Is play sand ok?

[Joseph1391]

When I put my black sand in my tank it was cloudy for apart 2 or 3 days... and some would float to the top and i would get it out with the net.. when i first put in my sand it looked like potting soil... but now its fine.. but i have heard every once in a while you need to stir around the sand so you dont get air bubbles in it.. so i do that..

 

[Rometiklan]

What colour is play sand? I've been thinking about setting up some large tanks, and I'm looking for some cheap alternatives to using Flourite.

 

[Roland]

Play sand is the cheapest way to substrate your aquarium. It looks great, but you will need to syphon off dirt/faeces every other day. Just hold the tube about 1 or 2 inches above the sand and the muck should be sucked up.

You pretty much always lose sand by this method, but once you have experience in the 'art' (he he) of syphoning the sand loss will be minimal.

Hope this helps! :dance2:

 

[misopeenut]

i have heard every once in a while you need to stir around the sand so you dont get air bubbles in it.. so i do that..

air bubbles and algae can grow on them too so its good to have snails or shrimps to move the sand around.

 

[sampson2001]

Is super fine silica sand OK?

I have it at my disposal so I would like to use it, its really fine and clean