Preparing Sand for Substrate

[dspittard]

I just picked up some sandbox sand from Lowe's for my substrate. What should I do to prepare it? I know it needs to be washed, but what's the best way to do that? Anything else that needs to be done?

Thanks!

Daniel

[andi872]

i bought the same stuff along with a 5 gat bucket, and a paint strainer. Put about 5 lbs of sand in the strainer at a time and rinse till clear, repeat till you have cleaned the amount of sand you need for your tank.

[bghill]

What I did when I made the swirtch was pretty much the same thing, only without a strainer.
I put about 10 inches of sand in a 5 gallon pail and ran the garden hose into the pail allowing it to overflow. As it was overflowing I stirred it all up with my hands until it ran clear. Then add a bit of Prime or other conditioner, swished it around and put into the tank.

[andi872]

the paint strainer is less that 2$ and worth every penny :)