Adding live sand to established system

[Reeferer]

I will be adding 120lbs of live black argonite sand to my 200 gallon system. I am debating on washing it and possibly letting it dry and die before adding. I feel that the live sand is going to do more harm than anything.

I will add the entire 120lbs slowly over a couple months

I am looking for other peoples opinions or experiences. Should I add the live sand or thoroughly wash or dry and then wash?

 

[P-Nut]

I would wash it, let it dry and wash it again. That live sand could cause a small cycle.

 

[MrX]

1. You'll end up with some die-off from the live sand, so if you add it all at once you might get a mini-cycle (or more).
2. If you're going to wash the live sand and clean it out, why bother starting with live sand? (You didn't say where/what kind of sand you're getting.) Live sand is usually more expensive, if you've just going to kill it, save some money and skip the "live" part.
3. You don't say if you already have sand in the system or not... if you cover existing sand you'll get some die-off and maybe a mini-cycle.

Anyway you go about it, live or washed, it's best to do it slowly like you said. You'll also have to contend with cloudiness each time you add the sand, so be ready to be patient, do water changes, and maybe have/replace some carbon.

Good luck.

 

[delta]

I have done it many time. THe live sand is already covered with bacteria so it doesn't blow around like new sand. But use a piece of PVC so you can pour it where you want it and not on the corals. I also find turning off the pump before you add it helps as well.

Drying it is the worst thing you could do. As you are adding it slowly you shouldn't have any problems with the Live sand. I definitely wouldn't do it all in one shot

 

[this is me]

Add slowly over time and it should be fine. I wouldn't wash live sand. However, if you use the dry sand, wash and wash and wash again.

 

[Reeferer]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I will just add a 20 lbs every 10 to 14 days.

 

[Bobbofin]

I've added 10 lb of live sand to an established 60 gallon tank before without issues. I used a 2" piece of pvc and a funnel. I put all the sand in one corner then spread it out. It kept the sand storm to a minimum and the next day the tank was clear. Didn't even have a mini cycle.