Question about Sand & Rocks

[denrobare]

I have a 125g tank that has been repaired twice now and just continues to leak badly from one of the top corners. I cant seem to get it sealed even after getting the tank empty and completely redoing the corner seam all the way up.

I am planning on moving in the next year or so and want to take the rock and sand out of this tank (no livestock present) and store it somehow until after the move when I can buy a new setup. How should I go about storing the rock and especially the sand? I am not concerned with keeping it "live". I simply dont want it to be unusable in the future.

Thanks,

Dennis

 

[feh]

You could dry it out and cycle it later but you lose all life living in it. You could also stash it in containers with heater and power heads. maybe a little light too if you want to keep the coralline algae. If you store it wet I would recommend "ghost feeding" to help maintain the bacteria. The sand I'd personally would toss. Its not worth the headache later.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Only way to repair a tank that has a bad seam is to remove that piece of glass, clean off all the silicone, and redo it.

As far as the Sand and Rock, go to the Home Depot or something and buy a tote on wheels, they come with lids. You can just throw it all in one of those until you need it again.

 

[-Logzor]

You'll want to wash everything out extremely well, to the point that the water runs clear after washing it out, this goes for the rock and sand. Just regular tap water is probably OK for this treatment. Once that is done, let it dry in the sun for a couple days. Store in a couple plastic trashcans. Before you start the new tank, fill up the cans with saltwater and run heavy GFO and Carbon and scrub the rocks.

 

[ReeferBob]

If you are going to store it for more then a week or two with no access to it, you have very little chance of keeping it alive. It is just bacteria and will replenish itself within 3-4 weeks after setting it up in the new tank.

 

[denrobare]

I am not concerned with keeping it alive at this point. It will be months before I am settled and can purchase a new setup.

 

[ReeferBob]

I am not concerned with keeping it alive at this point. It will be months before I am settled and can purchase a new setup.

Ah - I misread I thought you were trying to keep it alive. Just take it out, rinse it well and put it somewhere to dry out. I would not bag it or enclose it that will make it stink.