What Should You do With Unwanted Substrate?

[PlasticGalaxy]

Today I'm emptying out my 54L tank which has a 2kg load of fine, black sand (basic aquarium sand from a shop, nothing fancy) but I don't really know where to put it. I've also got a 10kg bag of gravel in the shed where I switched to sand back in April, as well as the substrate from my first tank, quarantine tank, so on and so forth. What should I do with it? I'm reluctant to throw it in the bin, but I'm slowly running out of space to store everything.
Anyone else have this problem? Let me know and tell me how you deal with it lol.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Today I'm emptying out my 54L tank which has a 2kg load of fine, black sand (basic aquarium sand from a shop, nothing fancy) but I don't really know where to put it. I've also got a 10kg bag of gravel in the shed where I switched to sand back in April, as well as the substrate from my first tank, quarantine tank, so on and so forth. What should I do with it? I'm reluctant to throw it in the bin, but I'm slowly running out of space to store everything.
Anyone else have this problem? Let me know and tell me how you deal with it lol.

Use it to fill holes in the yard...been there, done that

 

[NannaLou]

Today I'm emptying out my 54L tank which has a 2kg load of fine, black sand (basic aquarium sand from a shop, nothing fancy) but I don't really know where to put it. I've also got a 10kg bag of gravel in the shed where I switched to sand back in April, as well as the substrate from my first tank, quarantine tank, so on and so forth. What should I do with it? I'm reluctant to throw it in the bin, but I'm slowly running out of space to store everything.
Anyone else have this problem? Let me know and tell me how you deal with it lol.

Dig it into the garden borders to improve soil condition…?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

I would agree to dump it in the garden somehow....or if you're really naughty you could find a skip somewhere and under the cover of night dump it in there! Ahem...I mean, knock on the door and ask if you may dump your bag of sand

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

Hmm... Or I could spill it over my carpeted floor, like I just did. What a pain lmao

 

[NannaLou]

Hmm... Or I could spill it over my carpeted floor, like I just did. What a pain lmao

That is another option…

 

[Byron]

I went through this when I changed the gravel in all my tanks for sand. I kept one of those large plastic bins of the gravel for months, then realized I was never going to use it again, so I posted in the local fish forum and offered it to anyone who wanted it. Got snapped up immediately.

When I had old sand to discard, I figured that play sand was so cheap no one would bother with used sand from an aquarium so I dug a hole in the back garden and dumped it.

 

[FishHobby99]

Today I'm emptying out my 54L tank which has a 2kg load of fine, black sand (basic aquarium sand from a shop, nothing fancy) but I don't really know where to put it. I've also got a 10kg bag of gravel in the shed where I switched to sand back in April, as well as the substrate from my first tank, quarantine tank, so on and so forth. What should I do with it? I'm reluctant to throw it in the bin, but I'm slowly running out of space to store everything.
Anyone else have this problem? Let me know and tell me how you deal with it lol.

I emptied a tank out this very morning. Tossed the sand & gravel over the back deck into a bunch of bushes. The playground sand I buy at Lowe’s costs $5 for 50 pounds, The gravel more, but not worth my time cleaning & storing the old stuff.

 

[Colin_T]

I just spread it around the garden and let it go back into the soil.

 

[FishHobby99]

That is another option…

Wouldn’t work fo me! The cats would turn the room into a giant litter box!

 

[FishHobby99]

Dig it into the garden borders to improve soil condition…?

That’s a good idea, but I’m too lazy. So it rests on top among the dense evergreen shrubs. The shrubs are so overgrown & wild that the substrate is not visible.

 

[OliveFish05]

Wouldn’t work fo me! The cats would turn the room into a giant litter box!

Mine do that regardless!


I would find somewhere to dump it, or offer it for free locally. I sold someone 3 cycled filter sponges and 50 pounds of sand for $25, but that was only because she wanted the filter sponges

 

[FishHobby99]

My backyard is 7 acres! Big enough to dump substate!

Were they cycled sponge filters? I know someone who breeds axies who sells them for $25 too.

 

[OliveFish05]

My backyard is 7 acres! Big enough to dump substate!

Were they cycled sponge filters? I know someone who breeds axies who sells them for $25 too.

Yep! The girl offered me $40 for just the filters, but I didn't feel comfortable taking that much for filters I spent less than $2 on

 

[FishHobby99]

You’re a sweetheart! The axie breeder would have charged a lot more if she had more buyers. Shipping upped the cost well over $25.