Question for Saltwater Experts (Storing sand and rock)

[edmlfc1]

Tearing down my sw tank. I might decide later to rebuild in a smaller tank. My question is: I'm putting all my lr in a 50 gallon barrel until I decide what I'm going to do. Do you think I should also put my sand in the same barrel or should I store my sand in a separate container? I don't believe my sand is live. I'm undecided about the sand because I don't want to kill the critters in my rock.

[sevenyearnight]

I'd put the sand on the bottom, rocks on top, heater powerhead and of course saltwater
But, I'd put them in the same container.

[RTR]

+1 to sevenyearnight's comments. The two are compementary.

[edmlfc1]

I already have the rocks in the barrel. I didn't even think about it until I started to fill it up. I know I won't need as much sand as I have so I was thinking about pouring the sand in and washing it down with the hose while filling the barrel with sw. BTW: I have over 300lbs of rock and I have managed to fit all of it in the barrel.

[sevenyearnight]

Woah!! Hope that's a strong barrel!
lol

[edmlfc1]

It is. It's one of those 50-55 (not sure which) barrel's they use to keep water in for the folks that work in heat. Very safe for humans to drink from, very thick and heavy duty. I've had it for years. This is the barrel I cured the rock in and also the barrel I would keep my reserve sw in for water changes.

[J-P]

depending on how long you plan to store it, you could do away with the heater. Keeping the buckets at room temp (65~68) will keep the live rock and sand well seeded with bacteria. The critters may go dormant or die off regardless.

[edmlfc1]

I went to my lfs yesterday. They are going to take my lr for a very nicely sized store credit. This should give time for some of the algae to die off. He has a full load right now but he will be ready in a few weeks. I have decided to do fw. No more saltwater for me. I'm going to keep my equipment in case I change my mind in a few years, I just don't want to store rock for that long. I'm now cycling my tank and using media (& ammonia) from my other tank. Hopefully in a few weeks it will be ready and I can start adding fish. I'm going with "friendly" community tank this time. I'm in no hurry so when the tanks ready and the rock has been delivered I'll be ready. Once I deliver the rocks I'll store the sand in a couple of buckets, give it a good washing before storing and if I decide to use it again I'll give it another good washing at that time. Thanks for all your help.