how long can i let my sump substrate go out of tank

i have sump substrate (20lb or aragonite) inside a plastic bag, and its
sitting in the garage wtih the tank, how long will this sand be ok in the
bag. its getting down to 50 in there. well, used to be, now the tank is
keeping the garage close to 60 or more, hehe. in fact, the 100watt and 300
watt heater are having a hard time keeping the 60 gallon warm.

so, how long can i let this substrate out?

i want to sell the tank, dont feel like repacking the sub until i reset into
a new tank.

Wolf,
Just in case you are talking about "live" sand, I'd say that not for
long, as it's in REALLY anaerobic condition and you'll have "rotten
eggs" in a hurry.
If it's just clean sand, then the ansver would be several millions of
years or so (or untill the plastic bag biodegrades.)

Regards
Yuriy

I agree, sounds like it will be out there a long time before you set
up your new tank, get rid of it and buy new sand when your ready.




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wolf wrote:
i have sump substrate (20lb or aragonite) inside a plastic bag, and its
sitting in the garage wtih the tank, how long will this sand be ok in the
bag.

Maybe an hour. The bacteria that make it "live" need oxygen from the water flow.
You will be able to use it as "dead" sand anytime you want, as long as you rinse
it well before putting it back in an aquarium.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

no way, really? that soon?

this may sound stupid, but if it were in a container, with no lid, which it
were, then would/could it get enough oxygen through diffusion? it smells
fine. i had some in a bucket, and i threw a sump pump in there and started
a siphon itno it, it has become my temporary sump, now that was the sugar
fine sand from teh tank, but teh original sump aragonite, is still a bag,
and smells fine...


"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:msqOf.20314$W42.15007@trnddc02...
wolf wrote:
i have sump substrate (20lb or aragonite) inside a plastic bag, and its
sitting in the garage wtih the tank, how long will this sand be ok in the
bag.

Maybe an hour. The bacteria that make it "live" need oxygen from the water
flow. You will be able to use it as "dead" sand anytime you want, as long
as you rinse it well before putting it back in an aquarium.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

Some things can live a long time in the sand. I once put
some live sand in a 6 gallon bucket, about 7 inches of
sand in the bucket with about 1 inch of water on top. I
put the lid on it, and shut the lid tight with the rubber
seal in the lid sealing the bucket. A month or two later,
I opened it, to see if anything was still alive, and there
was still worms, pods, and stuff alive in it.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



wolf wrote on 3/4/2006 11:35 PM:
no way, really? that soon?

this may sound stupid, but if it were in a container, with no lid, which it
were, then would/could it get enough oxygen through diffusion? it smells
fine. i had some in a bucket, and i threw a sump pump in there and started
a siphon itno it, it has become my temporary sump, now that was the sugar
fine sand from teh tank, but teh original sump aragonite, is still a bag,
and smells fine...


"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:msqOf.20314$W42.15007@trnddc02...
wolf wrote:
i have sump substrate (20lb or aragonite) inside a plastic bag, and its
sitting in the garage wtih the tank, how long will this sand be ok in the
bag.
Maybe an hour. The bacteria that make it "live" need oxygen from the water
flow. You will be able to use it as "dead" sand anytime you want, as long
as you rinse it well before putting it back in an aquarium.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

yeah, after reading this post, i started that sand back cycling. i poured it
onto teh top of the marine sand, didnt want to mix it, but oh well. then i
sprinkled it around the edges of the tank so that atleast the tank appears
to have a sand basin, and the inhabs have a sand base now atleast.

it smelled like the beach, slightly ripe, but not bad.


"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
...
Some things can live a long time in the sand. I once put some live sand in
a 6 gallon bucket, about 7 inches of sand in the bucket with about 1 inch
of water on top. I put the lid on it, and shut the lid tight with the
rubber seal in the lid sealing the bucket. A month or two later, I opened
it, to see if anything was still alive, and there was still worms, pods,
and stuff alive in it.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



wolf wrote on 3/4/2006 11:35 PM:
no way, really? that soon?

this may sound stupid, but if it were in a container, with no lid, which
it were, then would/could it get enough oxygen through diffusion? it
smells fine. i had some in a bucket, and i threw a sump pump in there
and started a siphon itno it, it has become my temporary sump, now that
was the sugar fine sand from teh tank, but teh original sump aragonite,
is still a bag, and smells fine...


"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:msqOf.20314$W42.15007@trnddc02...
wolf wrote:
i have sump substrate (20lb or aragonite) inside a plastic bag, and its
sitting in the garage wtih the tank, how long will this sand be ok in
the bag.
Maybe an hour. The bacteria that make it "live" need oxygen from the
water flow. You will be able to use it as "dead" sand anytime you want,
as long as you rinse it well before putting it back in an aquarium.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong
to
your slightly older self.