Washing sand?

[Onikun]

I got a couple bags of hagen geosystems aquarium sand/gravel. its not exactly sand its just really really really small gravel. I've washed it for maybe an hour and the water is still very brownish. Should i continue to wash it or just let it settle and thats the best its going to get?

 

[jnr102030]

Get a bucket and put a hose in it a let the hose run for ages and the water will eventually became clear

 

[wesleydnunder]

While that hose is running give it a stir time to time and things'll clear up fine.

Mark

 

[IceH2O]

Ok this is how I did mine yesterday.

Grabbed, from my wife, one of those 45 qt storage bins. Its about 18x18x7, I figured it would be easier if i could wash more surface area at a time and not have the sand be to deep. I was able to drop an entire 50 lb bag inside.

1st step was to run the hose into the sand spraying it down and letting it overflow. Every 5 minutes or so I'd lift it up on one end and drain it and then let it fill and overflow again.

When most of the darkest colors were gone I'd add 2 2x4 blocks underneath one side to give it tilt.I then proceeded to spraying the sand and letting the overflow run off.Once the overflow statrted running clear, I turned the bin around and sprayed again and let it overflow. You'll notice the water get dirty as hell looking again, its ok it clears up. Once you get it running clear you are good to go.

I'd do this a couple of times maybe in all 4 directions. I only did it from 2 sides and in 12 hrs I still have cloudy water. I started my XP3 this morning, filled with nothing but poly fiber to help catch the finer particles that I might not have gotten.

 

[kveeti]

I put mine into a big net (10x7) and let the water from the tap rush through it. Only 2 or 3 cups at a time, because it's heavy and actually the less you put in at a time, the faster each batch goes. Still very time consuming, but worth it (to me). Then I emptied the net into a white aquarium basin I have for cleaning and put water in and swished the last colour away. I like white so you can really see if the water is clear.

I've read of people using pillow cases instead of the net. They would be stronger. Also of people using paint strainer bags. When I looked in the painting dept all I could find were little things that looked like coffee filters. However they were very strong and fine mesh, if you could indeed find a bag made of that stuff it would be ideal.

 

[Raskolnikov]

For future reference, I've found that pool filter sand (as opposed to filler or 'quickcrete' sand) will rinse clear in only about 10 minutes for a 50lb bag.

 

[Onikun]

I ended up dividing it in buckets and rinsing it again. the nastiest of the brown stuff is gone but theres particles if i rinse it too hard. I tried filling the bucket slowly and the water above the sand is clear when the sand is not disturbed. I think its clean enough cuz I must have spent at least 3 hours total rinsing it.