Playsand....

[_Sushi_]

I honestly think that playsand was invented by the Aquarium Gods to torment those who are foolhardy enough to try using it.

I have a dragon goby (in brackish), and I was concerned that the gravel would damage her fins, so I put playsand in her tank for her.

She had a blast in it, but her uneaten food was next to impossible to vacuum out, and so it stuck in the sand, and no matter how often I changed the water, it still smelled like a swamp!!

I asked a friend of mine if I could house it on gravel for a short while, until I could find some AQ sand, and when I got an OK, I switched that sand out!!


UGH!!! It was filthy and nasty, and smells horrid!!

Never again with playsand!! ><

Oh, and be careful introducing a fish to gravel after playsand, I have a very annoyed goby right now.....

 

[boledle]

I honestly think that playsand was invented by the Aquarium Gods to torment those who are foolhardy enough to try using it.

Never again with playsand!! ><

playsand actually works quite nice in marine tanks. wondering why you'd use sand in a freshwater. for bacteria growth, assuming you don't have a filteration system that houses and distributes good bacteria, some pebbles and brookstones work nicely. unless you have a planted tank then that's another story. but again, sand would not be your best choice.

 

[skiptomyzoo]

I run playsand, made that mistake, and had to rinse it very throughly, however after much of a headache, it turned out nicely, I like it now.
Only problem is like said, I'm constantly vaccumming the tank, bc it shows any sort of debris, and of course as with any sand you have to stir it to get the toxic gas bubbles from forming and killing your fish. I think if I replace it I will track down darker sand next time, but I do enjoy the look.

 

[_Sushi_]

it's not a freshwater tank, it's a brackish tank. and I have a HOB filter

But the water was constantly silty (I rinsed for 2 hours one day) and it smelled bad. I'll probably go with aragonite or poolsand next time around.

 

[smpage]

Playsand is my favorite substrate. I won't use anything else. it's too bad you had such problems with it. it makes sense though seeing as how playsand is different in different parts of the country.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Warning: Playsand often contains antifungal and antibacterial agents in it. Be very careful when using it.

To "play" on the safe side I would highly suggest pool filter sand.

 

[catfishlover106]

Im using playsand and am also planning on getting a change in aquarium sand....im just going to used the Tahitian Black Moon Sand much more better and cooler looking than playsand

 

[brackishdude]

I second the pool filter sand idea. It is rounded and graded (all of the grains are of roughly the same (large for sand) size).

They sell it at lowes/walmart/HD etc. Shop around. The appearance and grain size is not the same from brand to brand.

It's what I use (see link to my tnak below). It certainly does show debris, and it grew green algae carpets on it for the first 6 months, but I love it. I think I spent 20$ on my 180 gal tank.


My sand is about 2 inches deep.

I've nevr heard anyone develop a problem like what you describe. Does your HOB produce much flow, or is your tank rather stagnant?

 

[_Sushi_]

My hob is rated for 30 gallons, so it has a nice current, plus the output is adjustable, and I always leave it wide open (circulates the water better) I even had an airline in there!!

I'm thinking about going with the pool sand for my goby.

I've used playsand before with fiddler crabs, and even tried it in my 10 gallon (I have a corydora who loves playing in it!!) I ended up removing it from that tank, since it also had a problem with uneaten food.

P.S. I hope it doesn't have anti-bacterial/fungal chemicals in it, I use it in my land hermit crab tanks!!

 

[Gator]

If you have a problem with gas bubbles and uneaten food floating on top of the sand then get a few Malaysian Trumpet Snails. I the day they burrow in the sand and break up any gas bubbles and at night they come out and eat the food. If they over populate your tank its a good sign your over feeding but an easy solution for that is to just run your fish net through the sand and it pulls them out but leaves the sand behind. . They are also fine in planted tanks. of course I'm not sure about the brackish water compatibility.