smelled horrible when moving) that is being kept warm. I don't have enough powerheads to keep everything moving, so this is one of the buckets that doesn't have any flow, just temp

 

[stingythingy45]

I think the sand is a year old, now in a bucket (smelled horrible when moving) that is being kept warm. I don't have enough powerheads to keep everything moving, so this is one of the buckets that doesn't have any flow, just temp

Yeah,sand smells pretty bad anyways.
You could try checking the water the sand is in for ammonia or how high the nitrates are in there.I rinsed my sand when I made the move from a 55 gallon to a 90 gallon with tank water.Just took about 10-20 lbs at a time and rinsed it by pouring tank water over it and sloshing it around.Over and over until it was running clear.
Then I just used it again.Didn't have any cycle,well at least nothing that could be measured.

 

[deynon09]

Yeah, I checked the ammonia and nitrates and it didn't show up with any - at least that I could tell. Should I use rodi or tank water. I really don't have any tank water to spare at the moment. rodi will kill any bacteria, but I'm getting the impression I just want to wash the sand so there isn't any nastiness in it...

 

[stingythingy45]

Yeah, I checked the ammonia and nitrates and it didn't show up with any - at least that I could tell. Should I use rodi or tank water. I really don't have any tank water to spare at the moment. rodi will kill any bacteria, but I'm getting the impression I just want to wash the sand so there isn't any nastiness in it...

Yes,ro/di or freshwater will basically kill any bacteria that's still alive in that sand.Like mentioned before.One of the best things to do(especially with this sun and wind)is to wash it with a garden hose in buckets.Then take and lay it out on a tarp or old bed sheet to dry in the sun.The sun and wind helps dry up some of the nastiness and helps with the smell.I've done this small scale before.

 

[deynon09]

cool, thanks.

 

[dcforester1]

deynon do you need more sand? I have a 1/2 bucket that I posted, and everyone wanted, but never came by for. I live in Malden, it sitting in a bucket, PM me if interested.
Derek

 

[deynon09]

thanx for the offer forrester, but I just went and got some new sand at HD. The High Desert Play and it was only about $6 for probably close to 40 or 50 lbs. Plus all the extra I have from before...