Can you use play sand in your tank? I am talking the type from home depot for a sand box. If so what type?
Play sand?
- Thread starter clayspst
- Start date
Yes I have it in most of mine it looks great and most fish love it. Just make sure to rinse it really good.
There are some precautions to take:
Some are bleached (to make them white) and are not fit for aquariums. I myself didn't read a bag label on a bag of sand from Home Depot. When i got home, I noticed it said "Not for aquarium use" and a little research suggested that was due to it being chemically processed to turn white.
Also, you may want to do the vinegar test. If the sand fizzles, it is likely calcium/magnesium based (and therefore something like aragonite sand) which can raise your kH/gH/pH. If it does not fizzle, it is likely to be silica based and will not alter your water parameters.
That said, you may want to look for Pool Filter Sand. It is safe and is prescreened/rinsed to have all particles be of identical size, which means it doesn't require any rinsing at all. I recently used some for a new tank and there was not a speck of dust in the water after adding it.
Some are bleached (to make them white) and are not fit for aquariums. I myself didn't read a bag label on a bag of sand from Home Depot. When i got home, I noticed it said "Not for aquarium use" and a little research suggested that was due to it being chemically processed to turn white.
Also, you may want to do the vinegar test. If the sand fizzles, it is likely calcium/magnesium based (and therefore something like aragonite sand) which can raise your kH/gH/pH. If it does not fizzle, it is likely to be silica based and will not alter your water parameters.
That said, you may want to look for Pool Filter Sand. It is safe and is prescreened/rinsed to have all particles be of identical size, which means it doesn't require any rinsing at all. I recently used some for a new tank and there was not a speck of dust in the water after adding it.
how about that quickrete playsand? i heard alot of ppl use quickrete when it comes to aquarium DIY, cause i use their cement for the aquarium backgrounds.
I have heard of that also, with no ill effects so far as I know. The vinegar test may prove interesting. It also turns out that some companies, even if distributed from the same place, will have differences in content between bags, depending on where the sand was "mined" from. I didn't use the Quickcrete because the only sands they had were an ugly brown color and I was looking for a very light sand.
I've now become hooked on Pool Filter Sand. Like I said, it is SO clean. I could pour some into a cup, fill it with water, and drink the water!! The brand I bought was Robelle's. It was ~$6 for 50 lbs. Great stuff.
I've now become hooked on Pool Filter Sand. Like I said, it is SO clean. I could pour some into a cup, fill it with water, and drink the water!! The brand I bought was Robelle's. It was ~$6 for 50 lbs. Great stuff.
Play sand can be a little too light, although it will work. It's easy to stir up. I bought a 50 lb bag of pool filter sand for 6 dollars and it's working great. If it gets stirred up it quickly falls back down to the bottom, provided you have rinsed it well. As always, be sure to cover your filter intake with something like panty hose to keep sand out of your filter.