Transferring Live Sand

[seacups]

i am about to finally set up my tank and i have live rock and sand in a trash can with water flow and light and have been doing regular water changes. its been in there for almost 2 months and came from a established tank. i read that i should rinse the sand thoroughly before transferring to avoid an ammonia spike. is this true? what other problems can occur from transferring live sand?

[saltymight]

your best bet would be to syphin the sand in to reduce and dust storm.

[seacups]

should i wash it with fresh water first?

[saltymight]

The sand has been in a trash can for about two weeks. you usually wash is when its been in a bag for months. washing it when its been cycling IMO will wash away any beneficial bacteria that has been growing. If there is nothing in the tank there is nor worry. Also if there is not much sand or that small of a tank that the sand is going to there is not much of a worry of a ammonia spike

[seacups]

i knew it would destroy the bacteria but dont want a ammonia spike. there is stuff on the rocks GSP zoos hermit crabs and assorted snails . its not much sand and it is for a small tank, 45gal and about 5 cubic feet of sand.

[saltymight]

A small quick ammonia spike wont kill much just stress it. I would suggest test daily for ammonia. than when you see a spike do a small water change 5-10% if you feel worried.

[seacups]

cool thanks. that makes me feel better