Is This Okay Substrate?

[IanThePufferfish]

Hello again,
I am buying all the equipment for my new tank and I really want white sand for the bottom. 
I saw some white sand at Petsmart for 23$ a bag (like 5lbs). WAY out of my price range. 
So I found this white silica sand at Menard's (50lb Bag) and I was wondering if it is okay for an aquarium.
I would clean it first of course.
Check it out if you want to: https/goo.gl/Uo96uH
I haven't bought it yet just in case it's bad for the fishies
 
Thanks again
 
~Ian

 

[Ch4rlie]

I am unsure if that sand is 100% safe, you'll need oo check if has any potentially harmful chemical compounds mixed in this.
 
However, I can point out a couple of things about silica sand, and white sand for that matter.
 
White sand gets a dirty look in the aquarium very quickly, if you want the substrate to look pristine and clean looking all the time then be prepared for lots of gravel vacs to get rid of fish poop, dirt and general plant matter.
 
One more point, silica sand, has a habit of getting diatioms, a sort of algae but a brownish quaility that sort of look like small dust balls but brownish in colour. Unsightly but it will eventually go away once the tank become established after a few months, sometime diatoms stay around for longer if there is an imbalance in your tank.
 
Just a heads up to be prepared and white or light coloured sand does look good in the tank with some lovely green lush plants and rocks, whatever the set up, its an appealing choice but can be harder work to maintain this look.

 

[Seanthebusdriver]

If you have a good cleaning regime for example regular vacuuming and a decent filter white sand does look natural and stunning. I don't know anything about the sand in the link but I would also look at play sand from Toys'R'Us or one of the large hardware stores. In the UK it works out at £4 for 20kgs. I would reiterate what Ch4rlie said in that you have to make sure its got nothing added as some contain anti fungicides.  I did a fair amount of research on alternatives to aquarium brought sand and opinions seem to be split as whether its a good idea or not. All I can say is that it works for my setup.

 

[Fishmanic]

 

I have white silica pool filter sand in my 29 gallon long.   It is very clean sand and requires little pre-rinsing before adding to tank.   It is very easy to hover the python tube over the top of the sand to remove any debris during water changing.   This sand in my tank was put in about 2 years ago and still looks very white..   You can see some diatoms on the front edge but nothing to worry about.  I stir up the sand every few months during a water change to release any gasses that may build up in fine sand such as this.
 
 

 

[IanThePufferfish]

It says on the ingredients (on the physical bag) it is 100% Silica Sand. It's meant to mix with concrete but only contains Silica Sand. I am aware it needs more cleaning but if it won't kill or injure fish. I'll have a go at it 

 

[iliveinazoo]

It says it is for mixing mortar so it might be a sharp sand which will be unsuitable for a fish tank, another alternative is a kiln dried sand which tends to have a smooth finish.