Moving tank. Live sand Bio active, die or live ?

[427HISS]

There's many threads on moving a reef tank, but there's a big debate on whether to use the old sand or new. Some say that disturbing the old, that has a lot of detritis and other junk, will spike the tank with nitrates, other toxins, and maybe even anaerobic bacteria.

I bought a 3year old 120g reef that has rock, about 15 corals, 7 fish and around 3" of fine sand.

Why would moving the sand cause a chemistry problem ?

If I removed all the inhabitants, stir the sand with a wooden spoon (or the like) and use a gravel cleaner to remove the dirty water then throw that water away. Then once the remaining water clears, use that to fill the buckets to transfer all the rock, fish and corals, then use that old water along with fresh saltwater.

Why would using the old sand create a problem, and,......why ?

What are the pro's & con's of using or not, the old sand ?

Wouldn't that save very usefull bacteria, good critters etc ?

Or, is the packaged "live sand" a better and safer way, and why ?

Either way, should I use a bottled bacteria ?

 

[427HISS]

Bump......

 

[bios]

First i consider how a sand bed works it has done by a stratifiocation of bacterias depending from their anoxic grade wher lower metabholize cathabilites from upper so when you go to move you promote death of bilions of them
Second have to consder that all was indesidered from old tank must be taken in new one

 

[427HISS]

I have no idea what you're talking about ?
Learn me like a 5th grader. lol

 

[brandon429]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/the-of...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445

 

[427HISS]

I'll check it out.
Thank you !

 

[bios]

Ok immagine that a sand bed is multilayer
Then when you go deep inside presence of oxygen decrease
So inhabitants from a layer to other live with minus quantity of oxygen since nothing
Then when you go to move sand the ones who dont want oxygen go to dye
Also everything during life in old thank must fall down and accumulates im the sand such heavy metals for example
Why carry them in new tank

 

[bios]

Sorry brandon dont see your post was writng

 

[brandon429]

I agree bios-rinse it!!

6 pages is a little much in the sand rinse thread above lol this is my sum:

agreed rinse it out or start new, the sand has nothing you need to move between tanks. if a sandbed was destined to become waste reducing instead of waste generating, that condition will come back in time...mostly they are waste producers, and the move is an interception cleaning point so we clean.

the DSB's you want to preserve are the carefully-managed ones in remote buckets, not ridden with stinky waste like the ones up under rocks will get (and hold)

the goal of that thread is how to move, strip clean and reset up a tank and not have a cycle.

 

[427HISS]

Ok, I understand now. I assumed the bacteria deeper in the sand would go anaerobic and would die, but thought it could be skimmed out buy either removing the dirty water and or using a skimmer to pull out the toxins. Is that correct ?

I don't mind buying new sand if using the old is just dangerous or just such a pain in the butt to rinse & rinse again,..... making it not worth the time & labor.

 

[brandon429]

I went new sand in mine from the start, and it was rinsed before use bigtime (no silt)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd personally remove it and either rinse it well, or replace it.

 

[427HISS]

If I replace it, I'm thinking about trying "Reef Flakes" From other reefers and the videos on youtube, the stuff is very,....clean. Little on the $ side.

https://premiumaquatics.com/category/dry-substrate.html