Pool filter sand is very light. Depending on your future stock some fish bleach out over the light substrate, small tetras for example. Helps to add decor, that way they'll feel secure and you can appreciate their colors.
Sand as a Substrate
- Thread starter Jon M
- Start date
My stock is only two Tiger Os. I might get a school of dither fish in the future like SDs but that's about it.
i went to home depot and got playsand for my tank, 3.98 for a 50 pound bag. got home poored it in a bucket and washed it with hot water, keep stiring deeper and deeper until the water runs clear. i first poored wet sand in and than started adding water but i poored water in very slow so there was not much stur up. than i got my water all the way full and i could not see the other side of the tank. so i did not want to ruin a high dollar filter so what i did was put to spare/emergency filters on there with sponges over the pick up tubes, that way it will keep most of the sand out, well it cleared up in about 5 hours, i did go ahead and go to the lfs and grab up all of there trumpet snails to give me a hand on the cleaning, from what i hear they are great, funny story of the whole deal is after all that work the old lady worked out a trade for a much bigger tank. man does she love me lol. but thats a whole different post, on how to get the wife to let you have your dream tank. its easy, put sand in it and make sure you put some pretty little fishies in there for her, but what she dont know is the monster behind the rock will eat em as soon as the lights go out lmao. good luck bud
3.98 a lb????? Okay I was going to hit the pool store for pool filter sand but 4 bucks for 50 lbs? As long as I can get it in a tan sandy color I'm sold. The snails are an interesting trick. I don't have any filters to clog with sand just a huge sump. I doubt the sand would make it through my three chambers of media and to the pump.
I got lucky at Menard's the other day. I got six 35lb bags of play sand for $1.95 each because the bags were torn. One of the guys from the building materials dept. put em plastic bags an helped me load 'em in my truck.
Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic:
Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic:
Just another one saying plus for the sand,il never go back to gravel now.
If you clean it correctly it doesnt take long to clear at all,the stuff i buy from the aquatics says wash in cold not warm water.
Good luck .
Steve
If you clean it correctly it doesnt take long to clear at all,the stuff i buy from the aquatics says wash in cold not warm water.
Good luck .
Steve
I have 12 tanks total. From 10 hospital tank to 250 gal tanks. I use sand in every one of them but two.
I dont use it in is my hospital tank and the other is my plant tank. (But my plant tank is a gravel and sand mix)
The 10 tanks I use sand in, I love.. Two have pool sand in them. Works well. The other 8 have aquarium sand. I used the pool sand in the two simply to try it out to see if I liked it and how well it works. And it does. I prefer aquarium sand, but it is more expensive to buy. (But I use it in all my large tanks except my 75gal)
Sand is easier to keep clean in my opinion. I will not use gravel ever again expect in my plant grow out tank. With sand, you have to vacuum it less, due to any kind of debris just sits on the top. I do sift thru it from time to time, but not very often. My ray tanks, they sift their own sand. The rest, I just use a long handled ice scraper to sift it around.. When I vacuum, I usually sift it first, then just hit a small top layer of it to clean what I just sifted.. really easy..
I dont use it in is my hospital tank and the other is my plant tank. (But my plant tank is a gravel and sand mix)
The 10 tanks I use sand in, I love.. Two have pool sand in them. Works well. The other 8 have aquarium sand. I used the pool sand in the two simply to try it out to see if I liked it and how well it works. And it does. I prefer aquarium sand, but it is more expensive to buy. (But I use it in all my large tanks except my 75gal)
Sand is easier to keep clean in my opinion. I will not use gravel ever again expect in my plant grow out tank. With sand, you have to vacuum it less, due to any kind of debris just sits on the top. I do sift thru it from time to time, but not very often. My ray tanks, they sift their own sand. The rest, I just use a long handled ice scraper to sift it around.. When I vacuum, I usually sift it first, then just hit a small top layer of it to clean what I just sifted.. really easy..
Okay guys I just picked up a 50 lb bag of play sand from home depot. (I think I might need another but that's irrelevant at the moment)
I filled a 5 gallon bucket less than half way and I'm filling it with my shower head and stirring the sand with my arm and the water isn't coming out clear it's a steady flow of brown water. Am I doing this wrong?....
I filled a 5 gallon bucket less than half way and I'm filling it with my shower head and stirring the sand with my arm and the water isn't coming out clear it's a steady flow of brown water. Am I doing this wrong?....
Are you using cold or warm water?
I normally change the water about 7 to 10 times per bucket. Then let the tank do the rest,it will be very dirty to start with.
Steve
I normally change the water about 7 to 10 times per bucket. Then let the tank do the rest,it will be very dirty to start with.
Steve
I started with cold but then went to warm because I had more water pressure with C and H on. So keep filling, dumping till I've done it 7-10 times then move to next bucket?
