How to wash sand substrate

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PuppyFluffer

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Jan 9, 2008
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east coast USA
I am wanting to put sand in the bottom of the 10 gallon I am setting up.

What is the process for washing sand. What do you put it in to wash?

Is pool filter sand any different than playsand from Lowes/Home Depot?
 

PuppyFluffer

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Jan 9, 2008
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east coast USA
so a pilow case is not too tight a weave to let the "dust" out of huh? That's easy enough to do!

If I want to plant this tank, do I need to add anything under the sand, any sort of other substrate. I was just poking around on the "Planted Aquarium" forum learning about plants. I know I will need low light ones.
 

soobie

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Apr 29, 2007
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Sue
I used a bucket and a hose. Fill the bucket 1/3 with sand, run the water in and let it churn up the sand, then tip the bucket and pour off the water before the fine stuff settles. Repeat until the water is clear.
 

Icom

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Jan 2, 2008
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Iowa
put the sand in a bucket with a garden and run water until it runs clear.

I just re-did my 55 and used pool filter sand,didnt rinse it at all and I like it better than the playsand I used in a 10g,had to rinse the snot out it and then rinse it some more
I didn't put anything under it,you can use Laterite or a dusting of peat,etc;I dose ferts from rexgrigg.com and just push root tabs under heavy root feeders like swords and such
 

ITHURTZ

BIG BOSS
Apr 19, 2007
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Lake County IL (north of cook)
Pool filter sand is generally clean. Customers would be paying a HEFTY bill when the pool guys spend 4 hrs washing sand (say 80$hr x2 people $640 to wash sand) and if its not rinsed 100% you would end up with a mud pit.
 

oscaremmy

Keeper of the Frogdog
Feb 27, 2008
379
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East Central Indiana, USA
I am wanting to put sand in the bottom of the 10 gallon I am setting up.

What is the process for washing sand. What do you put it in to wash?

Is pool filter sand any different than playsand from Lowes/Home Depot?
Pool filter sand is 100% quartz, needs no washing and does not cause cloudiness or dust - it is designed to be used directly in pool filters, so is heavy and does not clog or give off cloudiness...

So, you just open the bag and pour it into the tank. It vacs very easily because it is so heavy. It is very pale...like Cream of Wheat...so you can easily see when it needs cleaning. It does not get dirt embedded between its grains, because they are quite small (not tiny), so some people clean up just swiffing a net around the bottom of the tank to stir up any crud which is then netted out, rather than vacuumed. I use a vac during water changes. I like it so much I now use it in all my tanks, taking out the old gravel! :grinyes:
 

femurphy77

AC Members
Dec 28, 2006
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I just put pool sand in my 180, used 200#/s which put it at 3-4'" depth across the bottom. I didn't clean it because I figure it's filter sand and should already be clean. There was some initial cloudiness at first but has almost completely disipated this morning. I have the filter running but right now it only has foam in it and no other media. I had looked at several options and had always used gravel but decided to go for the more natural look of sand for this tank. I'm hoping that any additional work with sand will be more than offset by the visual appeal of sand. Today we're going driftwood and plant hunting.
 
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