Re-using old Crushed Coral

Ok, last November I bought a 29 gallon set up that had crushed coral as substrate. This tank had been set up for about 3 years prior to me buying it. I moved everything over the my 40 breeder with the exception of the CC. I did put the CC in my 14 gallon tank I had setting under the stand in hopes that the pods or whatever might be in there still would thrive. There was no luck with that and while I was in the Field for the whole month of February, my wife never topped off the tank, so I lost at least half the water volume. It is hard saying what the salinity got up to lol.

What I am wanting to know is if I rinse the CC out really good, can I reuse it? I want to put some of it in my wife's BC 14 that just has one mocha clownfish in it right now.

 

I wouldn't ever reuse substrate just because of what can get rapped in there. Alot of people do though successfully.

 

IMO, I'd just buy new sand. The amount of RODI water you'll need and the effort it will take doesn't seem worth it. IMO. When I just pulled my CC out and replaced with sand, the amount of gunk in it was pretty bad, now yours has prob had most everything die in it, so it'd be worse.

I'm sure its doable and safe if rinsed well enough, but that seems like a lot of work. Marcorocks 20# and 40#'s of sand are $30 shipped

 

Yeah, I would buy it new. I would hate to have you go through what I went trying to take all the substrate out of the tank! Actually I think u were the one who helped me with that when i was starting

 

I'm still on the fence with this one. What I have done so far is put it in a 5 gallon bucket with a garden hose on pushed down to the bottom of the bucket under all of it. I let the water run until it runs clear, then move the hose around. Now I can stir it up, and there is very little "dirty" stuff coming out of it.

 

If its washing up fine, use it. I'd rinse it off with rodi when done to try to prevent a cyano or diatom bloom from the water.

 

I have been rinsing it off and on for a few days now. I think it is about all rinsed out lol. That is a good point about using the RO/DI water, thanks

 

no prob, i just read a thread somewhere where that happened, no big deal, but may save your wife some hassle when ya leave. BTW, when is your departure date?

 

Sometime around June 12th. I will be there for a year, then straight back home lol

 

ya got some time then, good.