makokak Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Good Weekend to all fellow reefer, what im afraid of is it might have pest in it since this is live sand. How to avoid having this problem? i have the caribsea arag live fiji pink sand. Link to comment
Azedenkae Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Use a sieve. Otherwise, it's hard to make sure there are no pests without making it... dead sand in the process. Link to comment
GokesReef Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Aragalive is good, you shouldn't need to worry about anything bad in it. Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Is it actual live sand from another tank or the bagged stuff? If it's not real live sand, rinse the hell out of it with rodi to clean out with all the extra dust n crap. Link to comment
alanwest09872 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Is it actual live sand from another tank or the bagged stuff? If it's not real live sand, rinse the hell out of it with rodi to clean out with all the extra dust n crap. My first tank I didnt do this and let me say everytime I had to do anything in the tank it was a horrible sand storm. I made sure to do it with my new one and wow theres a big difference. If sand does get kicked up. its settled back done in minutes not hours. Link to comment
makokak Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 it is bagged live sand. Link to comment
RK_tek Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Rinse it in a bucket first. I find filling the bucket ~4-6" with sand, full with water, stir furiously and while the particulate is still suspended, pour the water out. Repeat until clear Link to comment
alanwest09872 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I used 5 gallons of water per every 10lbs ish of sand. Link to comment
Azedenkae Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Is it actual live sand from another tank or the bagged stuff? If it's not real live sand, rinse the hell out of it with rodi to clean out with all the extra dust n crap. Wouldn't that make it completely pointless to buy live sand? Link to comment
CJJon Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Wouldn't that make it completely pointless to buy live sand? Yes, when talking about bagged "live" sand. Link to comment
Azedenkae Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Yes, when talking about bagged "live" sand. I mean, that would kill of the microbes in the bagged live sand. Which isn't what we want... Link to comment
da1001 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I used this exact same sand to start mine not even 6 hours ago and it specifically says on the bag not to wash it beforehand as so many others have said above exactly because it will kill a lot of the beneficial bacteria. Link to comment
CJJon Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I used this exact same sand to start mine not even 6 hours ago and it specifically says on the bag not to wash it beforehand as so many others have said above exactly because it will kill a lot of the beneficial bacteria. That assumes there is beneficial bacteria still alive in those store bought bags of sand that have been sitting at various temps for months. I see it as a gimmick. Others have had success though I suppose. I just can't wrap my head around how they get the stuff to stay alive in the bag and am too afraid to risk it. Also, admittedly, I am too anal. If I can't wash it, I'm not using it! Regular dry sand will become seeded with bacteria in a short amount of time. At the very least I would rinse it very well with saltwater. You won't rinse away the bacteria! Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Wouldn't that make it completely pointless to buy live sand? It is completely pointless to buy live bagged sand. Everyone does it once, nothing to feel bad about lol. It will be better to just go ahead and wash it... Link to comment
Azedenkae Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 That assumes there is beneficial bacteria still alive in those store bought bags of sand that have been sitting at various temps for months. I see it as a gimmick. Others have had success though I suppose. I just can't wrap my head around how they get the stuff to stay alive in the bag and am too afraid to risk it. Also, admittedly, I am too anal. If I can't wash it, I'm not using it! Regular dry sand will become seeded with bacteria in a short amount of time. At the very least I would rinse it very well with saltwater. You won't rinse away the bacteria! Rinsing in saltwater is fine. Believe me, I used to be just as skeptical. I mean, as a microbiologist, I understand that microbes can last for a long time being inert, but didn't think it'd be that long. And then one day I got an amount of sand from my LFS, sealed it tight and brought it home... then proceeded to leave it there for over a month before adding it into my tank. Right away a brittle star climbed out of it before my very eyes. It was a seriously 'wtf' moment for me. But there we have it, even a brittle star can survive that. Let alone microbes. I gotta admit, this does mean that I haven't actually used one of those commercial live sand. But with that said, given my experience, I now highly doubt that the commercial live sand doesn't work. Link to comment
wrn1217 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 The point of buying the live sand is to place it directly into the aquarium and then add saltwater. If you rinse it or anything you are throwing away all that extra money that you payed for it to be "live". Otherwise you might as well have just bought sand that has no silicates in it and you would have saved a lot of money. I have seen Fiji pink carrib sea live sand start over 60 tanks and have never had a problem with pests in any of them Link to comment
Amphiprion1 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Agreed, a waste with bagged live sand and a huge waste with real live sand. Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 No one said to wash real live sand lol Just to address the original question, I've never heard of a single thing ever being found in a bag of commercial "live sand" so no, pests prob ain't there lol. It's just dirty and full of dust and crap that makes cleaning tanks or tanks with high flow a pain Link to comment
