Just Bought Argos Play Sand.....

[Liam50]

erm i'm not sure if you have to do this, but i stirred my sand around when it was laying in the tank i found loads of oxygen pockets and i thought i would remove them. is this necessary or did i waste my time.

 

[mbsqw1d]

erm i'm not sure if you have to do this, but i stirred my sand around when it was laying in the tank i found loads of oxygen pockets and i thought i would remove them. is this necessary or did i waste my time.

yep stir the sand with your fingers a little (every 1-2 months) to release any trapped gas! If your sand is too deep, it maybe compacted and trap waste which eventually becomes a harmful sulphur gas (has an eggy smell). If you release this trapped gas early it will not have become too toxic.

Also, snails are great for moving the sand around (bit like worms in soil!)

 

[~T~]

Play sand tends to be too fine and if not stirred up very regularly will turn your water foul. I've tried using it a few times and always after a few months I've had to remove the stinking mess. Just now I use Tahitian moon sand and its great though, well worth the extra money.

 

[fishnovice]

Anyone know if there are small sizes sold in store?

Argos sell 15 Kg bags of playsand for £2.99

 

[three-fingers]

erm i'm not sure if you have to do this, but i stirred my sand around when it was laying in the tank i found loads of oxygen pockets and i thought i would remove them. is this necessary or did i waste my time.

yep stir the sand with your fingers a little (every 1-2 months) to release any trapped gas! If your sand is too deep, it maybe compacted and trap waste which eventually becomes a harmful sulphur gas (has an eggy smell). If you release this trapped gas early it will not have become too toxic.

Also, snails are great for moving the sand around (bit like worms in soil!)

You wasted your time .

The gas isnt toxic when it comes into contact with oxygenated aquarium water, so it's something you never need to worry about. It's just nature.

But agree about snails being beneficial, MTS are like the aquarium equivalent of earthworms.