Argos Play Sand - Advice Wanted

[JasonU]

In some threads last year several people recommended Argos Play Sand. A couple of posters if I recollect properly even claimed that you did not need to wash this sand before using it. What I was wondering it was is the best way to prepare this type of sand before putting it in my tanks?

Should I prepare it like I would any other sand?

If so what is the best way of doing this?

Thanks

 

[kiriyama]

Just the usual giving it a good wash/rinse in a bucket or basin....

 

[Truck]

If you go to toysrus you get silt free sand that doesn't require washing

 

[Knox213]

If you go to toysrus you get silt free sand that doesn't require washing

Truck Knows all about that.

He goes Toys r Us all the time!

Well ok i cant say anything i kinda go there too at times

TOY SOILDERS FTW!

But yea...

Toys r us is good.

 

[doresy]

Argos playsand is excellent but you DO need to wash the dust out of it first otherwise you will have cloudy water for months.

Just place some of the sand in a bucket and run a hose through it untill it runs clear. Put that in the tank then repeat until all the sand has been done.

Don't worry if the water that you put in the tank when you are done is a little cloudy at first, this will clear quite quickly (a week or so) depending on how well you rinsed it in the first place.

 

[Haych]

i just shoved the hose in a bucket, put the sand on top, ran the hose til all the silt had ran off.

then i shoved it in the tank.

but be warned, if you do what i did the second time and added the sand AFTER the water it will take 2 weeks to COMPLETELY clear!

 

[Big_eyes]

I just shoved it into a full tank (of water not fish) left it a day or two and then changed half the water. Was fine

 

[JasonU]

If you go to toysrus you get silt free sand that doesn't require washing

Is that the ordinary Play Sand they sell or does it have another name?

 

[Truck]

If you go to toysrus you get silt free sand that doesn't require washing

Truck Knows all about that.

He goes Toys r Us all the time!

If you go to toysrus you get silt free sand that doesn't require washing

Is that the ordinary Play Sand they sell or does it have another name?

It's tarmac play sand, £5 for 25 KG

 

[Knox213]

I Want to use sand in my new Rio 180.

But its a mess to clean apparntly. so i'll proberly only Use gravel for now

 

[kiriyama]

It's not to hard and messy to clean, I usually do it once or twice a week when doing a water change. Just dig in the syphon , let some lift , let it drop, swirl . Or I just hover the syphon above the sand and it will lift any debris, all good

 

[Big_eyes]

I Want to use sand in my new Rio 180.

But its a mess to clean apparntly. so i'll proberly only Use gravel for now

It's an absolute **** to keep clean!

 

[Knox213]

yep!

thats why im stcikng with good ol fansioned gravel

 

[Haych]

It's not to hard and messy to clean, I usually do it once or twice a week when doing a water change. Just dig in the syphon , let some lift , let it drop, swirl . Or I just hover the syphon above the sand and it will lift any debris, all good

i agree - i only struggled with the plec poop cause it gets so long and therefore heavier for the syphon to lift

everything else goes ok.

 

[Big_eyes]

It's not to hard and messy to clean, I usually do it once or twice a week when doing a water change. Just dig in the syphon , let some lift , let it drop, swirl . Or I just hover the syphon above the sand and it will lift any debris, all good

i agree - i only struggled with the plec poop cause it gets so long and therefore heavier for the syphon to lift

everything else goes ok.

Aye, some of us have plecs and keyhole's that poop like horses