Sand and Rock question for saltwater

Ianfaulk · Apr 16, 2012

My step dad just gave me his 46gal bow tank that he had African cichlids in. Two years before that he used it for saltwater, so he just left the live rock and sand in the tank for the African cichlids. So my question is what am I supposed to do to get the rock and sand ready to use as a saltwater tank again? I want it to be mainly a saltwater fish tank, not really a reef because I have a fluval edge that I'm also starting that will be a reef tank. I've had two saltwater tanks before that were simple with just fish, and it was 3 years ago since my last one so I'm kind of remembering as I go.
Thanks

Russellaqua · Apr 16, 2012

I would give everything a good cleaning to remove any detritus that may have built up. I suspect (but not sure) that the increased salinity found in a SW tank will kill the microbes and other things that were in the cichlid tank, so they shouldn't be a problem. If someone near you has an established SW tank you might be able to get a cup of sand from their tank to seed yours with the appropriate life. If not, you could chuck your current sand and get a few bags of live sand and that will do it. Those are just a couple ideas. I'm sure others will have some other options for you.