sand rinsing

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The alternative is not rinsing the sand. The tiny particles of sand are actually beneficial as they will be the first to dissolve and help buffer the water.
 
As for rinsing the bucket method is really the only way. You could try straining it (still have to rinse it) but I am not sure how long that will take and you may still get rising particles... Personally I use the bucket method... just put a 5g in the bathtub and let it overflow for a bit... then I empty all the water and start over... keep going until the water is pretty clear. Not flushing the sand is a big mistake if you buy certain play sands because they can be very silty and it is almost impossible to filter out later. Thick foam surrounds the tank.
 
BTW personally I use clean Atlantic Ocean beach sand and there are almost no floating particles and it is nice and clean. You may have people tell you otherwise since we deal with mainly tropical fish but I never had a problem. Playsand to me sucks because it is a PITA to rinse... the Atlantic sand goes right in... I use the dry stuff so that I don't invite any unwanted parasites from the ocean.
 
I don't rinse any of my sand. It goes in the tank right out of the bag. The smaller particles are great for the "critters" that will eventually live in the sand.
 
I agree with the no rinse group. I think the silt sized particles are beneficial.

When I've rinsed gravel and such for my FW tanks I've always done the bucket method. I find it helps to just use slow flowing water. Don't use a nozel and powerwash it. Just keep water coming into the bucket and stir with your hand. The floating and extra fine particles will stay in the water column and spill over the top with the water.
 
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