C
Chiefmcfuz
Guest
Well since I am never able to access the search function on RC maybe you could post some links Joe.
Contimplating buying a cheap "supposedly" safe nonliving sand for Home depot..
- Thread starter JLAudio
- Start date
Killerdrgn
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Park Ridge, NJ
The other thing about silicate sands is that it doesn't give you the buffering effect that aragonite sand does. Even dolomite sand, usually cruched coral, doesn't buffer as much as aragonite sand.
Sand.
My first reaction is - forget the sand, but if you are trying to save a nickle and want sand I have 2 40lb boxes of sand I purchased 6 years ago. They are of the "oolitic" variety and very fine. I used it in my tank of 6 years that I recently took down. I don't remember where they came from off hand, but at the time the dealer was a popular seller of caribbean sand. The name is on the label and I will look it up later. Lemme know if you want a free box.
Joe
My first reaction is - forget the sand, but if you are trying to save a nickle and want sand I have 2 40lb boxes of sand I purchased 6 years ago. They are of the "oolitic" variety and very fine. I used it in my tank of 6 years that I recently took down. I don't remember where they came from off hand, but at the time the dealer was a popular seller of caribbean sand. The name is on the label and I will look it up later. Lemme know if you want a free box.
Joe
Search never works for me either but had the first one bookmarked.
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=344088
http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen9.html
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=344088
http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen9.html
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I was going to stay out of this one, since I've been told that because I've been in the hobby a while, and know what I'm doing, and things work out for me I should not be giving my advice to newbies. But I will speak up regardless of that advice.
When I did switch out my tank I was adviced to throw out my old sand, and start over with new sand. I took the advice, and now wish I hadn't. My old sand was good old southdown full of live, hundreds if not thousands of little feather dusters beautiful looking sand. The new sand ESV finegrade sand has been in my tank for 10 months now, and I hate it. It doesn't even look natural.
I say, if you like the sand you have why not clean it up, and use it again. Just my .02.
When I did switch out my tank I was adviced to throw out my old sand, and start over with new sand. I took the advice, and now wish I hadn't. My old sand was good old southdown full of live, hundreds if not thousands of little feather dusters beautiful looking sand. The new sand ESV finegrade sand has been in my tank for 10 months now, and I hate it. It doesn't even look natural.
I say, if you like the sand you have why not clean it up, and use it again. Just my .02.
- Location
- Flushing NY 11355
It all depends how you keep your sand in the bucket.
The depth and how clean are the key. If the old sand you keep in the bucket is very deep, then you cannot re-use all the sand except the first 1" or so. The point is not to disturb the layer lower than let say 1.5" This is hard to be done when you are taking a lot of sand in a short period of time say 15-30 minutes. Also if your old sand is very dirty, you cannot move them safely. One way, I use to test the suitability of moving them is by intentionally disturb a small area to check for color change of the sand. If water turns dark and black deposit results, I would not reuse those sand.
If you have kept your sand in your old tank with depth of only 1-2", slowly moving sand from one tank to the other is an non issue. I have move sand all time due to I, myself, move all the time. But I guess it's an experience thing, since I move a lot so I developed the sense of how to move them with minimal side effects-very hard to explain in words in details.
Note:I re-use 99% of someone else sand and my own sand but it takes lots of works for trying to recycle.
The depth and how clean are the key. If the old sand you keep in the bucket is very deep, then you cannot re-use all the sand except the first 1" or so. The point is not to disturb the layer lower than let say 1.5" This is hard to be done when you are taking a lot of sand in a short period of time say 15-30 minutes. Also if your old sand is very dirty, you cannot move them safely. One way, I use to test the suitability of moving them is by intentionally disturb a small area to check for color change of the sand. If water turns dark and black deposit results, I would not reuse those sand.
If you have kept your sand in your old tank with depth of only 1-2", slowly moving sand from one tank to the other is an non issue. I have move sand all time due to I, myself, move all the time. But I guess it's an experience thing, since I move a lot so I developed the sense of how to move them with minimal side effects-very hard to explain in words in details.
Note:I re-use 99% of someone else sand and my own sand but it takes lots of works for trying to recycle.
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I was going to stay out of this one, since I've been told that because I've been in the hobby a while, and know what I'm doing, and things work out for me I should not be giving my advice to newbies. But I will speak up regardless of that advice.
When I did switch out my tank I was adviced to throw out my old sand, and start over with new sand. I took the advice, and now wish I hadn't. My old sand was good old southdown full of live, hundreds if not thousands of little feather dusters beautiful looking sand. The new sand ESV finegrade sand has been in my tank for 10 months now, and I hate it. It doesn't even look natural.
I say, if you like the sand you have why not clean it up, and use it again. Just my .02.
I'm trying to choose a substrate for my new tank ( no i dont want BB ). What did you like about the southdown and what dont you like about the ESV?
- Location
- Marine Park
EEEK! I caught this thread too late.
Cycles or mini cycles happen when you (super simplifying the next part) change something drastically which will affect the bacteria population.
If your goal was to move your tank with the most minimal impact to your system you were going about it the right way. By adding a bunch of new sand you've introduced a WHOLE BUNCH of foreign and surface are rich surfaces to your system which 100% will cause at the very least a mini cycle. Your best course of action was to maintain as much of your current bacteria as possible to minimize impact in the newly setup system. Treating your sand the way you were was all that you needed to do. Jim's first post was dead on correct. What's done is done but I would feed very lightly for awhile till things settle in and stabilize.
Cycles or mini cycles happen when you (super simplifying the next part) change something drastically which will affect the bacteria population.
If your goal was to move your tank with the most minimal impact to your system you were going about it the right way. By adding a bunch of new sand you've introduced a WHOLE BUNCH of foreign and surface are rich surfaces to your system which 100% will cause at the very least a mini cycle. Your best course of action was to maintain as much of your current bacteria as possible to minimize impact in the newly setup system. Treating your sand the way you were was all that you needed to do. Jim's first post was dead on correct. What's done is done but I would feed very lightly for awhile till things settle in and stabilize.
well i guess the damage is done unfourtantly because I added like 100 lbs. of esv non-living sand and used probably 30lbs. of old. I have not noticed any cycling. I had it up for about a week with non signs of cycling, so I added one clown and in the following time I added a few more fish. All appear to be doing great, but Now that you bring this to my attention I will continue doing tests every cpl days looking for cycles and water change accordingly. I always feed fairly spairingly but a cpl times a day, maybe I will reduce this till once for a while
Thanks fritz
Thanks fritz
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