Pool Sand

[mymindseye81]

hello MFK people,

i am wanting to switch my substrate and i am leaning towards pool filter sand. i have read great things about this product but there are 2 things holding me back

1. the color of the sand, will it throw the rest of the tanks color scheme off
2. how to do this with a tank full of fish, i have no were to put the fish until the sand settles

here is a pic of my tank, please tell me what the sand will look like in here, good or bad. thanks

 

[crazyryceman]

I think the color of the sand will make your tank look better. The white substrate you have now doesn't look good with the rockwork you have, in my opinion. Try to find a tub or bucket to put the fish in while you put the sand in. Most stores like Target or Walmart will have them for cheap. Make sure you turn off your filters when you put the sand in and wash the sand really well

 

[mymindseye81]

is a plastic egg crate necessary under the sand, since the sand is more movable than rock substrate? i will also be stacking more rock on top of the existing later on. i have nightmares sometimes that a rock falls in my tank and my apartment fills with water at 3am. haha

 

[Toby_H]

The pic below is regular ole Pool Filter Sand... it looks light tan in the bag and lighter in the water... If you like your whitish gravel I think you'll like your tan-white Pool Filter Sand...


Egg Crate is always optional. I've used it in a few tanks but have bypassed it in most. And I've had some pretty darn big rocks slip out of my hand and slap the bottom of the tank. Haven't broken one yet *tap, tap, tap*

Personally... I would move all the rock work to one side... then pull out all the gravel from the side with no rock... then pour 1/2 of the pre-washed sand on that side... ... the move all the rock to the sandy side and pull out the rest of the gravel... then add the rest of the pre-washed sand...

This way the fish can always have rock to hide in to minimize stress...

Once all the gravel is out and the sand is in... level the sand and restack the rock...

Or put the fish in a bucket, throw a towel over the bucket... and do your thing not worrying about being careful as the fish are chillin off to the side...

 

[Journeykc]

ya i would put white sand in there

 

[Pharaoh]

As far as changing it out, just take out all the rock, remove the gravel and put the sand in. You can leave the fish in there.