Storing Live Sand

[Dez]

How do you store live sand? I'm going to be getting some live sand and I need to store it for a while. How do I do this while keeping the sand "live".... Anybody done this before?

desmond

[CHEAPREEF]

As soon as you disturb the sand you will loose a lot of life. You really can't store live sand, it needs to be at the proper tamp salinity ect.. Just like live rock.

Clinton

[Dez]

When I set up my new tank is it going to go through another spike of some sort? I've never upgraded before. I'm going from a 90 gallon to 150 gallon. All the rock and coral and water from the 90 are going into the 150 (with the new sand) So it's going to be adding about 60 gallons of new water. That's a good thing right? Sort of like a 40% water change. Who else has upgraded tanks before that can give me advice?

Thanks so much..

desmond

[DJ88]

As soon as you disturb the sand bed and/or move your tank you will go through another smaller set of cycles.

[CHEAPREEF]

When i up graded from my 33 to the 75 it went through a short cycle. The nitites where zero in about 10 days. It's been about a month and the nitrates are down to 5ppm, should be zero soon. It doesn't matter what you do your going to get the cycle again, just make sure you have lots of buckets and rubbermaid containers around.

Clinton

[Dez]

Anyone else? How do they sell the live sand then that's sealed and packaged in 30 lb bags?

des

[DJ88]

All that is in the bags you buy is some bacteria that helps the initial cylce of your tank happen. It is nothing more than that. no critters nothing. Sand, water n bacteria

If you want to store live sand you can put it in a rubbermaid container with a heater, powerhead and lights. Make it like it is a tank in essence. If you don't the sand will die as will most critters.

You can store it, just don't let it get too cold, go without light or without circulation to get oxygen in. A sandbed will suck out oxygen very quickly if it is deep enough. It will still cause a small cycle when you put it in your tank later but may have a good protionof the original critters and such still alive.

[ 10 May 2002, 12:35: Message edited by: DJ88 ]

[Dez]

Thanks Darren,

I was thinking about storing the sand in a rubbermaid with a powerhead and heater. Would a couple of NO fluorescents (I spelled it properly just for Bob) do? It's enought sand for a 4' x 2' four inch sand bed. I'll probably store it for a while until I find time to set up my new tank..

desmond

[ 10 May 2002, 12:40: Message edited by: Dez ]

[DJ88]

Heat and light are the big ones. A couple hours of light a day should be sufficient. NO's are fine for that.

Just understand that after your storage is done you will disrupt any de-nitrification that may have formed over time and you will need to wait for that to start up anew once you put it in the tank.