Re-using old sand that once had ich?

[Ruzoko]

I have a few 5 gallon buckets of old sand from a 60 gallon that crashed due to ich years ago. I was wondering if it would be re-usable at this point after so many years or be better to just toss it. They havent had a lid on them in years but its possible there is moisture at the bottom.

 

[Reeferbadness]

Never mind the ich situation, i think you may run into some serious issues with sand that was used and just sitting in uncirculated water for "years". At around $50 for 40lbs of new live sand, why would you risk your entire system ? My $0.02

 

[Dan_P]

I have a few 5 gallon buckets of old sand from a 60 gallon that crashed due to ich years ago. I was wondering if it would be re-usable at this point after so many years or be better to just toss it. They havent had a lid on them in years but its possible there is moisture at the bottom.

What would be your plan to clean it? I assume the sand was not cleaned before placing it in the buckets.

 

[Ruzoko]

What would be your plan to clean it? I assume the sand was not cleaned before placing it in the buckets.

Yeah would be cleaned heavily then ran in the tank alone with just tap water and a filter to get everything out. After which would use a dechlorinator after draining as much as able before adding any saltwater

 

[Ruzoko]

Never mind the ich situation, i think you may run into some serious issues with sand that was used and just sitting in uncirculated water for "years". At around $50 for 40lbs of new live sand, why would you risk your entire system ? My $0.02

This is true, i usually get aragalive sand when setting up new tanks but figured id see if could salvage this batch ive just had forever, planned to wash if so. If not i can actually use it to line a pond im building after rinsing out the salt.

 

[Poulpo]

It is always possible to start from new but in this case it is not necessary. I would put one or two litre of white vinegar in each bucket with just enough water to cover the sand and mix well during a few minutes. It will dissolve the outer layer of the sand and anything that is bound (phosphates...). You will see a lot of bubbles, it's normal. Then if you rinse it one or two times with water you will be good to go. No need to bleach anything. The acid will kill any algae spores (ich is already dead long time ago). Be careful to never mix bleach with acid, it will release toxic gaseous chlorine.

 

[Dan_P]

Yeah would be cleaned heavily then ran in the tank alone with just tap water and a filter to get everything out. After which would use a dechlorinator after draining as much as able before adding any saltwater

Sounds like a plan. I would consider adding bleach (1 part bleach to 100 parts water) to the tap water (wear rubber glove even with diluted bleach). I would emphasize thoroughly stirring the sand and often to dislodge organic debris. The removal of stuff from the sand grains is dependent on the sand grains rubbing together and wearing down the organic materially that is attached. You might want to buy a chlorine test kit to confirm that you added enough dechorinator.

 

[SantaMonica]

Since you have an empty tank, yes why not put it in. Has to cycle anyway.