hob filter and sand?
- Thread starter ayra321
- Start date
I'm no expert, so if this isn't completely accurate, please excuse me.
Play sand is less uniform in size of the particles and color. It's a more natural looking sand, like what you see in a kid's sandbox. The problems with it is you can get really fine particles and really large particles. When you rinse it, you can get rid of a lot of the fine particles, but some of them will probably be around to get you later.
Pool filter sand is more uniform in size and color. What I bought is large enough that it doesn't get stirred up easy...I can stick the gravel vac right in it and still not suck it up high enough to go through the tube. I rinsed it the first time I used it, but not the second two. I've never had a problem with sand getting into the filter at all.
Play sand is less uniform in size of the particles and color. It's a more natural looking sand, like what you see in a kid's sandbox. The problems with it is you can get really fine particles and really large particles. When you rinse it, you can get rid of a lot of the fine particles, but some of them will probably be around to get you later.
Pool filter sand is more uniform in size and color. What I bought is large enough that it doesn't get stirred up easy...I can stick the gravel vac right in it and still not suck it up high enough to go through the tube. I rinsed it the first time I used it, but not the second two. I've never had a problem with sand getting into the filter at all.
IMO you should put a prefilter on the intake anyway. It keeps the snails feet from getting sucked in. That is horrible to see. 
Handy Sand from Menards is $4.87 per 50 pound bag. Pre washed and no chemicals added.
I picked up 200lbs yesterday for the price of 1 bag of thaitan moon
Oh, and its pure white and looks AWESOME.
Veiw the build thread to see an example of the sand.
I picked up 200lbs yesterday for the price of 1 bag of thaitan moon
Oh, and its pure white and looks AWESOME.
Veiw the build thread to see an example of the sand.
What shape is your filter intake? Does it kind of stay round and taper down a little, or is it a big block? If it's round, you can make a nice prefilter with aquaclear filter foam. I had some berried shrimp so I had to do a prefilter to try and save the babies from being sucked into the filter. I bought a three-pack of the "30" size filter insert foam. Cut a chunk off a little bigger than your intake and cut an "x" shape into the top and work that over your filter intake. It'll give you an intake cover that works well as a prefilter and biological filter. I briefly used a media bag as a prefilter and it was pretty bad, very ugly and hard to clean. The foam you can just pop off and rinse and it comes cleaner than the media bags did. The bags seem to get too dirty and clog faster than the foam does.
If you try the foam, be sure and pick the type with larger "openings" so water can pass through easier. If the cells are too small, you'll get as good a water flow.
If you try the foam, be sure and pick the type with larger "openings" so water can pass through easier. If the cells are too small, you'll get as good a water flow.
