Sand from cichlid tank?

[kalamity]

Ok. You can just tell me no if you need to, but I was wondering.....
I have an African Cichlid tank with some cery fine aragonite sand in it. It's been running a long time....
I know the bacteria in FW and SW are different, but the pH is the same on both tanks. And, the cichlid tank has high gH and kH.
Anyway, I have too much sand in the cichlid tank and need to remove some. Can I put it in my SW tank (it's still cycling). I need a bit more sand in it anyway. Even if the bacteria die, the sand wouldn't be BAD, right?
Aesthetically, though, the cichlid sand is a bit more course that the extra fine sand in the SW. And, the cichlid sand is black and white mixed while the SW sand is white. But I've seen SW sand that is black and white. I'm rambling to m'self now....
Opinions?
BTW--You all are wicked fst on your replies.....cool.

 

[debbie]

Hi I am new to this hobby myself and I can only give you my opinion. I would not do it. I would definatley stick with the sand for saltwater tanks only. If you need more sand for the saltwater ask your LFS if you can buy a bag from one of their salt tanks and add that to your tank. I did this when I need a bit more and all was fine.
Just my opinion...

 

[bhfccsr198]

i would say it shou;ld be fine do to it should have some bacteria that dieing off it should be the same as putting a shrimp in there that dead to make it cycle just :happyfish my thought not a expert by a long shot

 

[ryanhayes9]

dont do it, why take a chance and mess all up. just buy some playsand - the hardware store.

 

[phixer]

The sand is fine, many rivers and lakes including lake Tanganyika and Malawi are have rocky underwater landscapes and similar sand beds. As long as its clean it will be fine.

 

[kalamity]

Originally Posted by Phixer
As long as its clean it will be fine.
I guess my question is can I take it right out of the established cichlid tank (just a cup or two) and put it in the cycling SW tank to add the beneficial bacteria?
I'm not trying to be one of those people that doesn't want to hear the truth or anything, but I found a website that says that the bacteria from fresh and salt are the same and it says that when transitioning a tank from fresh to salt, one can use the same filter, sand and everything (except the decorations). It said that the established bacteria would help cycle the tank. It did say, though, that you should use fresh, clean water. I just want to know if the site is reliable. You never know on the internet; sometimes they can be as bad as bad LFS. So, I'm asking the experts.

 

[susieq]

This is just my opinion but, if you don't have anything living in it yet, I don't think it would hurt anything. Good luck.

 

[omgsaltwat]

I think it would be fine...JMO

 

[tscuda]

Did you use any meds that contained cooper???? If so dont do it.

 

[phixer]

Very good point about the Copper. Same goes for disease, as long as the sand is clean and disease free it will be fine. Just be sure to QT the sand.... just jokin. :hilarious

 

[mikeyjer]

From my understanding, copper is toxic to freshwater fish. And freshwater disease will not tolerate saltwater. That's from what I've read anyway....I would say go ahead and use the sand if you clean it out well. I personally would of gone with new sand cause I don't want to deal with all the junk that's builded up within. But you can always wash'em clean, same you would do with new tank of course.... :happyfish

 

[kalamity]

No copper, no meds, no sickness....Freshwater was always very successful for me. That's why I am trying saltwater. I alsays told myself I would train myself with FW before I went SW. Thanks, guys! How much of the sand would you use. What's up with this 2"-4" dead sand rule vs the 1" live sand. If I want it to be live sand, do I go 1" even though it's not live YET? I have 1" very fine grain sand in the SW now.

 

[toungetwster]

Should not be a problem. When I transitioned from FW to SW years ago, I went one step more. I got rid of the FW fish and left the tank in tack, 40 gallon hex. I even used the tank water. I added the salt and let it cycle as is. It turned out fine. I used the sand, water, and HOB filters and converted to Fish Only salt. You should be fine.

 

[joez]

I vote for fine as well.