Used sand

[torombolo2222]

Hi reefers, Im coming back to reefing after many years and will be setting up a 75, I have a friend selling me pail of used fuji, what would you suggest for this? I dont need it live, can I rinse over and over. How would I kill any hitchhikers or avoid adding anything unwanted to my tank?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions

[Four drachma]

If you’re not trying to keep it alive, just pour a pre mixed bucket of 1/4 cup of bleach the rest water over it, and let it sit for a few hours..it’ll just be sand then. Rinse it and it can go into your tank.


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[Michael Hoaster]

You could leave it dirty and use it to seed new sand with bacteria, potentially speeding up the nitrogen cycle.

[torombolo2222]

Thanks for the response, I had thought about using it to seed new sand but would rather start from 0 and not introduce any pest by mistake. That bleaching sounds like a plan.

Thanks

[herostar]

When I get old/used sand I typically put it in a holding tank with old water from my main tank. I do a few frequent water changes, moving tank water into the sand tank each time. When I'm pulling old water from the sand tank I mix up the sand real good so the water is nasty, then drain out the nasty water and replace with "clean" tank water. I do it a couple of times, you will see the water clearing up each time. One of the nice benefits of this is that your sand will already be mixed with saltwater and up to temperature when you move it to the main display.

I do not recommend using bleach to clean sand. You can do it, but it's risky and you'll want to thoroughly rinse it out.