Hey Guys,
I know the threads old but, I just thought i should mention that you SHOULD rinse your sand....regardless of the loss of silt...(or use a diatom bag of sorts.)
Especially the oolotic types that have come in to the hobby of late such as southdown and the like.
Or Re-packaged sand that has been just re-named for our purpose..and of course only to gouge us reefers a bit more.
All Sands of this type were not gathered,transported,bagged or stored in a manner that were meant for the aquatic environment,even thought they are fine to use when "clean".
These sands are usually sprayed with a "oily" type substance in the back of a dumptuck so it doesnt blow away during the transport.
Heres a quote from the manufacturer of Southdown....
Southdown Manufacturer Warning - Here is what the representative from Southdown made a point to say that he has been hearing that people have been adding there sand in salt water aquarium and that we should be informed to how the sand is collected and transported and stored. Southdown will scoop the sand with machinery and dump tons and tons in dump trucks then transport and dump the sand in large outside storage bins. Warning!!!!!! As we all know how fine this sand is he told me that as they dump the sand in the bins they will spray a liquid oily lubricant on the sand to keep the dust (sand) from flying which can be very hazardous if the sand is not washed prior to adding any animal life. Another reason to wash your sand thoroughly is Southdown is not only a sand manufacture they also manufacture different typed of gravel and rocks like slate, marble, lava rock, etc. The rock is stored in the same bins as the Southdown sand which means that other rubble is packaged with Southdown sand.