Newbie Question :)

[smokey]

just a thought i had; what are peoples opinions on using actual beach sand in a freshwater tank? would it be ok to use if i boiled it?

thanks

 

[karen84]

No as far as i no you cant use beach sand why dont you buy some play sand that children use.

 

[Hels]

yeah i'd agree with Karen...i believe that beach sand is a no no because it might change the PH etc of your tank water...i used play sand from B&Q and its great

Hels x

 

[smokey]

sounds good, thanks guys

 

[Captain Retardo]

It might look really weird in the middle of the summer if people see you with a bucket scooping up sand and running away!

Play sand only costs like $5 too!

 

[dgwebster]

beach sand sucks as you will be hard pushed to remove the salt content and is usually illegal to remove it from most beaches.

If in the uk, argos play sand, £2.50 for 15kg

 

[smokey]

It might look really weird in the middle of the summer if people see you with a bucket scooping up sand and running away!

picturing this made me giggle

i hadnt even thought about play sand, i think ill check it out

one other thing, what about natural 'ornaments' one could find at a beach? pretty stones/shells and the like? easier to clean up and more suitable? (dont tell me, B&Q has play shells )

 

[dgwebster]

actually, Asda/Walmart has decorative shells they are in the housewares section.

However, things like driftwood etc are a bit easier. You need to do an acid test (drop some white vinegar on the item and watch for "fizz") and make sure that the stone for example, isnt a stone material such as limestone that would effect your ph level wildly.

boil them, boil them and boil them again. fresh water every time, the more times you boil them, the better a result you will get in cleaning them and killing anything dangerous