sand in the aquariam

[Gumby131]

what about the sand they use in bead blasting? that wouldnt make clouds of **** as it sunk would it?

 

[ededh11]

what they use in bead blasting are actually glass beads... don't know much boyond that though

 

[Rallysman]

Pool filter sand never has clouded the water for me and I've used 3 different brands. I never rinse it either. It's much nicer than play sand IMO.

 

[dorkfish]

By bead blasting I think you mean sand blasting? If so that's almost the same stuff as pool filter sand, except a local fish store tells me that it has fragments of steel in it.

 

[Gumby131]

no, by bead blasting i mean bead blasting, its like hardcore sand blasting, lol, so pool sand you think? what colour is the stuff, Could i get it in white????

 

[Shocker6966]

I stole some cool black/dark brown sand from the local golf course. Took forever to wash enough to cover the bottom of my 150 long, but it was well worth it.

 

[llamabob]

How does sand work with siphoning?

 

[echoofformless]

Quikrete Medium Sand - completely inert, comes already washed, screen and kiln-sterilized. Not a bit of dust - put it right in the tank. Nice, natural color. Slightly larger grain size than play sand so there are no filter clogging or substrate compacting issues.

I wouldn't use anything else.

 

[exospex]

Bead blasting is exactly that. It is small beads of glass that leave a finer finish that blasting sand. Blasting sand is actually pure aluminum oxide grit. If it is brand new it will not have any metal particles in it. It is ideal for use in aquariums. It has virtually no dust in it from the factory (that would clog blasting filters). It is also completely inert. It should not change water chemistry at all. It is also a nice natural grey color when it's wet. Its nice stuff. I mixed it with Fullers earth, and am using it in my 55 planted. I'll never go back to gravel either. Cleaning is easy too. The sand tends to compact a little, so the waste kind of stays on top. Easy to vacuum right off. You just have to be carefull not to suck up your sand with the vac. Aluminum oxide is available at any welding shop or industrial supply.

Hope this helps.

Matt

(edited for spelling)

 

[gomezladdams]

You can find the pool filter sand in many shades from almost white to dark beige go to a few different stores and look at different brands