Switching from gravel to sand

joelfish

I plan on using play sand but from the park.So should I boil it? I'm going to keep the old gravel in a container inside the tank for a while so the good bacteria can spread to the sand.

willow

are you going to nick it ?

Gump

I wouldnt use park sand.

willow

cats love sand and usually leave
little jobbies in it.

JouteiMike

Why use park sand? Play sand at a store like home depot is extremely cheap; like a few bucks for a 50 pound bag. Just make sure it's thoroughly rinsed to avoid clouding the tank water.

joelfish

because I only have a dollar in my bank account lol
But wow I didn't know play sand was so cheap

willow

don't forget that when you change to
the sand to stir it,as it does tend to compact.
i bet it will lokk really nice when it's finished,
will you do a photo diary,i'd love to see it.

cullens089

yea play sand is really cheap. i think i got 100 pounds for like 5 dollars.

joelfish

I was wondering how is play sand used in brick work?

MattD

hahaha, why does the brick work matter?

I've just purchased two bags of sand this morning at my lfs. Lied to my boss about not being able to work tomorrow just so I could do this major modification.

So, I rinse it REALLY well in a bucket? Won't it all just settle back in the bucket within several minutes? Also, will my fish be affected by the large cloud/mess that is likely to form in my water. I mean, eventually my filter will clean it (I'll have it shut off during the operation btw), but do I have to worry about parameter spikes?