might have made a mistake I dont know if I can fix
 

The black sand in my tank as it turns out is attracted to magnets. on the bag it said reef safe so I may be ok, but there is obviously some kine of metal content in it. What problems am I looking at and is it going to be a pita to fix?

put a magnet in a bag, and sift through it, the sand should stick on the bag and release it outside the tank.

or take the sand out completely

so should I be taking all the sand out? or just sifting most of the metal bits out?

If my sand stuck to a magnet, it would be coming out before I even replied back to this post!

lol sh*t. thats what I'm afraid of. but my tanks set up should I remove it all with the magnet? I mean there shouldnt be any real ammonia or nitrates built into the bed yet that would be pose a problem from disturbing the sand bed would there? looks like I have to find a good magnet.

I wouldn't feel safe keeping one bit of that sand if it's sticking to a magnet.. I would suction it ALL out. What brand is it?

Just siphon it out

....FFFF....FFF...FFFFFF....Fudge. looks like I'm going to slowly get the tank BB. :cry:

carribsea super naturals tahitian moon sand. waste of $45 I guess :twised:

bring it back!

dont have my receipt lol. figured sand was sand. meh. atleast I didnt buy a few $100 worth. :lol:
If I were to mix up say 10-20 gallons of water for a WC, siphon the sand into a pillow case or something then do a WC that would probably be sufficient hey? then just remove what ever else is stuck to the rocks with a magnet if I can?

Anyone want 40lbs of sand for free ;)

Your tank is newly set up right? Looking at your pictures it doesn't look like you have it very full yet? If it were me I would just take everything out and put it in a tote, and then siphon all the sand out of your tank into a bucket.. You will be surprised how fast it syphons out. Have some REAL sand washed and ready.. Replace sand, replace rock and doneage!

Another way I have done sand removal is to use a fine fish net ( not the stockings!) and scoop it up. You get most of the sand that way and don't loose alot of water. Finish up with suction for the rest.. ONLY do this if your sand is clean and shallow!

I dont think I'm going to put a sand bed in now. I dont have time to go and buy sand, then rinse it, then clean the sand out of my tank and then get to bed in time to be up for work at 6 the next day lol. and to top it off tomorrows my 25th bday and this is what I get to do. FML. :neutral: we'll see how the BB goes. I'll put a deep sand bed in a container in the fuge and then hope for the best. if that works that is.

3 inches deep+ lol

Oh hell I don't think you have to rush and do it tonight! You've had it this way a few weeks eh.. One or two nights isn't going to screw it up much worse :) take your time and do it right this time .:wink:

no not tonight tomorrow is the only time I have free for the next 3 weeks cause its my bday lol. any downfalls to going BB? besides cleaning the bottom pane more often? I have a fuge loaded with LR and chaeto and am getting some macro as well. do I need a sand bed? I know it helps with nitrates but is it necessary?

You do not need a sand bed. Some fish and corals do but just avoid these. The sand does help reflect light but it's still got it's pros and cons. I like the look of sand beds but hated trying to keep it white, then I got a diamond goby and problem solved.

well then BB it is for now. atleast if I ever decide to I can add sand. still a let down that this had to happen. oh well what can you do. (more research) :lol:

Normal for there to be some iron content in black sand . Iron in a tank isnt a problem gfo is granular feric oxide (rust) .The only issue is scratches in your tank from sand sticking to your mag float.

A early Happy Birthday wish!!!

You might want to read this thread...

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/lofi...p/t277735.html

It appears there are pros and cons with your choice of sand, but the fact that it is magnetic is expected and not necessarily of immediate concern. You may still want to remove it after reading the reviews though. In the short term, I wouldn't panic :) Dan

+1 and you can always add reg sand as well later

You have a three week birthday celebration??? Oh to be young again!:mrgreen:

LOL I wish. No just the one night I have free. The rest is busy busy busy.

It shouldn't take too long to remove the sand, if you ever decide to put something on the bottom, why not use aragonite??

I prefer aragonite to sand because it doesn't pack down and trap gasses and because I don't like the bb look. Just use enough aragonite to cover the bottom with a thin layer, another option if you like the black look, I believe Jl sells the black equilevelent of aragonite. My friend used it in his 90 that has been up for 2 years and still looking awesome, got some coraline on the substrate now. Reminds me of a volcanic reef.

well I have had a few PMs on here and 3reef from people who have used this sand in their tanks for years with no problems.. so I'm kind of on the fence ATM..
I would like to see conclusive evidence that its either bad or good, it is magnetic, but not all of it. so the only issue I see so far is I cant use a magnetic cleaner. but obviously if its a harmful metal it could pose other problems in the future. this is why I am skeptical, as people say its fine and some say get it out. :question::question:

I wasn't referring to the black sand but rather the black substrate which is larger granules, looks awesome!

If your worried about iron in your tanks, the one pet store I worked at had no less then a dozen rusting razor blades in their system when I finally cleaned out the entire thing. I doubt they had any effect on the tanks. When I removed them everything was the same.

well its volcanic sane so would it be iron? its hard to say what type of metal is in it.

+1

Iron is the only magnetic metal i know of , maybe ruhbidium is magnetic but if thats the case you can afford to take it out sell it and fill it with a layer of solid gold.

It is iron that makes it magnetic, although this is not to say it is the only metal in the sand. The company declares the sand 'reef safe'. The comments from those urging you to remove are likely based on the 'better safe than sorry' approach, although I am just guessing. You can always contact the manufacturer and ask them :)

The magnetic parts of your sand may wreak havoc on your power heads and pumps ... both their impellers and the impeller housings

To be safe I would put some sand in a small volume of water for a while and test that for heavy metals like copper.