Rinsing sand substrate?

[Dr.Gonzo4]

How do you guys rinse sand before placement in the tank, without losing a bunch?

I would like to rinse it before I get it in, this is the first sand tank I'll be working with instead of fine gravel, so any tips on maintaining it will be helpful.

I didn't want to formulate a method and have it waste a bunch of sand ya know

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[kissofcrimson]

Depending on what type of sand you have your gonna lose some of it imo. I always get coarse, thicker grain sand and wash out all the 'light' thin grain crap, so I lose a little bit.

The method I prefer is to put it in a bucket (fill about a quarter of the way) and rinse it out with a hose. I let the bucket over flow to get the dust and thin sand out but if you want to keep all your sand I guess you could put some type of mesh over the top to keep it in. Out of a 50 lb bag I lose about 5 lbs, just so you know.

When I have had thinner grain sands I wouldn't let the bucket over flow and let the sand settle back into the bottom before I poured the water out.


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[Dr.Gonzo4]

Depending on what type of sand you have your gonna lose some of it imo. I always get coarse, thicker grain sand and wash out all the 'light' thin grain crap, so I lose a little bit.

The method I prefer is to put it in a bucket (fill about a quarter of the way) and rinse it out with a hose. I let the bucket over flow to get the dust and thin sand out but if you want to keep all your sand I guess you could put some type of mesh over the top to keep it in. Out of a 50 lb bag I lose about 5 lbs, just so you know.

When I have had thinner grain sands I wouldn't let the bucket over flow and let the sand settle back into the bottom before I poured the water out.


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thanks for the tips, I am going for something as soft as I can get for my bichirs bellys, so I will probably be going with a finer grain. I did figure id lose some sand, I just don't wanna lose a ton lol

5;50 lbs lost is a good ratio

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[kissofcrimson]

thanks for the tips, I am going for something as soft as I can get for my bichirs bellys, so I will probably be going with a finer grain. I did figure id lose some sand, I just don't wanna lose a ton lol

5;50 lbs lost is a good ratio

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Yeah it's not much to lose. I take my time with finer grain sand more versus coarse grain since it floats so much easier but once you start rinsing it and get the hang of it, it's pretty easy not to lose sand.


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