Can I reuse sand from an old tank?

[grelik]

Hey all, first time poster here, I have a 14g biocube that I used to use. But a move or two later, and other things, I fell out of the hobby. So it's been sitting in my shed for the past 2-3 years, with no water in it, just the sand originally in the tank. Is it safe to use this sand again? And would it help the cycling of the tank? (tank was stored in a closed shed, with the lid on.)


I took all the sand out, put it in bags and rinsed out the tank etc. Maybe just rinse the sand? Or just buy new stuff?

Thanks.

 

[cope413]

you can reuse it. Just thoroughly rinse it.

You could also rinse in vinegar.

If you want to go overkill, you can bleach it. Soak it in 4:1 mixture of water:bleach, rinse it thoroughly until there is no noticeable smell of chlorine, and treat with Prime or other dechlorinator

But for starting a new tank, I would just give it a good RODI rinse, and throw it back in the tank.

Since you're going to be starting the cycle and won't have any livestock in the tank for a little bit, you should be fine.

 

[Mike J.]

Welcome to Reef2Reef. There is no benefit from using the old sand, except for maybe saving a few dollars. Of course, rinse it well, first^.

 

[ahmed.boomer]

As the other guys said. Rinse Rinse Rinse. If its not rinsed, it could be a big issue. Sand holds nitrates and phosphates.

 

[grelik]

Okay, thanks for your help guys, it's not a problem to buy new sand, I just thought it may help cycle the tank if I used the old sand for some reason. If it's probably better to just buy new stuff, I'll just do that. Rather start out on the right foot, as I've learned shortcuts seem to not end well in this hobby haha.

 

[reef lobster]

you can reuse sand so long as its not too nasty

 

[Spiderguardnano]

i would just say it is easier to buy new sand then rinsing and rinsing