Tropical Fish Keeping banner

Sand in the Freshwater Aquarium

10K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  genewitch 
#1 ·
Have any of our members used Pavestone Playsand in their tanks ? Wondering how it stacks up to Quikrete insofar as cleaning/cloudiness is concerned. I want to try sand but, I don't want to set myself up for a giant chore.
 
#4 ·
I've used a dozen different sands and pool filter sand is hands down the best. It is soft, uniform (prevents packing), heavy enough to not get caught in the current, looks great and is CHEAP. a 50 lb bag should cost about $10.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fish monger
#6 ·
I got a 50 lb bag of playsand for $3.94 at Lowes. Can't beat that. And it only took me about an hour to wash what I needed. Granted, I'd probably spend a little more time than that now since my water did get a little cloudy, but it's clearing up nicely now.
 
#7 ·
I only use and recommend Estes Marine Sand (also known as Stoney River and Ultra Reef). It is very uniform and the perfect size. It requires no cleaning at all (before being put in or after). It comes in multiple colors, I usually do either solid black or a 50/50 mix of black and white.
 
#10 ·
The 25 or 50 pound bags of sand for <$4 at home improvement stores is perfect, put about half the bag in a 5 gallon bucket, and a spray nozzle on your hose... Blast the sand till it fills about 5 times. The 6th fill the water will look slightly milky, but will clear nearly instantly... that's what you're looking for.

Sponge filters are great for getting sand clouds out of water. I rarely have to wait more than an hour or two after putting the sand in a tank to add fish. Make sure you put the sand in, then a bowl, then fill with water. it really reduces the cloud factor.

Hope you have some happy corydoras to put in there ;-D
 
#11 ·
Watch out for paving sands that may have binder additives. I'm using well washed pool filter sand and am happy with it. You also want to be careful with some sands as very fine sands can pack badly which may inhibit the development of a good substrate eco-system. Many have used basic play sand with success.

The key to using any sand is washing well to remove 'fines'. Fines are the small dust like particles of sand that result in cloudy water. As others report, the best way is to use a 5g pail and a garden hose outside. Place an amount of sand about 1/4 of the 5g pail, add water with force, stir and pour off the top. Repeat until the water coming off is clear.

If your tank is new, just add the washed sand, fill part way with water, plant and 'sea-scape', then fill with water. If your tank is established with gravel, you should remove a sufficient quantity of water, remove the stock and decor, then remove the gravel. I found that a scoop made for kitty litter worked really well for removing the gravel with the last little bits being removed with a fish net. Then add the sand, sloping rear to front, add the plants and decor, after the tank has settled, add the stock back and refill the tank to full.

I have come to believe that an undisturbed [deep] sand (approximately 3" or more) substrate is better than gravel in many ways. It is too easy for uneaten food and detritus to get too deep in gravel too quickly. Gravel really requires routine gravel siphoning to keep it from becoming a 'nitrate factory'. On the other hand, with sand, mulm forms on the surface of the sand where it very slowly decomposes. In excess, this material can be much more easily removed from the surface of the substrate by merely hovering a siphon above the surface. HOWEVER, mulm is a very healthy thing to feed the bacteria in the substrate and convert the material into usable plant food so unless it becomes excessively unsightly or offensive, it is best left alone.

Further enriching the sand substrate is another consideration. The addition of Malaysian Trumpet Snails and California Black Worms serve to aerate and assist in decomposition of mulm. In addition, the worms provide a natural live food source.
Note: Black worms may require periodic restocking as they are aggressively hunted by stock.

Well enough rambling on about sand. Good luck in switching to sand. As most report, you will most likely be glad you switched.

AD
 
#12 ·
and California Black Worms serve to aerate and assist in decomposition of mulm. In addition, the worms provide a natural live food source.
Note: Black worms may require periodic restocking as they are aggressively hunted by stock.
AD

Learned a couple of things and i've been using sand for years now. Thanks!

Oh, i need to find these worms, that sounds cool.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top