sandbox sand
- Thread starter friendorfoe
- Start date
I use play sand in one of my tanks, I like it a lot. It's not the best substrate for live plants (though so far mine are okay) but many fish that like burrowing/digging like having sand in the tank. I find it's easy to keep clean because waste collects on top and can be siphoned off. It's important to stir sand up regularly to make sure conditions don't become suitable for anaerobic bacteria, which can produce gasses dangerous to the fish.
I don't recommend it at all, in fact I recommend you DON'T use it. It's a ***** to clean and you literally can't vacuum it at all. Unless you're using live plants pass on this one.
I think that it looks good, but you have to be careful with this stuff. It can damage a filter, and you have to be careful when cleaning it.
Get them medium stuff instead of the fine stuff. It will settle easier, and wont get stired up as much. Also, just raise your filter intake so its less likley to catch stired up sand. The chance of it causing damage to your filter is slim, you may have to replace the filter prop in 1.5 years instead of 3 years, big deal. I love the look of sand, its cheeer, and it hasnt caused me any problems. If you like the look of it, go for it, but I do agree its a bit tougher to keep clean.
To prevent sand from getting into the filter you need a pre-filter. It can be as easy as a sponge over the intake, or you can always buy one.
You take a sponge and make a hole in the middle of it. Then you slip this on to the intake of the filter.