Tank upgrade... wash new sand or not?

[ChrisSen]

I'm moving from a Biocube 16 to a RS 350. I want to move coral, livestock (2 clowns, a small coral beauty, and CUC) and live rock. My LFS aquarist told me to wash out the Figi Pink to mostly kill it so that the Biocube biome (water included) moves over and is dominate in what is like a massive water change/addition with fresh sand.

Is this good advice?

This is my second tank and first move. My Biocube is 9 months old.

 

[Red_Beard]

Yes, but not for the reasons given. I wash sand because it takes all the fines out that cause cloudiness both initially and when it is stirred up. Bacteria is going to do whatever its going to do regardless.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Is this new sand or sand from bio cube? If it is the old sand, rinse it the old tank water, then some fresh salt water to get rid of the detritus but keep the bacteria. If it is new sand, rinse in RO to absorb phosphate. Do not use tap water because the sand can absorb unwanted things from your water.

 

[ChrisSen]

The advice was to only add new sand, but wash it.

Thanks for the pointer on the RO.

 

[ChrisSen]

Is this new sand or sand from bio cube? If it is the old sand, rinse it the old tank water, then some fresh salt water to get rid of the detritus but keep the bacteria. If it is new sand, rinse in RO to absorb phosphate. Do not use tap water because the sand can absorb unwanted things from your water.

The advice was to only add new sand, but wash it.

Thanks for the pointer on the RO.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

i always rinse my sand, old or new. I always use tap water until the water runs clear (it takes hours), then final rinse with rodi.

 

[exnisstech]

I always rinse it in tap water in a 5 gallon bucket. By the time the tank is set up the chlorine is gone. If I add sand to an existing system I'll toss in some dechlorinator. I've never bothered rinsing in rodi.

 

[Dburr1014]

New sand, tap water until clean then quick in rodi.

Old sand, tap water for detritus and fines, quick rinse in old salt water to displace tap.

Lots of bac will survive.

 

[ForTheLoveOfCoral21]

Run for a few hours in a bucket till it runs clear in my bathtub. Then i run it through RO water for another hour or so.