Anyone else have trouble with sand?

[cooper.s]

Ok, from the top, was planning on getting a stingray and i already have a fire eel so I decided to change my substrate to sand and its nothing but a pain in the ar e.

I run a fluval fx5 and every month I clean it out and since ive had the sand everything in the pump gets caked in sand, Thick layer in the bottom of the pump all the filter are clogged with sand.
also, when I do my weekly changes i mix the sand up at the bottom which is obviously caused the pump to get so caked but it takes a few hours for the sand to settle again.
Is there any need for my to mix the sand up or is it me going ott with cleaning?

 

[imisim]

It depends on what kind of sand you are using. Over here in the US, I used pool filter sand which are heavier than play sand and have no problem at all. I also use a python to suck up the mess in the all of the tanks. The sand are barely stir up since they are heavier than the fish wastes.

 

[valderi123]

sand is definitely a little more work

 

[Ajno]

Yeah I did sand in my tank for the first time and I'm not liking it at all! It get stirred up way to easy and then my aquaclear 70 grinds and whines for a few hours. I even put prefilters on my filters. I have the medium grade sand thats quikrete brand. Might have to try pool filter sand

 

[aclockworkorange]

I've never had problems with sand, but I use some pretty heavy stuff.

 

[Kaosu]

I use play sand...i had to put it in a bucket and stuff the hose in there moving it around for about 20 mins till it ran clear.. never had a problem after cleaning.

 

[bluehighways]

I use a white quartz sand called "Granusil". It comes in 50lb bags for less than $7 and is found near the cement at your local home improvement store. It has very low dust, no silt and stays on the bottom of the tanks, plus it is pure white. It's sold as industrial blasting quartz.

 

[jvai]

Oh man play sand is a headache. Its so much easier to get pool filter sand. IMHO play sand is not worth it, not only is it half dust, but really wears down on filter life, and is very hard to get completely out once you have had enough. During your water changes remove the tube, and let your filters pull water from the top of the tank. Wait a while for it to settle and re-attach, but that dust has got to get out some how.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Have not use sand in a while. When I last used it, I bought common construction sand and dry sifted it thru a screen box. I discarded the fine stuff. The size of the particles can be adjusted by the openings in the screen. (have used a colander as well as various screen materials.)