transfering sandbed...bad idea>?

[SteveDola]

wondering if there is any contrete tests done when reusing a 4" sandbed. Ill be moving a 90g tank and wanted to reuse the sb however other reefers are contending that by reusing the sandbed I will be releasing toxins and other harmful agents into my newly set up tank. is that correct>? or is it a scapegoat of others from personal ill proper planning and bad decisions?

am I just better off washing the sand before I put it back in the new tank?

 

[newreefer03]

I would wash the sand very well before re-using. When I moved, I only used about 20% of the old sand to seed the new sand and got rid of the rest. I figured that the tank was already being stressed by the move why risk having toxins released from using old sand. Not worth the risk with all my livestock.

 

[astro1962]

Steve, I used all of my sand from my 110 to my 180 and didn't wash any of it. I took it out of one tank into 5 gal buckets and into the new tank with no problems...Russ

 

[JayM]

as a super-newbie, I bought the entire contents of a 75G FOWLR tank, and I forklifted ALL of it, LR, water, and SB to my 72. There was a mini-cycle, then an algae outbreak, but the toxins were never evident with good flow and running carbon. snails, hermits, brittle star, etc in the LR all lived with the transfer, even with my very limited skills at the time.

I also did the same thing when I set up my 92, but I let that sit fallow for 8 weeks to make sure there was no ich left. Got a small NO3/nitrate spike, but again, inverts that hitchhiked in in the sand bed or LR were fine.

YMMV.....

 

[SteveDola]

i think ill be fine. I plan on doing a large WC too and the beds only 8 months old. ty guys for the input. i was getting feedback from others that its a recipe for a tank crash if you move your sand bed.