How aquarium sand is washed out
If necessary, new aquarium sand can simply be washed out. A few simple methods have proven to be suitable for this, which differ in detail, but are all based on the principle of simply rinsing the sand with water.
A bucket or other vessel is partially, e.g. B. to a third, filled with sand. Then hot water is turned on as fully as possible, e.g. B. with a shower or a hose. The end of the hose is used to stir the sand down to the bottom. When the bucket is full, the water is poured out with the suspended dirt particles. The process is repeated until the water is clean.
Different variations:
- Pour sand into a bucket in portions and rinse.
- Pour sand into an enamelled saucepan and rinse with a full, hard shower jet.
- Fill sand into nylon stockings and rinse.
View 1: Not all sand needs to be washed.
Some sands contain loam or clay. Such sands often cannot be washed thoroughly enough to prevent clouding in the aquarium later on. If the first, bottom layer of soil with these sands is only roughly washed out, you have a long-term fertilizer or a good storage for fertilizer at the same time.
Pre-washed or not heavily soiled sand does not need to be washed at all. If necessary, fine particles and sand dust can be sucked off with a mulching bell during the first water changes so that they are not repeatedly whirled up and cloud the water.
Sand treated in this way does not normally become clogged, even if there are fine particles in the substrate.
View 2: Quartz sand should always be washed.
The primary purpose of washing out quartz sand is to separate the grain size. This ensures that no smaller particles clog the pore system of the sandy soil and that diffusion is effective.
These finer particles will not collect on the surface of the sand in order to be able to be sucked off, but built into larger interstices in the pore system. It is even less of a long-term fertilizer, since fine sand particles do not release any usable nutrients, but only prevent or impede the diffusion of nutrients into deeper layers of sand.
Quartz sand should therefore always be washed out with a sharp jet of water in order to achieve a grain size that is as homogeneous as possible. Cold water can be used for this. Warm water does not have any advantages in this context, only the risk of higher pollution (e.g. copper).
Use hot or cold water?
A possible contamination with warm water by copper is only to be feared with hot water boilers or copper pipes. With copper pipes, to be on the safe side, you can let the water run off for a few minutes before washing begins. Hot water from boilers should not be used.
Fresh and clean sand is not always used. Some dirt particles are better removed with hot water. Hot water may kill some organic matter such as algae spores or fungal spores that may be present in the sand.