I just want to make sure that you can use everyday playground sand in your tank as long as you wash it off. You dont need to try to boil it or anything do you?
Sand-just to verify
- Thread starter Trajan230
- Start date
I have play sand in my 10g and 55g. It worked out wonderfully. You might have to deal with cloudiness for quite while before everything settles.
Rinising is a big bonus. I skipped rinising playsand for my 55g and it took over 2 weeks to clear up with 2 filters working full time. After 2 weeks, I only have 1 filter on the 55g and no problems with the sand at all.
Rinising is a big bonus. I skipped rinising playsand for my 55g and it took over 2 weeks to clear up with 2 filters working full time. After 2 weeks, I only have 1 filter on the 55g and no problems with the sand at all.
I have play sand in one of my 55 gallons and in my 180 gallon with my stingrays. RINSE, RINSE, RINSE. The more you rinse the less time you will have to let it settle. I just dumped the bag of sand in a big bucket and ran the garden hose in it for about 4 hours til the water ran clear after you stir it up. Put it in my tanks and was crystal clear in about 10-15 minutes.
One more question. When you clean your tank, dosent sand come up into the tube with the water you want to get rid of? Then do you need to replace sand everyonce and awhile?
Just don't get close to the sand. But you do need to make sure that you give it a good stir once and a while cause gasses will get trapped in the sand.(this is what I was told when I changed over to sand)
When you do water changes just don't get close to the sand and it won't get sucked up.
When you do water changes just don't get close to the sand and it won't get sucked up.
make sure you RINSE RINSE RINSE! i did a really weak rinse and my tank was a complete cloud for almost a month, i ended up taking it all out and redoing it with fully cleaned rinsed sand and its been crystal clear since. cleaning is pretty easy, and u dont really need to stir it if u dont make it too deep. mines about 1" all around and the fish stir it up them selves
Since all the waste stays on top of the sand just take the plastic tube ( if you use a python or other type of gravel cleaner) off and just use the hose to suck up all the waste. Then reconect the tube and do the rest of your water change. Works pretty good.