Rinse or don't rinse bagged live sand?

[MTBake]

I must admit, I have never used this live sand in a bag before. I typically go with the dry sand but couldn't find any in stock in the size I wanted.

Should i rinse it or not? Looking at the milky colored liquid inside the bag, I'm thinking that I should rinse it. What would you do?

Here's a pic of the products in question.

 

[User1]

I would not rinse it. It is ready to use. When you add it just go slow.

 

[Johniejumbo]

Every time I used live sand without rinsing I have regretted it. I haven’t tried the tropic Eden one though

 

[WVNed]

I never do. It does make a cloud but it goes away.

 

[homer1475]

If you don't mind the cloud, then don't rinse it. I personally rinse all sand, "live" or not.

The way I see it, that bag of "live" sand has been in a warehiouse for god knows how long, been in a delivery truck(more then likely frozen), then sitting in another warehouse or LFS shelve for another god knows how long. Do you really think anything is actually alive in there anymore?

 

[brandon429]

This is why you'd always always rinse it
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/so-i-didnt-rinse.592624/
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sandbed-stirred-up.544852/#post-5723606

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/very-cloudy-water-after-sand-and-rock.559386/#post-5735864
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/question-about-vacuuming-sand-bed.616059/ https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-tank-milky-cloudy.616519/

The only sand you wouldn't pre rinse is TBS live sand, with actual animals. That above has none. It has silt, keeping it has no positives. Rinsing in tap water to clarity doesn't sterilize it or kill the bac. When tap water becomes a sterilizer and not an inoculant, I'll save money from having to buy actual cleaners and tap water w no soap will clean laundry too

Rinse it in sections using tap until it's totally clear. Final rinse ro. Then its ready. There's not one benefit from not rinsing, not a single one.

 

[Bob Weigant]

I never have

 

[Mastiffsrule]

This is why you'd always always rinse it
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/so-i-didnt-rinse.592624/
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sandbed-stirred-up.544852/#post-5723606

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/very-cloudy-water-after-sand-and-rock.559386/#post-5735864
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/question-about-vacuuming-sand-bed.616059/ https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-tank-milky-cloudy.616519/

The only sand you wouldn't pre rinse is TBS live sand, with actual animals. That above has none. It has silt, keeping it has no positives. Rinsing in tap water to clarity doesn't sterilize it or kill the bac. When tap water becomes a sterilizer and not an inoculant, I'll save money from having to buy actual cleaners and tap water w no soap will clean laundry too

Rinse it in sections using tap until it's totally clear. Final rinse ro. Then its ready. There's not one benefit from not rinsing, not a single one.

You totally beat me. I was about to say rinse and tag you.

You will be so happy rinsing. Not just now. Every time the bed gets stirred up, when you do water changes, powerhead blow sand around, something falls.

 

[Nick Steele]

I just used the Caribsea one and didn’t rinse. Tank was cloudy for 12hrs or so (over night). Mostly clear now slight haze still but I’m pretty sure that was from the dry rock now the sand as tank was cloudy before adding sand.

 

[MTBake]

I think I'm going to rinse it. I'm adding 40lbs of each of these and another 30lbs of dry Tropic Eden Reefflakes into a red sea reefer 525xl. Really don't want a 4 day dust cloud

 

[Geebs19]

I think I'm going to rinse it. I'm adding 40lbs of each of these and another 30lbs of dry Tropic Eden Reefflakes into a red sea reefer 525xl. Really don't want a 4 day dust cloud

On e you start rinsing your will be glad you did!

 

[Gw2kpro]

I wish I would have rinsed mine.

Cause my pistol shrimp never stops digging. And those fines are taking FOREVER to filter out.

 

[brandon429]

the coolest trick is the tap rinse on a running reef, ye do over.

Can do, it does not cause a recycle whatsoever. so if anyone has a nano or accessible tank or just wants the bed cleaned, can do. we'd take apart your entire reef, hold corals rocks fish elsewhere, clean the sand outside the tank in tap water until 100% clear, then ro final rinse, then back in.

stack it all back in, it doesn't cause a recycle because sandbed bacteria are extra above what is needed, like running 6 extra canister filters. You can do that on any reef, harmless extra surface area. and when it comes time to remove them, or tap rinse them, that they're extra is why it doesn't matter.

the risk in doing a sandbed cleaning on a running tank is under-doing it, not the actual rinse. people rinsing only halfway/partially out of fear of bacterial loss causes losses, whereas completely totally blast-cleaned sand like a snowglobe cannot cause a recycle, its only sandgrains. if there is aged rotting detritus in the sandbed that's the dangerous stuff, a newish bed is no prob

Im not sure how those links could be read, the ones saying the clouding has lasted ten days pls help, and still recommend no rinse

 

[WVNed]

Perhaps I am wrong but I always thought the fines jump started the process of buffering the tank. The only time I rinse sand is if I am reusing it.
I don't think rinsing it will do any harm at all.

 

[Kellie in CA]

I don't ever rinse it. The cloud clears by the next day.

 

[saltyhog]

I never use "live" sand for several reasons but if I did I would definitely rinse it.

 

[WVNed]

Well
Put the sand in

added water

2 days later it's clear. I don't do work I don't have to any more.

 

[bjc451]

Rinse for sure.. I had rinsed the left side not as well as then next batches. Rinse very very well. The part I didn’t rinse well I can look under the tank and see the silt just sitting under the rocks. The whole rest of the tank from under is completely clean. I’m going through the ugly stage. Just that section has what looks like detritus on the sand bed

 

[MTBake]

I never use "live" sand for several reasons but if I did I would definitely rinse it.

I usually use dry. Not sure if this is just a bad time of year to buy this stuff or what. The dry sand I wanted is out of stock everywhere I thought to look

 

[DSC reef]

I wouldn't rinse it, the whole point of buying live sand is to just dump it in. Buy dry sand to rinse. In all the tanks over many years never once rinsed live sand and never regretted it. Cloud goes away pretty quickly.