Substrate; reuse or not when moving to a new tank?

[w_1qaz]

So I'm thinking about migrating to another reef tank.
Should I move the substrate to the other tank with live rock or start from scratch?

 

[danb73]

Whenever I’ve moved tanks I would grab a few cup fulls off the top of the old sand and go with new for the rest. I think it helps seeding the new sand with bacteria.

 

[goggs99]

I just posted same question on reef to reef and the ongoing opinion is all the beneficial bacteria is in the live rock and sand is loaded with waist and can actually contribute to a cycle in the new tank.

 

[CrypticLifeStyle]

I always re-used after a rinsing with each move, not to down play the risk of not replacing, but I'll be one of those to be on the un-popular opinion side, and I've moved a lot . If you can have both tanks up at the same time, you can buy yourself time to get the old sand cleaned, moved, and then skimmed. IMO your success will come down to the effort put forth. If it's a small tank, and we are talking a 20lb bag or two then It's probably is worth your time just replacing it.

 

[PSU4ME]

I agree, the bacteria is in the live rock so moving that will get you what you need. Now, is there beneficials in the sand? Sure, is it worth the risk? Likely not. So you can definitely reuse the sand, you just need to rinse the dickens out if it. And I mean rinse it good till it runs clear. I did a full rip clean in my tank and it took me 3 hours to clean the sand.

 

[Mixed Reefer]

Seed tank, Clean and reuse the rest. Sand is sand. It doesn’t go bad.

 

[gobyvin]

If it is full of detritus, definitely strain that out. If you can do it in a tank full of water, you can just stir it all up, pile to one side, siphon off nasty water and place in the new tank. I have had lots of luck with that method reusing sand. If it is really bad repeat with more water and use a straining device to remove the sand from the dirty water you stir it in. Sand is sand. Water costs too, for most, so that is how I would decide (what is logistically sensible)

 

[shrimpchips]

If it is full of detritus, definitely strain that out. If you can do it in a tank full of water, you can just stir it all up, pile to one side, siphon off nasty water and place in the new tank. I have had lots of luck with that method reusing sand. If it is really bad repeat with more water and use a straining device to remove the sand from the dirty water you stir it in. Sand is sand. Water costs too, for most, so that is how I would decide (what is logistically sensible)

Great advice above. If you have the time to do it, this can start weeks/months in advance. Make sure to blast your rock out of as much detritus as possible (a power head with hose attached is great for this). Also siphon and clean the dickens out of the sand bed, one section at a time so you don’t crash your tank. Just before your move, the tank should be the cleanest it’s ever been. When it comes time to move things, the amount of crap stirred up should be minimal and will help prevent a huge cycle/spike in the new tank. Probably feasible for a tank under 120G, and should be pretty easy for small and nano sized tanks.

 

[Edward]

In my experience the safest practice would be to save a few cups of the current sand and seed a new sand bed in your new tank.

 

[w_1qaz]

All good tips.
Thanks!!