Tank upgrade - new sand? Help!

[Redd]

Going to upgrade my tank this week and the new tank is going to be on a new stand, but in the exact same spot as my current one. I think I've got a pretty good plan in place to do the swap, with my only concern being the sand. I've searched the forums and read so many different opinions on moving sand that I'm even more confused now. I currently have a 1" - 2" sand bed and wish to do the same in the new tank. I would prefer to start with all new sand. My biggest question is do I buy live sand, just plain sand, or a mix of both? I"m going with sugar sized aragonite either way. Will new live sand cycle and kill my fish and corals? My first thought is to use new plain sand and seed it with a cup or two of my old sand, but I've had other people say I should use live sand. Looking for any advice from people who've been through this before.
Thanks!

 

[Myteemouse]

I would put in all new sand and a few scoops of your old to seed it you should be fine DON"t buy live sand it will start a cycle from the die off in the bag...
But make sure you rinse the heck out of the dry sand you buy of you will get a big clowdy tank for a few days....

 

[Redd]

Thanks for the advice! I was looking at the CaribSea aragonite sand that they sell in a 30lb bag. You think it should be rinsed? I planned on setting up the new tank right in front of the old one, adding the sand and about 10-20 gal of my existing water, putting a powerhead in there and letting it sit for a day before I move any rock or livestock. Should I still rinse it first? Is the rinsing to wash away stuff I don't want in my tank, or to prevent cloudiness?

 

[returnofsid]

I'd agree with buying aragonite dry sand. As for rinsing it...I've recently set up 2 tanks. The first, I didn't rinse it and had a sand storm that lasted a couple of days. It settled out and was fine. The second, I also didn't rinse it, and never experienced a sand storm. However, with the second, I still have a couple power heads to add so we'll see how it goes. Using a canister filter with a micron cartridge, like a Magnum canister filter, will help with clearing up any floating sand quicker.

I'd just seed it with a few cups of your live sand. But only take the top 1/2" of your live sand. Any deeper and you might be stirring up lots of nasties that you don't want to add to your tank.

No matter what you do, you'll most likely experience a diatom bloom on the sand bed. Even if you used your old sand, you still will. Any time you drastically disturb your sand bed, or start with a new sand bed, a diatom bloom is almost guaranteed.

 

[gotfish]

I wouldn't worry about washing the sand. When you go to fill up the tank with water, take the bag the sand was in and put it on the sand. Pour the water on to the bag. Don't pour it too fast at first and make sure you aren't pouring any water onto the sand itself. Just keep pouring the water onto the bag until the tank is full. You'll get a little cloudiness, but it won't last for more then a couple hours.