I need a heavier sand

[abcdefghi]

At the moment in my 55G I have play sand as the substrate, it looks great, but I have 8 peppered cory cats in there and they constantly kick it up. At the moment I mostly have fake plants, but they all have a layer or sand on the leaves (and not just the bottom couple inches, its all the way to the top) it also gets constantly sucked into my HOB filters.

Is there a heavier sand that cory cats do not kick up as much? Is pool filter sand heavy enough that it will at least minimize the amount that gets kicked up? I don't want to switch to gravel as I am pretty sure the cats love sniffing around in the sand, they all have nice long barbels, I am also slowly planting my tank and its easy to root plants into the substrate.

I don't want to switch over to something like Flourite/Eco Complete as I don't like the dark colors, is pool sand the only option?

Thanks.

 

[cweg71]

Carib sea torpedo beach sand. Large smooth grains. My clown loaches and Emerald brochis love it.


http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idproduct~CS0823.html

 

[AnDr3w]

Pool filter sand is pretty heavy. That's what I use.

 

[fishorama]

Pool sand for me too. I didn't like the play sand I'd gotten, too variable particle size. I worried about compaction & sharpness.

 

[gatotsu77]

Quickrete #40 is working well for me. I got it in 50lb bags for something like $4 each. Keep in mind, this sand will require a LOT more washing than something like pool filter sand. To wash a 50lb bag, it took 2 people, 1 hose, 1 pillow case, 1 large container, and about 2.5 hours. (after I had already spent over an hour washing with a bucket, and had hardly made a dent in the bag)

 

[Spewn]

Estes marine sand can be vac'd like gravel, I'd say that's pretty heavy. It sinks quickly and doesn't cloud(assuming you rinse off the dust from shipping, first). It has a tendency to stick together and trap air, so some will float/your substrate will appear "bubbly" for a couple days. Pre-soaking the sand and mixing the heck out of it with your hands solves this problem though.

As for price, you're looking at a few times what play sand will cost you. It is indeed quite heavy, though, if that's what you really want. It comes in a wide array of colours, though, if that affects your decision

 

[vampie]

I've use the Estes sand with cories, they've never kicked it up enough to cause a problem. The size is about 1-2mm.

 

[Fishy_Fun]

i bought a natural tan colored sand at my LFS and its just blasting sand but works like a charm

 

[aquarob]

Carib Sea Black Tahitian Moonsand is heavy enough to not be kicked up like that as well. You still can't vacuum it like gravel, but it doesn't cloud like fine sand does.

 

[DAVIDFBT]

Pool filter sand is heavy enough for "active" bottom dwellers, so it should be fine.