Sand question when upgrading tank

[Nickh06]

Hey guys, noob question- I have been doing a lot of reading about moving sand beds and I'm torn when it comes to the age old question of rinsing my sand when upgrading my tank or replacing it with new.

I am getting an awesome deal on a 90 gallon rr tank that I couldn't refuse. I currently have a 55 gallon with an overflow box...

I will be moving everything to the new tank when I get it this weekend. I have about a 2-3 inch sandbed right now that has been established for over 6 months. Should I rinse it out really really well and add it to the new tank or just buy all new sand? Was planning on adding another 30-40lbs anyway.

If I should rinse it and reuse do I rinse with tap water? Ro water? Saltwater??

Trying not to go through a new cycle here. I will be saving a cup or two of unwashed sand to re seed regardless if I replace or use the old. Any advice/tips would be helpful. Thanks!!

[Reefmedic79]

Replace it, using a cup or two of the old.

[oscarinw]

Reefmedic's advice seems to be the general consensus. However, I reused all the sand from a 3 year old system. Rinsed half and just transfered some. It was not a deep sand bed but between 1 and 2 inches. Although I had nitrates in the water after this, it eventually went away and my sandbed has a lot of critters so I don't regret having done it. My system is now about a year old and have 0 nitrates.
If rinsing it, do it with your old saltwater so you don't kill all your fauna there. Discard the water you use to rinse the sand.
You should also add some rock so use dry rock to avoid a new cycle and you should be fine. Your old bacteria population should take no time on adapting to the new environment.

Good luck with things!

[Nickh06]

Reefmedic's advice seems to be the general consensus. However, I reused all the sand from a 3 year old system. Rinsed half and just transfered some. It was not a deep sand bed but between 1 and 2 inches. Although I had nitrates in the water after this, it eventually went away and my sandbed has a lot of critters so I don't regret having done it. My system is now about a year old and have 0 nitrates.
If rinsing it, do it with your old saltwater so you don't kill all your fauna there. Discard the water you use to rinse the sand.
You should also add some rock so use dry rock to avoid a new cycle and you should be fine. Your old bacteria population should take no time on adapting to the new environment.

Good luck with things!


Good advice! Thanks and thanks reefmedic! Only problem is I need to move the livestock in pretty quick so don't want them to be stressed with too many nitrates. Did you have any issues?

[oscarinw]

I would suggest using 80% new saltwater for the new tank and you should dissolve any potential incoming nitrate levels to a manageable level. Remember that nitrates are like smog. They affect the overall 'water quality' but won't poison your inhabitants overnight like Nitrites or Ammonia. Such as air quality for us... It's good to have high air quality but most potential problems are long term and indirect.

Send me a picture and/or contact me via e-mail as I often don't keep following threads I have already posted at!

Good luck again

[JDMR2]

I upgraded my 1 year old 50 gallon with about 3-4" sandbed to a 72 gallon bowfront. I reused all of my sand without rinsing. I needed to add more sand, obviously, to keep a 3-4" sandbed. So the new rinsed dry sand was added first on the bottom layer. My old sand was added on the top which covered more surface area compared to the 55 gallon. I didn't run into any issues and lost nothing, but I did keep a close eye on it.

Weeks in, however, i did find small dark pockets (hydrogen sulfate i assumed) along the front glass. Not a lot, but a few. They weren't too dark, but more of a gray. I left it untouched as I knew i had a whole lot of beneficial critters (worms, pods, mini stars, etc) to keep the sand turned and it eventually went away.

As long as you have an active sand bed with many critters, i wouldn't worry about it. Do Not put old sand at the bottom.