How dangerous is it to move a sand bed from one tank to another?

[twiddle]

I would like to transfer my deep sand bed from one tank to another. One ank is stocked and the other will not be when adding sand. Should I do it in small amounts at a time to lessen the danger of releasing toxins?

Any ideas?

I did this once before I knew anything. I bught my reef tank complete and took all sand out of tank and then put it all back in with no problems...I may have been lucky

[twiddle]

bump

[Peter T]

It depends on how old the sand is you are wanting to move. If it is from an old and established deep sand bed, you may be playing with fire with your old tank because of possible mass release sulfates and phosphates. If the new tank has nothing in it, transferring the sand over shouldn't cause any issues because you can just sit and wait for the tank to cycle again. It would be the old tank I would be concerned about in the transfer.

Personally, I think it is risky (to the old tank) to transfer all the sand at once. I would remove only a little bit at a time. A few months ago I got tired of how much room a DSB took in my 40b. I removed about 3-4 inches from my sand bed at one time and I had a massive bloom of dinoflagellates shortly afterwards. I am not 100% certain that was the cause of the bloom, but that was the only drastic thing I have done.

If you are able to do this over the course of a month or so, I would remove a little bit of sand at a time and wash it clean then transfer the sand over to the new tank. Then when you are ready to move the final bit, just scoop that out of your old tank without rinsing to seed your new tank.

[oldsaint]

I would add new dry sand to the new tank and just re-use the top 2" or so of the old DSB.

[jake koppen]

I've had good and bad experiences moving sand, more bad then good. I'm for new sand every time. As fat as removing a deep sand bed from a running tank, I'd say leave it alone, or remove it slowly as you've stated. Seems risky tho. I'd definitely run carbon and purigen , filter socks etc on the tank when doing so to eliminate that nasty stuff the dsb will release

[goldmaniac]

in my humble opinion, it's very dangerous, depending on the circumstances.

if the old tank is getting emptied or generally not a concern, and you rinse the sand in salt water before putting it into the new tank, I think you'd be ok.

If the old tank is running and you want to keep it running, I'd remove some, a little at a time, rinse it in salt water, and transfer it a little at a time. iId go VERY slowly.

I'd be very wary of released nutrients that could cause devastation in either the old or the new tank. I'd suggest seeding new sand or cooking the old sand before re-using it.

[rgentry123]

Def. dont do it. i attempted to move my tank back in december after purchasing a new home and kept the sand, the move went extremely smooth or so i though anyway. The next morning I woke up and everything in my tank was either dead or dying. The only thing that survived was my lawnmower blenny (who earned the name godzilla after living through that toxic soup). New sand is safe and if you have existing LR you'll have enough critters in there to re seed the sand. There really wouldnt be any reason to risk it.

[twiddle]

I was lucky the first time but I doubt I will be lucky again..New sand it is. Now which kind????????? I love the Southdown sand I have now.

[aleonn]

I'd place a few cups of old live sand into the new tank. Then when you eventually remove the rest of the old sand, I'd rinse it very thoroughly (5 gallon buckets and gloves) and allow the old sand to air dry. It'll probably take a long time and take lots of water, but you'd be able to recycle the old sand that way.

[anbosu]

Def. dont do it. i attempted to move my tank back in december after purchasing a new home and kept the sand, the move went extremely smooth or so i though anyway. The next morning I woke up and everything in my tank was either dead or dying. The only thing that survived was my lawnmower blenny (who earned the name godzilla after living through that toxic soup). New sand is safe and if you have existing LR you'll have enough critters in there to re seed the sand. There really wouldnt be any reason to risk it.

I had a similar experience when I moved my reef a few years ago.

[ridetheducati]

Do not do it. Grab a couple cups of the old sand bed and start fresh.