sand!

[orchidman]

i got some pool filter sand. do i need to clean it or anything before i put it in my tank? how should i clean it?

[J-P]

is it used?

recycling that stuff is a pain ... otherwise treat it like any new sand.. just rinse the sediment out a few times

[Lil' Swimz$]

Rinse and rinse and rinse! haha I think Dadof4 said this?

"Rinse and rinse and rinse! Rinse until it looks clean, than rinse again!"

You should be able to play with it and not cause a cloud.

[xrayjeeper83]

But it in a 5 gallon bucket or something similar, fill it with water about 2-3 inchs above the sand. Twirl with your hand till you dont have any settled sand, it can be hard and tiring. Let it settle for a few moments then slowly poor the water off, repeat till the water is clear after stirring. Repeat till you have cleaned all the sand

Your arm will get one hell of a work out too

[orchidman]

maybe i will have to switch hands half way through, so i dont get overly buff on one side lol its new by the way

[J-P]

new is good, but also has its draw backs.. the dust.

On the other side of the coin ... the dust is also an excellent bacteria bed for new set ups. 6 of one 1/6 dozen of the other.

I don't like the dust personally, but it helps cycle the tank quickly. Later you can vac it out if you want... or if you want that cleaned polished look from the get go ... build up those muscles

[xrayjeeper83]

If you put it in with out washing it can be days before it fully settles. I did that with my 5 gallon and it took like 3-4 days before it cleared up

[orchidman]

wow! thats long! i will definately wash. i think i will get the dust out, becaus i already have and old filter media and some water to help the cycle

[orchidman]

i washed it today, boy t was hard!

[xrayjeeper83]

Your arm sore lol

[Lil' Swimz$]

Ha ha

Shhh, I used a high presser sprayer

[orchidman]

my arm arent too sore. and i did alot! are you supposed to twirl the bucket? or twirl the sand inside the bucket? i just stuck my hand into the sand and went in circle until all the sand was moving. then i let it settle. i also started twirling it with the hose in my hand, before the bucket was filled enough with water. the pressure from the hose helped alot

[Brandon8521]

An easy way to do it also is to let the water keep running and keep pushing the hose in and out of the sand while turning it over. If you have a larg enough container you wont loose any sand and it cuts the time in half.

[xrayjeeper83]

sounds to me like you did it the right way.....not that there really is a right or wrong way to do it

[orchidman]

i wouldve done it the way you suggested bcummings, but it wasted to much water

im so glad i did it right!

just scaped my tanks, they look good, although i need more plants