possible to move a 8 month sand bed??

[cracker]

I have the opportunity to swap out and old cloudy glass 75 for a new nice clear glass 75. This tank has been going for 8 months and doing very well. My only concern is if I can save the sand bed. It shouldn't be too dirty yet and just now maturing. Should I use new sand ? Or should I leave well enough alone and not mess with this tank that's doing so well ? Thanks

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

If you got a sweet sweet new 75 just do it. It's more a pers choice than a tech issue IMO. It's a new toy. Want to play with it?
And don't be afraid of sand. It's easy to rinse. It's only when it's older and has Po bound up you might have a prob IMO.
Yea you gonna have little stupid stuff come up related to the transfer (ugly phase or algae maybe etc ) but long term your new toy is awesome and I'm pretty sure that's why we do this.

The only sand caution I ever champion is choose a DSB and commit. Or shallow enough to be vaccumed. Like an inch deep. In between IME and from reading others problems seems to cause nutrient problems.

 

[cracker]

Thanks salty, I could vacuum the sand 1st then swap it.

 

[Mdw2589]

I'm going from an established(5yrs) 30g tank, with a 2-3in sand bed, to a brand new 60g. In prep, I've been blowing the sand with a turkey baster and changing my floss frequently. With additional vacuuming. The best thing I ever did was add a couple sand dollars to the system a few months back. They clean the substrate so well.

Good luck with your move and happy reefing!

 

[R_C]

When I upgraded to my 125 all I did was rinse the sand very well and I had no issues. With that said, make the move and enjoy your new clear tank.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I'm going from an established(5yrs) 30g tank, with a 2-3in sand bed, to a brand new 60g. In prep, I've been blowing the sand with a turkey baster and changing my floss frequently. With additional vacuuming. The best thing I ever did was add a couple sand dollars to the system a few months back. They clean the substrate so well.

Good luck with your move and happy reefing!

Whoa whoa whoa! Holy thread jacking batman! Where did you get sand dollars!!!????

 

[mcarroll]

Cleaning the sand is not worth it in my opinion. It takes too much time and too much water.

Brand-new sand is cheap and guarantees no issues.

To boot, there is really no advantage to moving it anyway.

Moving your live rock is all you need to do to make the new tank successful and to make sure the new sand seeds.

$0.02

 

[Mdw2589]

Lol, no intention of thread jacking.....I live on the Gulf coast and state law allows for a minimal number of sanddollars to be collected. It's a pretty strict law, and if your thinking of collecting any, I advise knowing what your state allows. Anyways, one day whilst snorkeling, I happened upon thousands either breeding or migrating and couldn't pass up the chance.

So I grabbed a few, acclimated just as you would an urchin, and voila, clean sand bed. There is some concern about them being too efficient in waste removal, so I currently only house nickle size specimens with exception to one larger one, about the size of a silver dollar. There's certainly a good chance of me returning them to the gulf once they get too big for my system.

 

[Psymon]

Here's a handy vid that might help you:

 

[jkopfishman]

I went from a 55 gal to a 75 to a 125 to a 150. Each time i rinsed the sand and added more to it since my next tank was bigger. But no ill effects from rinsing. If i can save $100 dollars or more by rinsing the sand and reusing it then

 

[jkopfishman]

Then i can go buy a new fish or new coral.

 

[cracker]

great vid from Melev ! I think I'll save maybe 1/4 of the sand and rinse the rest. I certainly won't be as bad as the stuff Melev had to work with ! I just prey I don't tick off my coral ! I finally have a system going that the corals are thriving for me.
As for jacking this thread go right ahead ! !t was an interesting subject. I also live in Florida. I see sand dollars some times. Never really thought about using one as part of a clean up crew. Also Mdw is correct You can collect quite a few critters but with strict guide lines. The FCW is serious about enforcing these laws. Don't think of taking a rock home for the tank!
Thanks again for the advice. This is a great site for info !

 

[tgp4274]

following

 

[4FordFamily]

I've moved tanks and sand and reused sand dozens of times now-- I am told that it's better to use all new sand. That may be true, but I've not had any real issues with the old sand in the past to speak of. I transported it in buckets or in the tank (for smaller tanks) and then add it back and fill the tank back up in a way that disturbs the sand less.

 

[wkscott]

[QUOTE="Mdw2589, post: There's certainly a good chance of me returning them to the gulf once they get too big for my system.

Not to sound strict here, and I am surprised that no one else caught this but, never, NEVER, release any plant, animal, live rock, sand or water from your captive environment. Most of our aquariums contain life from various tropical seas and you could innocently release spores, eggs, pathogens, algae etc., into local waters with the possibility of disastrous effects on local ecosystems. Please do not release the sand dollars back into the Gulf.

 

[Sharvey103]

I would use the existing sand and rinse it clean. Agree you should commit to either a shallow bed ~1 inch or go DSB.

 

[cracker]

Well said wkscott ! The Lion fish problem is a perfect example. I have actually seen big ones 4 lbs + caught on hook and line here in North East Florida .

 

[cracker]

Evening Folks , Well yesterday I tore down the 75 and washed out the sand bed. I used Melev's method I did a lot of smaller amounts at a time. took extra trips but was easier that way.anyway I put it all back together and today all fishes and corals are responding just fine. the water is a lot clearer than before. I think I have maybe 30% of the original water the rest was new mixed. it will be interesting to see what the near future will bring.
Thanks for all the advice. The whole tank swap went pretty smoothly.

 

[Psymon]

That is excellent news! I'm glad it helped you out. I will be moving my (also roughly 8 month) sand across to a new build in the next 2 weeks aswell. Going to be fun! Cheers.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Lol, no intention of thread jacking.....I live on the Gulf coast and state law allows for a minimal number of sanddollars to be collected. It's a pretty strict law, and if your thinking of collecting any, I advise knowing what your state allows. Anyways, one day whilst snorkeling, I happened upon thousands either breeding or migrating and couldn't pass up the chance.

So I grabbed a few, acclimated just as you would an urchin, and voila, clean sand bed. There is some concern about them being too efficient in waste removal, so I currently only house nickle size specimens with exception to one larger one, about the size of a silver dollar. There's certainly a good chance of me returning them to the gulf once they get too big for my system.

No my thread jacking. I do that when is see something shiny or fuzzy in this case.
My water is too cold here to do that.
I am totally jealous.