davidrupe said:
So I got one nod 'yes' to ditch it. Any others... Who thinks it needs to be replaced and who thinks it should stay?
All live sand, healthy or unhealthy, has a foul, low-tide odour, due to reasons Flighty so excellently described.
However, there is smell, and then there is
smell. If the sand truly smells rotten, more so then a sample of sand taken fresh from the upper layers of your main tank, then you probably have a problem.
The sand can still be stabilized, though, by removing it and placing it in a bucket with heavy agitation and aeration for a few days to few weeks.
You should not be having ammonia problems, so something is definitely wrong.
Matt
P.S.: You aren't using tapwater, are you? As per our other discussion, the chloramines from your tapwater ay be giving you ammonia problems.