Pool Filter Sand Clarification

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Kristinann

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Jul 9, 2010
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Thinking about making the switch, from flourite to pool filter sand. Just a few questions.

Obviously no additives or anything.

Does it need to be washed? I have heard yes and no. Maybe only rinsed a couple times?

What size is ideal? I have heard #20... what does htis mean? What does a higher or lower number mean, and what are the pros/cons of larger or smaller numbers?

I am going to be doing a pair of apistogramma cacatuoides, probably triple reds. Probbaly also a few cories or otos, some neon tetras, and maybe a dwarf gourami. Which color should I look for to best accentuate the colors of the fish and plants? I'm thinking white...?

How hard is it to keep the sand looking clean/white? Will it change color at all, either with age or with dirt?

Thanks!
Kristin
 
Usually dark substrate best intensifies fish color, unless perhaps it's an all black fish. Fluorite black sand is nice, but pool filter sand is cheaper. PFS does need to be washed as there will be dust which would make a mess in a filled tank. Simply put the sand in a bucket, fill with a hose and let the water overflow the bucket - carrying the lighter particles out. Swish the sand wish you hand several times. I have not used PFS myself, but I have read extensively about the usage of sand (I use Tahitian Moon Sand in my tanks) and PFs seems to be one of the easiest to wash.

Sorry, I do not know anything about "size" of sand.

Hope this helps!
 
Yes, rinse like fishycat said. Ask to look at the sand, some 20 grit size seemed sharp to me. It varies by location & shipment whitish or tan. Make sure it's only 100% quartz or silica, no additives. I like the finer 0 grade I got most recently at a lfs, #1 was also nice. I rub it between my fingers to feel for sharpness. Shop around.

You can use a gravel vac with practice to swirl up debris but fine stuff can get down into the sand a little especially with diggers. Pool sand can be vacuumed like gravel if you're slow & careful, go down an inch or so to see how much & how far up the vac it goes. I use a small vac with smaller tubing & only lose a tiny bit sometimes. Wood bits from plecs can be tricky to get up, I use a larger vac w/larger tubing in their tanks.

I usually prefer dark substrate but haven't found a dark sand I like for my loaches so I have PFS in several tanks. Eco Complete is not as sharp as flourite, I like in 1 tank. Flourite black sand too tiny & dust-like so I added Estes marine sand, also quite fine. I don't think I will use it other than for shrimp but the red looks great on it. I think it's Tahitian moon sand that comes in 2 varieties: soft belly safe...and not.

Really white substrate shows everything like poo, algae. Some people say it yellows in time, tannin or poo stained? I prefer tan for those reasons. Like I said, shop around.
 
I just set up a 90 gallon for a friend with play sand from home depot. We didn't rinse the play sand cause my buddy is extremely impatient. I was surprised when it we filled the tank and it wasn't cloudy at all.
We used plant substrate in the back corners and along the back so keep this in mind if you want to plant, you can reuse your flourite and if you cap with sand you will most likely not see the flourite but still have decent substrate for your plants!
 
Pool filter sand is "meshed" — meaning it's sorted/run through various size meshes so that all grains are the same size. Sands that are not meshed, like play sand, can create dense spots that are less/not oxygenated. PFS grains are also rounded which will help to protect your cories' barbels. Yes, PFS is bright, but that can be countered by use of gravel/rock areas, driftwood and plants to help tone things down.

Sand "sizes" are defined by the mesh number (higher numbers signify smaller holes/grains because more fit in an inch) or the diameter of the grains (mm). PFS is small enough to create a soft, burrow-able substrate, and plants root great in it — but the grains are heavy enough to drop down when disturbed. Finer sands, like play sand, can compact more and tend to cloud/muddy the tank more when disturbed. Coarser sands are an option, of course and can look great. As long as the grains are smooth/rounded, your cories should be fine.
 
H2Ogal said:
Pool filter sand is "meshed" — meaning it's sorted/run through various size meshes so that all grains are the same size. Sands that are not meshed, like play sand, can create dense spots that are less/not oxygenated. PFS grains are also rounded which will help to protect your cories' barbels. Yes, PFS is bright, but that can be countered by use of gravel/rock areas, driftwood and plants to help tone things down.

Sand "sizes" are defined by the mesh number (higher numbers signify smaller holes/grains because more fit in an inch) or the diameter of the grains (mm). PFS is small enough to create a soft, burrow-able substrate, and plants root great in it — but the grains are heavy enough to drop down when disturbed. Finer sands, like play sand, can compact more and tend to cloud/muddy the tank more when disturbed. Coarser sands are an option, of course and can look great. As long as the grains are smooth/rounded, your cories should be fine.
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^^^^^Excellent reply! ^^^^^


I use HTH brand of PFS in what they call brown. It is more tan than brown and doesn't show waste nearly as much as white will. It vacuums easily and appears to self-level with my cories. MTS snails easily burrow into it as do my spixis. 100lbs was more than enough for a 75 gallon planted tank. Of all substrates I have used, I like the PFS best for the stock I maintain.

I didn't rinse before use and never had problems. It anchors plants easily and use of root tabs is not a problem.
 
H2Ogal said:
Pool filter sand is "meshed" — meaning it's sorted/run through various size meshes so that all grains are the same size. Sands that are not meshed, like play sand, can create dense spots that are less/not oxygenated. PFS grains are also rounded which will help to protect your cories' barbels. Yes, PFS is bright, but that can be countered by use of gravel/rock areas, driftwood and plants to help tone things down.

Sand "sizes" are defined by the mesh number (higher numbers signify smaller holes/grains because more fit in an inch) or the diameter of the grains (mm). PFS is small enough to create a soft, burrow-able substrate, and plants root great in it — but the grains are heavy enough to drop down when disturbed. Finer sands, like play sand, can compact more and tend to cloud/muddy the tank more when disturbed. Coarser sands are an option, of course and can look great. As long as the grains are smooth/rounded, your cories should be fine.
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I know there must be mesh sizes like you say but some run the other way, my #0 is finer than #1 & way smaller than 20 grit. I may be confusing # and grit but it seems to be 2 opposing scales, weird :confused:. I just look & feel it, pool stores think I'm :screwy:
 
fishorama said:
I know there must be mesh sizes like you say but some run the other way, my #0 is finer than #1 & way smaller than 20 grit. I may be confusing # and grit but it seems to be 2 opposing scales, weird :confused:. I just look & feel it, pool stores think I'm :screwy:
Click to expand...
I guess there are different methods of measuring? Pretty sure that I got it right about the mesh sizes. Grain diameters (mm) increase, of course, but that's pretty obvious! :)
 
Well, shopped all around today. I bought some from Leslie's, finally. However, I'm not sure it's what I want. It's only just barely, if at all, lighter than play sand. Also, I thought the garins would be uniform is size, shape, and color? This stuff really does look like play sand, with a few shades of brown and tan, and a slightly varied size assortment. In addition, while it's not what I think of as *sharp*, it's certainly not the smooth round spheres I was expecting. I'm a little worried about soft oto or cory bellies.

What do you guys think? I almost wanted to not buy it, but I'm a guilty person and felt bad for making him cut open the bag. Should I return it and keep looking? I also went to Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, and Shasta Pools. Shasta was the only other one who had it, but I didn't open one of their bags, since i had already bought the one at Leslie's.
 
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