Setting up using live sand, can I fill with tap water

[TammyR]

I will be setting up a 300 gal this week. I am using live sand so can I fill it with tap water, or will it hurt the live sand? 300 gal will be a long time filling if done after declorintate and salt mix by buckets.

 

[Coraloliseffect]

use rodi and pre mixed salt.
take your time. the only thing that happens fast is probblems.
get a ro machine. i have a 300 and go through a minimum of 30 gal a week between topoff and water changes.

 

[TammyR]

We actually installed an RO last week and although the output is very slow, you are right. I will just attach it and let it run a couple days lol

 

[Coraloliseffect]

NICE.

you will thank you self in the long run.

I rember filling all sorts of jugs with ro so i could fill the tank in one shot.

best of luck, and have fun.

 

[glb]

I will be setting up a 300 gal this week. I am using live sand so can I fill it with tap water, or will it hurt the live sand? 300 gal will be a long time filling if done after declorintate and salt mix by buckets.

I would put the water in first and add the sand afterwards if you can. Just put the open bag gently on the bottom of the tank and pour it out underwater. You'll get less of a mess that way. As far as tap water, I agree that you should get a ro/di unit to purify the water. It will save you a lot if trouble later. If the tank is too deep to put in the sand once the tank is full, turn a bowl upside down and pour the water over it so the water will be dispersed and make less of a mess. Good luck!

 

[Reefing Madness]

If you were to fill your tank with FW, all the bacteria in the Live Sand would be dead, and there would be no point in using it.

 

[ebushrow]

Basic thought....ocean sand, live bacteria from the ocean = saltwater....people will debate if the bacteria are alive in the live sand or not, however, just the basics salt=salt .... Freshwater=freshwater

 

[glb]

We're you thinking of mixing the salt in the tank? If so you'd have to wait to add the live sand. Like the others said, it needs saltwater.

 

[TammyR]

Ok we have bought a huge rolling garbage can and we will fill it with water from the RO then mix salt in it before putting each can full in the tank. Thanks for all the great advice, better to do it right from the start thanks guys

 

[glb]

Ok we have bought a huge rolling garbage can and we will fill it with water from the RO then mix salt in it before putting each can full in the tank. Thanks for all the great advice, better to do it right from the start thanks guys

Sounds like a plan. Good luck!

 

[ReeferBob]

I strongly advise you thoroughly clean the "live" sand before using it. Even though this negates the purpose of live sand (in reality it does very little). Your tank will become extremely cloudy from the sand. I used "live" sand once and only once. It was so bad that I emptied the entire tank, got rid of the sand and all the new water I had made (150 gallons) and started from scratch with thoroughly cleaned substrate. After a week it was still cloudy.

 

[Mike J.]

I would run the RO/DI water straight into the empty tank. Then when it is full add your salt and correct to proper specific gravity. Then add your rocks. Then add your live sand by the method in the video.

I'm a big proponent of live sand. If you're going to rinse the sand just get inert sand.

Putting Sand in an existing tank. - YouTube

 

[glb]

I would run the RO/DI water straight into the empty tank. Then when it is full add your salt and correct to proper specific gravity. Then add your rocks. Then add your live sand by the method in the video.

I'm a big proponent of live sand. If you're going to rinse the sand just get inert sand.

Putting Sand in an existing tank. - YouTube

I agree. If you put the sand in afterwards very carefully, it shouldn't make too much of a mess.

 

[Coraloliseffect]

With that size tank you will be glad you have the rolling can.

 

[clownfitch]

I also used live sand once.... And never again. Just seed dry sand with bacteria and save yourself an extremely messy tank every time you vacuum or stir the bottom.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

[Palting]

One more vote to simply filling the tank straight from the RODI unit, add and mix salt to the correct salinity, let things settle overnight, then add rocks then sand. Don't fill the tank to capacity, allow room for the volume of both rocks and salt.

One more thing. Have you done a leak test yet? If not, do it with plain rap water. That way, if you do find a plumbing leak, much easier and cheaper to discard tap water than all that RODI water going to waste.

 

[-Logzor]

I would run the RO/DI water straight into the empty tank. Then when it is full add your salt and correct to proper specific gravity. Then add your rocks. Then add your live sand by the method in the video.

I'm a big proponent of live sand. If you're going to rinse the sand just get inert sand.

Putting Sand in an existing tank. - YouTube

That's a really nice process but if the existing live sand was a deep sand bed wouldn't this release a hydrogen sulfide bomb into the new tank? To be safe you could rinse the live sand in mixed saltwater. It keeps the beneficial critters and bacteria but removes the harmful components from the anaerobic zones of the sandbed.

TammyR, if you take a cup of your live sand a rinse it in some saltwater does it create a black tint to the water or make it really dirt? If so I recommend giving it a rinse.

 

[Mike J.]

That's a really nice process but if the existing live sand was a deep sand bed wouldn't this release a hydrogen sulfide bomb into the new tank? To be safe you could rinse the live sand in mixed saltwater. It keeps the beneficial critters and bacteria but removes the harmful components from the anaerobic zones of the sandbed.

TammyR, if you take a cup of your live sand a rinse it in some saltwater does it create a black tint to the water or make it really dirt? If so I recommend giving it a rinse.

Logzor, I was under the impression that this is a brand new tank?

 

[-Logzor]

Logzor, I was under the impression that this is a brand new tank?

I see what you mean, that is true there would be no livestock that could be harmed, so it may not be an issue. Even so my preference would be to start out without introducing contaminants that may be present in used live sand.

Is it brand new live sand? For whatever reason I was thinking the live sand was secondhand or came from another aquarium.

 

[robbrouse]

The question is should you not can you. I would not. I have seen some tank ran on tap water alone, but I would never do it.