Could I use this sand?

[Sarge]

Hey,

I was just wondering...could I use sand that you buy from somewhere like Home Depot as a substrate?...if so...do I have to clean the sand in some way before I put it in the tank...Does anyone know the cost of this sand? and what brand is good?

thx..

 

[Gealcath]

Any type of sterilized sand will work, some people use sandblasting sand, play sand, aragonite sand, and other types. You dont need to wash it, and its more effective if you dont wash it before puttin it in (the dust increases the amount of surface area for bacteria to colonize)

 

[RobKemp]

I used pool filter quality sand and it's been great. Prior to that I was using rather expensive rocks and pebbles, but the filter sand is wonderful and pretty cheap, too.

 

[motox023]

I have heard somewhere that any silica based sand could be bad to have in your tank I could be wrong but might be worth a little reaserch.

 

[OrionGirl]

Silica based sand is NOT bad for the tank. It doesn't provide the buffers that aragonite based sands will, but that's it--it doesn't do anything harmful. I've used both kidns in different setups, and had no problems with either.

 

[jessie]

i currently have about 200lbs of play sand from wal-mart im my tank. never given me any problems.