Old tank - can I reuse stuff or throw?

[pollyandpear]

Few questions - I recently moved my fish to a smaller tank - my old tank has been standing for about 2 weeks and I am finally getting round to sorting it.

I would love to save the sand if possible, but just wandering if it might be full of bacteria now and whether it is worth it.

Also the mesh bags with a mix of gravel and aqua soil - can I keep them or is there no point?

If I can, can I wash them with normal water and then leave to dry and reuse for a future tank?

Also what to do with the filter media in the old filter - do I throw away or just take out and leave to dry?

Thanks!

 

[mlgt]

My question is does this tank need shutting down even if its been standing for 2 weeks.
Im assuming that the filter was still running etc? You could leave this as a simple tank that will house some plants etc?
If its getting in the way and you are packing it all up then you can reuse the mesh bags etc. The filter media will start to die once you turn if off after some hours/days. So can just clean it up and pack away.
If your filter is an large external one clean it up asap. I left my large external filter and forgot to clean up and the smell was so strong in the house. Promptly used the hosepipe to clean it out

 

[OllieTY]

Keep all of it

 

[Tim Harrison]

Keep all of it

agree

 

[aec34]

Certainly you can spoon/scrape the sand out (trying to avoid scratching the glass), and wash in a bucket with fresh water. I think you can put it the oven to help dry out depending on how much you have, but I’ve always just put it in a shallow container in the sun to dry out before putting away.

 

[_Maq_]

I think that mature sand, full of old detritus and live microbial colonies, is a valuable thing. I always use sand/gravel for my substrate and I can observe that in time (months to years), it gets more hospitable to plants and contributes positively to nutrient stability/availability.