Rinsing sand with tap water
- Thread starter rockethippo
- Start date
Personaly, i would only do it with Ro water as if you rinse it with tap, you are going to be trapping nitrates and phosphates deep in the sand bed which is going to effect the system...
Niko
Niko
I wouldn't waste RO water on rinsing sand, particularly the first several runs. Sand isn't going to absorb nitrates or phosphates directly out of the water--the only concern is the water trapped in the sand.
So if you're worried, rinse with tap water a few times to get the sand suitably clean to your tastes, and then finish off with a rinse and a quick soak with RO water so that you don't have high-nitrate water sitting in the bucket. Make sure that the first rinse is really a rinse (in other words, dump the first round of RO). The second one can be poured off or just added to the aquarium with the sand.
Its the same as most things in this hobby....personal preference....
So if you're worried, rinse with tap water a few times to get the sand suitably clean to your tastes, and then finish off with a rinse and a quick soak with RO water so that you don't have high-nitrate water sitting in the bucket. Make sure that the first rinse is really a rinse (in other words, dump the first round of RO). The second one can be poured off or just added to the aquarium with the sand.
Its the same as most things in this hobby....personal preference....
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i agree, if your doing several runs, maybe.....But i use RO water as i dont want ANY chance of nitrates or phosphates staying the sand...and it makes no odd's to me about wasting RO...And nitrates and phosphates DO stay in the sand if that is all that is used to wash the new sand...
Niko
Niko
Catpicklesdog
Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
I'd say it all depends on your tap water. Personally I wouldn't as I know my tap water contains really high Phosphates and NitrAtes. Saying that I never rinsed my sand anyway!
Yes, absolutely.
If you don't have your own RO unit, then it makes a bigger difference, since trips to the supermarket can be a pain, and if it's anywhere like where I live, the machines only work about 50% of the time.
Nitrates and phosphates do not get trapped in the sand. The water containing nitrates and phosphates does, and it will eventually seep out into your main aquarium. However, it will not be in an amount greater than using tap water to do an emergency top-off, which is not a disaster.
If you use just tap water, then you will be adding a small amount of water with some nitrate and phosphate content, but unless the levels in your tap water are through the roof, even 1-2 gallons of tap water isn't going to matter that much in a 55-gallon aquarium. Test the water and divide the level by 25-40. That will be your final amount in the aquarium as long as you fill the tank with RO after the tap water rinse.
If you follow the tap water rinse with an RO rinse before adding it to the aquarium, you will be adding no measurable nitrate or phosphorous to your aquarium.
A lot of this hobby is governed by superstition and "popular belief" and that's what makes sharing stories so interesting. But there are some things that just aren't backed up by science. Properly drained, each 20-pound bag of sand when wet will contain about 0.67 gallons of water. 60 pounds of sand will contain about 2 gallons of water. A single RO rinse after a tap water cleaning will have no difference in NO3 or phosphate levels than just rinsing in RO water.
That is your opinion and i respect that. I am not here to argue points with you, i am here to offer another opinion. People have to accept that we dont always agree with one another, that is the nature of the hobby. That is what the forum is all about, not just one persons comments, it would be rather boring if that was the case.
People come here to listen to points and infomation from everyone, which is why other comments are always valid and should not be so quickly dismissed.
Niko
yeah but people start off there tanks with tap water and from then on use RO water for water changes.... I would guess rinsing sand is a much smaller version of this. I agree that the first few rinses can be tap with the last rinse in RO water, remember not everyone has RO units.
I don't know about phosphates, but my tap water is 0 ammonia 0 nitrites 0n nitrates and PH around 7.5. Instead of RO water will dechlorinated tap water work for the last rinse? Dechlorinated with kent's liquid detox thing.