sand substrate

[Doogle]

i bought a bag of sand from the hardware store .. i washed the sand thuroughly then added it to the tank..the water was merky for a cuple weeks. then sumbody told me to buy play sand. it cost me £3 for a huge bag that would fill a standard 3' tank easily.

i bought it from argos. i wudnt no the canadian equalavent.

its wrth the money. GET PLAY SAND.

I've just bought some there, did you rinse it first and dump it still in a full tank?

 

[Addikted2Cichlids]

I would def. rinse it, You could really do it either way, if the tank is already full, make sure you turn of any filters while putting the sand in, If the tank is empty I would put the sand in first because you can fill it slowly and your water will be alot less cloudy and settle faster. Either way would be fine.. Filters + Sand = Broken..

 

[FlorabamaTrigger]

Definitely rinse first, and yes it does help if you can add the sand first before adding the water.

Also, if you've got a wet/dry setup, remove the mat/filter pad that the water first hits as it comes into the sump. Replace it with an old t'shirt. Run it for a day or so with just the tshirt and it will catch all the sand that is picked up before it hits your pump or media. The tshirt is thin enough to still allow the water to pass through but it won't stop it up completely.

 

[fishman61]

silica sand, bought from a pool supply store, $5 for 75lb bag, only took a few days for it to clear, I do weekly 50% water changes, 30, 55 and 150g tanks

 

[Doogle]

Thanks for the help guy's, is it bad for my fish if I put the sand in while they are still in it?