What is wrong with buying Dead Sand?

[Wolverine57]

Recently, I posted a thread to buy, Live sand or Dead! Is there anything wrong with buying dead sand? I understand dead sand needs to be wash in RO water! Can anyone please jump in and tell me what are the negatives in buying dead sand!

 

[CoralMeister]

Slower cure time...

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Because most don't wash it then they have issues with their tank. And washing it is a total PITA.

 

[xxnonamexx]

I saw some nice pure white sand but its dead it will look nice but I am sure hard to keep clean.

 

[Dre]

There is nothing wrong with dead sand. Most people use 95% -100% dead sand and add a small amount of live sand from an established tank to kick start it. Live sand is sand with tiny/ microscopic life and bacteria living in it. Dead sand will become live from the cycle process and the live rocks placed on it. There is a LFS in NY that added about 100 lbs of dead sand to there system and sold it as live sand at $2.50 per lb.

 

[Reeftanker3295]

Live sand isn't doing much unless it's taken from an established reef. I'd go with the idea of using mostly dead sand and adding a few cups of live from someones tank to add some life.

 

[Dre]

Btw, what's the deal with washing dead sand with RO water? Washing dead sand is to minimise cloudy water. I can't imagine using so much RO water for this process...

 

[Wolverine57]

Dre, that is what I thought nothing wrong! Had one guy telling me to buy buy buy live sand from a LFS...and I said to myself buy dead sand from a member here who will no longer use it. Wash it, until is clean, then scoop up a couple cups of LS from my DT to seeded it. Eventually, the Dead sand will become live.

 

[d5332]

x2 on the washing part, many years ago the container broke and I clogged a drain.

Washing sucks and sellers of used "dead sand" LIE LIE LIE so you must wash it no only to rinse dried up detritus.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

The dead sand I am talking about and what I think Wolverine is talking about is from a broken down tank. Not the sand you get in a bag from the pet store.

 

[Wolverine57]

Because most don't wash it then they have issues with their tank. And washing it is a total PITA.

Brendan..dam I don't know how somone can put dirty smelly sand in there tank!!!

 

[Dre]

Dre, that is what I thought nothing wrong! Had one guy telling me to buy buy buy live sand from a LFS...and I said to myself buy dead sand from a member here who will no longer use it. Wash it, until is clean, then scoop up a couple cups of LS from my DT to seeded it. Eventually, the Dead sand will become live.

Exactly, some people spend $50 on a 25lb bag of sand and water that been package and sealed for months because the bag say live sand...

 

[motortrendz]

The dead sand I am talking about and what I think Wolverine is talking about is from a broken down tank. Not the sand you get in a bag from the pet store.

correct, and the reason you wrinse it is bc u want all the dead microbes out, and if you dont use ro water you can introduce tds to your sand and cause high phoshphates later on..

if you need dead sand i have a 5 gal bucket full.. come get it

 

[Dre]

Brendan..dam I don't know how somone can put dirty smelly sand in there tank!!!

Use salt water, fresh water kill marine organisms

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

D that isn't the case with old sand that someone has taken out of their tank and put in a bucket. The object is to rinse that sand to get rid of all the dead stuff in the sand so you can use it again.

 

[Wolverine57]

Yes correct, dead sand from a tank taken down. Already sitting in buckets.
So your saying rinse the sand with saltwater, fresh water and finally with RODI water. Would I have to let it dry? This is going into a frag tank.
Mike thank you for the offer! I can't believe how many here offer me sand!

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

RO rinse only

 

[fishman1069]

I don't see any problems with using dead sand, as long as it's rinsed well

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Again I will say that I also agree that there is no problem using dead sand so long as it is rinsed well. It's just that rinsing it can be a huge PITA.

 

[andylee]

There's no problem, but you have to rinse the "dead" out to make it just plain sand. Otherwise you will almost certainly spike your levels.

One potential problem with someone else's dead sand is that you don't know what's in it (cyano, phosphates, copper). Washing sand is not easy, it floats up and out of the bucket and down the drain.