CJJon Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Rinsing in saltwater is fine. Believe me, I used to be just as skeptical. I mean, as a microbiologist, I understand that microbes can last for a long time being inert, but didn't think it'd be that long. And then one day I got an amount of sand from my LFS, sealed it tight and brought it home... then proceeded to leave it there for over a month before adding it into my tank. Right away a brittle star climbed out of it before my very eyes. It was a seriously 'wtf' moment for me. But there we have it, even a brittle star can survive that. Let alone microbes. I gotta admit, this does mean that I haven't actually used one of those commercial live sand. But with that said, given my experience, I now highly doubt that the commercial live sand doesn't work. Well, being a microbiologist they must have covered the part about anecdotal evidence in school, right? I mean really, that is quite the stretch. Ain't no brittle star going to crawl out commercial bags of "live" sand. As a microbiologist you should also know that you could take sterile sand, rock, water, etc. and given enough time, it will become "live". Nitrifying bacterial are all around us, they fall from the sky! IMO, commercial bagged live sand is just a gimmick. Perhaps it is not particularly harmful, but for me I am not convinced. True live sand is scooped out of the ocean and sent to you the same day just like any other livestock. Oh, and in light of full disclosure, I go Bare Bottom! Link to comment
CJJon Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I tried searching for some evidence or study of commercial bagged live sand (not single user claims or company hype)--I don't believe any exists. Does anyone have a source? Maybe I should hit Petco and get some to plate up and see what grows. Hmmm, but then I would have to go into Petco. Last time I was there I think they said something about me not being allowed to come back or some such. Link to comment
Azedenkae Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Well, being a microbiologist they must have covered the part about anecdotal evidence in school, right? I mean really, that is quite the stretch. Ain't no brittle star going to crawl out commercial bags of "live" sand. As a microbiologist you should also know that you could take sterile sand, rock, water, etc. and given enough time, it will become "live". Nitrifying bacterial are all around us, they fall from the sky! IMO, commercial bagged live sand is just a gimmick. Perhaps it is not particularly harmful, but for me I am not convinced. True live sand is scooped out of the ocean and sent to you the same day just like any other livestock. Oh, and in light of full disclosure, I go Bare Bottom! Erm, I never said that brittle stars can and do crawl out of the commercial live sand. I am saying however, that since it is definitely possible for things to still be alive in a month of sand sealed tight and left in the cupboard, that there is nothing to say that it is impossible for commercial live sand to not be live. Yes sand + water + microbe will eventually = live sand. But rock + water + microbe will also eventually = live rock. So why do people buy live rock? I mean the cured type, with basically just microbes? Same as why one buys live sand. Rather than have to wait, they are there! Now I can't prove that commercial live sand definitely is 'live', but there is no reason to believe otherwise. Unless the manufacturer purposefully want to sell a product that doesn't work, I don't see why they would, when they can sell live sand which can be live for long durations. Sure, some of the live sand may be on the shelf for over a month, but c'mon. Firstly I doubt it'd be on the shelf for too long, since a lot of people buy these stuff, and secondly, well if microbes (and a macroorganism) can survive for a month and be awesome, well I don't doubt at all that they can survive for longer. Anecdotal and all 'theories' and assumptions yes, but no more wrong than saying otherwise. In short, I can't say for certain that commercial live sand does what it says, you can't say it doesn't, until someone do a proper product test. Link to comment
CJJon Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 The point of buying the live sand is to place it directly into the aquarium and then add saltwater. If you rinse it or anything you are throwing away all that extra money that you payed for it to be "live". Otherwise you might as well have just bought sand that has no silicates in it and you would have saved a lot of money. I have seen Fiji pink carrib sea live sand start over 60 tanks and have never had a problem with pests in any of them Pests is not the issue, it is if commercial bagged live sand has any benefit over using dry sand. Some think the bagging process is not conducive to life and that any bacteria that were in there do not survive or do not survive in enough numbers to make it worth the extra cost. Not to mention what all else is in there other than sand (additives, ammonia, etc.). If you had started those 60 tanks with dry sterile sand you also would not have had any problems. Just sayin. Link to comment
CJJon Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Erm, I never said that brittle stars can and do crawl out of the commercial live sand. I am saying however, that since it is definitely possible for things to still be alive in a month of sand sealed tight and left in the cupboard, that there is nothing to say that it is impossible for commercial live sand to not be live. Yes sand + water + microbe will eventually = live sand. But rock + water + microbe will also eventually = live rock. So why do people buy live rock? I mean the cured type, with basically just microbes? Same as why one buys live sand. Rather than have to wait, they are there! Now I can't prove that commercial live sand definitely is 'live', but there is no reason to believe otherwise. Unless the manufacturer purposefully want to sell a product that doesn't work, I don't see why they would, when they can sell live sand which can be live for long durations. Sure, some of the live sand may be on the shelf for over a month, but c'mon. Firstly I doubt it'd be on the shelf for too long, since a lot of people buy these stuff, and secondly, well if microbes (and a macroorganism) can survive for a month and be awesome, well I don't doubt at all that they can survive for longer. Anecdotal and all 'theories' and assumptions yes, but no more wrong than saying otherwise. In short, I can't say for certain that commercial live sand does what it says, you can't say it doesn't, until someone do a proper product test. Wow. Really? OK, you win. You're right on all accounts, I am wrong. (NB: I made a resolution this year to not engage in pointless debate on the internet) Link to comment
Azedenkae Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Wow. Really? OK, you win. You're right on all accounts, I am wrong. (NB: I made a resolution this year to not engage in pointless debate on the internet) ... Maybe I should make the same resolution. =.= But I'd rather there be no confusions. Did you even read what I had to say? Link to comment
CJJon Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 ... Maybe I should make the same resolution. =.= But I'd rather there be no confusions. Did you even read what I had to say? Since you asked directly and I do not want to be rude and ignore you. Yes, I read every word. Link to comment
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