Help! I buried two clarifying packets!

AydenLincoln · Mar 3, 2023

I forgot about the CaribSea clarifying packets and I buried two of them in the sand and I can’t find them. Any thought/experiences lol? I know it’s probably not harmful. And I hope I’ll find them eventually!

I’ve looking for days though.

Zach B · Mar 3, 2023

I would definitely try to find them as you said but I'm quite positive I've done this before on accident. The degradation of the plastic can't be good but I'd assume it would take quite a while and hopefully you'll find it before any of that. Best of luck

CoachRichardson · Mar 3, 2023

Haha I did this and didn’t realize I had done it until I did a tank upgrade. I found one after a few days and was wondering what the silvery thing was I kept seeing. The other not until I was emptying the tank. It was there about 6 months. The good news is I didn’t need to use them to clarify my water despite the thread going on here about how you must wash your love sand for half a day before you use it.

Tamberav · Mar 3, 2023

Imaging all these reef tanks with little packets in the sand now...

Maybe it is the secret sauce

AydenLincoln · Mar 3, 2023

Tamberav said:
Imaging all these reef tanks with little packets in the sand now...

Maybe it is the secret sauce

Honestly haha.

Zach B · Mar 3, 2023

Yeah I'm not sure I got the last 8 when I set up this tank sooo... jk

Dom · Mar 3, 2023

I wouldn't worry about it; run some carbon to absorb any toxins that may leech.

CubsFan · Mar 3, 2023

Try a kitty litter scooper. Might take a bunch of passes. I’m not sure of the risks. If you just started the tank, shouldn’t be a big deal to just get them out. When you’re playing scientist in the future it might stick in the back of your mind.

brandon429 · Mar 3, 2023

Coach

It's not that you have to wash your sand for a day and a half before you use it

You can see the point of the thread is that if you're going to collect 400 examples of the public handling their sand, without panics - without need for carbon filtration to avoid toxins - without overtake clouding, rinsing is the only way to get there.

Don't lose sight of eight straight years of 100% happy aquarists while ribbing on it. The reason we pre rinse is for perfect outcomes, for everyone, all the time.

It's that simple of a concept.

AydenLincoln · Mar 4, 2023

CubsFan said:
Try a kitty litter scooper. Might take a bunch of passes. I’m not sure of the risks. If you just started the tank, shouldn’t be a big deal to just get them out. When you’re playing scientist in the future it might stick in the back of your mind.

That’s a genius idea even though I don’t have a cat and if I did I wouldn’t use the old one haha. I hadn’t thought about that. I though about an aquarium net but I knew that wouldn’t work lol. Time to go to the Dollar Tree or Five Below lol.

mtraylor · Mar 4, 2023

Lol. Well to be honest you have nothing to worry about. Have ran across them after upgrading aquariums over the years that they were in sand for years. Some still full of liquid.
If you forgot to get them or didn't know they were there. It's of no importance I think....especially if you have a deep sand bed.

If sand bed is thin, they would be easy to find I think if you desire to go digging

AydenLincoln · Mar 5, 2023

I got just the tool for the job!

brandon429 · Mar 5, 2023

hey would you mind please scoop those through on a video shot on cell/upload the vid to youtube then link here

we truly need to see how unrinsed sand behaves it's vital science to pattern from others tanks

your sand gained a biofloc coating, a gluey surface of bacteria that reduces post setup clouding in many tanks, it depends on the degree of initial silting which ranges bag to bag. I am very curious to see how your sand behaves when scooped, please film n post so we can study it/sand handlers want to study it

907_Reefer · Mar 5, 2023

Or a little hand rake, should be able to find at any gardening store!

AydenLincoln · Apr 15, 2023

Okay so apparently both products that include a clarifying packet and already have the product mixed in are on the market. That makes me feel better that I didn’t bury them in any of many tanks it’s been bothering me!

Rutrag · Apr 15, 2023

Unless they've changed materials since I last set up a tank, it's a plastic bag which takes years and years to degrade filled with a reef-safe flocculant. Nothing to worry about at all.

AydenLincoln · Apr 17, 2023

Rutrag said:
Unless they've changed materials since I last set up a tank, it's a plastic bag which takes years and years to degrade filled with a reef-safe flocculant. Nothing to worry about at all.

It was just bothering me knowing that it could’ve been under the sand. On the other hand. I found a beer can. Yes a beer can in the sand! I already reached out to them and it’s being taken care of. But it was so bizarre to see.

cdnco2004 · Apr 17, 2023

Caribsea makes a number of substrates that you DONT RINSE. If you rinse it you lose all the positive bacteria.

I had this happen on one of my tanks. I searched and searched could never find it.

AydenLincoln · Apr 17, 2023

cdnco2004 said:
Caribsea makes a number of substrates that you DONT RINSE. If you rinse it you lose all the positive bacteria.

I had this happen on one of my tanks. I searched and searched could never find it.

Oh I don’t rinse my sand ever I know! It’s alive.