Do I have to rinse the sand?

Question

I've been setting up my first saltwater aquarium for hours now. I have the temp right and the salinity right now im adding sand. I am getting so tired of rinsing the substrate in saltwater. Im aware that it is going to cloud the water bad, but is it really necessary to rinse the sand off before putting it in the aquarium?

Answer 1

If what you're using is live sand you absolutely DON'T want to rinse it too well - the sand contains living bacteria necessary for cycling the tank, and contact with chlorine or chloramine in tap water will kill it (and since the bacteria about doubles the price of live sand over the dry, you'd be wasting a lot of money!).

If what you have is dry material, not rinsing it will leave the water cloudy for several days - even with a filter. There are also particles (algae mostly) that will float on the surface if you don't rinse it first.

What you could do if the sand you have is dry and from a reliable (clean) source is to put the sand in the tank and let it run for about a day, then turn off your filter just long enough to let the dust settle onto the substrate. Siphon off the dust with a gravel vac into a clean bucket (or how many it would take), then refill the tank with extra saltwater you have made up ahead of time. Rinse the filter media in one of the buckets of tank water, so no bacteria is lost from these. The water in the buckets will settle, then you can use this for later water changes by dipping it out trying not to disturb the sediment on the bottom. I would use this method ONLY IF you have NO live rock or organisms that would be affected by reduced lighting and clogging from the carbonate dust (sponges, clams/bivalves, corals, anemones). You'll also need to siphon any live rock that has coraline algae so it gets adequate lighting.

I'm not sure why you're using saltwater for rinsing, unless what you have is live sand - the easiest thing to do is to empty all or part of a bag of dry substrate into a container and rinse with tap or RO water. Save the salt for use in the tank.

Answer 2

Live sand should not be rinsed, aragonite sand some people rinse others don't..I sat my 135 gallon up and did not rinse the sand.By the time I got every thing ready for sand I was to tired to think.You will have a cloudy milky looking tank for a few days to a week but the sand will settle and all will be well.
It also wont take months to cycle your tank even if you are not using live sand.Live rock will cycle your tank just as well as live sand and over time live rock will turn aragonite sand in to live sand.

Answer 3

what type of sand did you buy? if it is live sand then all you have to do is put the sand in the tank. live sand is the best kind to buy because then you only need to wait about 2-3 weeks before adding fish. otherwise you'll need to wait like 2 months. -the reasoning behind waiting is that you don't want anything to die. Quas F is right in saying that live rock will cycle your tank, but with a saltwater aquarium most of the fish are pretty expensive and i wouldn't want to waste money. if you do decide to buy a fish within a week or 2 of setting up the aquarium i would recoment a damsel or chromis as they aren't that expensive and are pretty hardy, only problem with damsels is that they are semi-aggressive

Answer 4

When you first start, it is always best to wash the sand/pebbles clean of any grime or powdery reside they could have accumulated in the bag. All you need do is place it in a wash tub and leave it to soak for about an hour, before you can put it in the tank.

When cleaning the tank, you will also have to give the sand/pebbles for a few minutes, just to get rid of the grease and fish waste that builds up among them. This also keeps your fish tank from getting dirtier faster (even with a filter pump) and let you fish be able to forage for food during the middle of the night, without getting a nose full of waste and dirt.

Answer 5

if its live than no if its the other stuff (pool filter sand personel favorite) than yes. put it all in a 5 gallon bucket go outsode and stick the hose in the sand let it over flow until you can see CRYSTAL clear or youl be paying for it with cloudy water and youll have to take it all out disturb bacteria and re rinse(possibly having to recycle your tank) your sand

Answer 6

i have never heard about rinsing the sand you should be able to just put it in. if its live sand rinsing it out is just kill the good bacteria. the sand should settle in about 20 hours.

Answer 7

you should rince it becuase it can contain cemicals and things that wont be good for you tank.