Washing Sand

[Rush07]

Am I OK washing new sand in DI water or do I need to use Salt Water?

 

[saltwater4life]

it's ok to use tap water unless its livesand then just stick it in the tank but get a bucket and put alittle sand in it and wash it

 

[Rush07]

No, its regular Arganite sand. I have very high level of phosphate in the tap water so I would probably use DI just to be safe. Thanks.

 

[angelmom]

I don't know how you get DI water but I do know from experience it take A LOT of water to rinse sand out so that is have very little if any dust. But if there is dust you can fill your tank about 1/3 to 1/2 full drain the water then add new water. That helps alot.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

i dont think high phosphates will do too much harm just for rinsing the sand... your going to need a LOT of water... took me half an hour with the hose on full blast.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Can you do the majority of rinsing with tap water and then just "rinse" the tap water off with DI water afterwards? I don't think you'd have enough tap water left in it after rinsing with DI water to make a difference.

 

[Lorna]

I have read much on the subject of rinsing sand......and my conclusion is......don't rinse it. To create a deep sand bed the fine dust particulate is especially helpful and goes a long way in creating the large surface area for the bacteria to cover. It takes a few days for the dust to settle but it will. Personally I didn't rinse my sand at all and it was clear within 24 hrs of me placing my live rock (though I had everything running for a week before that and I was sure it was never going to settle. But one I added my cured live rock and it cycled it was crystal clear.

 

[Rush07]

Hmmmm. Am I rinsing the sand to remove harmful things or am I just rinsing it to remove the dust? I am probably several weeks away from adding any livestock so I don't mind waiting for the water to clear. I am running 3 powerheads and I have pre-filter sponges I can put on all of them to help clear the water if needed. I read others that do not recommend washing the sand as well. One post on another forum sand to add the sand by pouring it into a piece of PVC to get it to the bottom and says that this method causes minimal clouding of the water. I think I may try that.

 

[CoolWaters]

im getting live sand so i dont need to raise it? the bag has some water in it is that safe to put in your tank? sorry for leeching on this thread...

 

[dbacksrat]

Rinsing live sand with tap water=killing it.
Just add it all and don't worry about it.

 

[Joe Fish]

I wouldn't rinse it. Patience is all you need.

 

[saltwater4life]

yea do not rinse LS just stick it in the tank