Play Sand That Doesn't Take A Lot Of Cleaning?

[onidrase]

When I cleaned my last 50 pounds of QuikRete Playsand, calling it a chore was an understatement. And that was when I had a large utility sink to do it in. Unfortunately, since I moved, I don't have that resource anymore. I'm stuck with an average kitchen sink, or an outdoor hose. Which I can't really use all too well in the middle of the winter. There is still a good foot or so of snow outside and its not done snowing yet. I could try the bathtub or something, I guess. But that'll have to come later.

Anyways. I need a good 50-75 more pounds of sand for the new tank. And to give a bit more sand to the 10 gallon tank which barely has enough to cover the glass.

I've heard of people using some sand that takes very little or no cleaning, like pool filter sand or something. Any info on this stuff?

Any advice on what to do here and what kind of sand I should use is appreciated. I'm going to try to stick to the cheap playsand stuff, I don't want to spend a hundred bucks on aquarium sand just cause it doesnt take as much scrubbing

thanks much

 

[CameronN]

When I cleaned my last 50 pounds of QuikRete Playsand, calling it a chore was an understatement. And that was when I had a large utility sink to do it in. Unfortunately, since I moved, I don't have that resource anymore. I'm stuck with an average kitchen sink, or an outdoor hose. Which I can't really use all too well in the middle of the winter. There is still a good foot or so of snow outside and its not done snowing yet. I could try the bathtub or something, I guess. But that'll have to come later.

Anyways. I need a good 50-75 more pounds of sand for the new tank. And to give a bit more sand to the 10 gallon tank which barely has enough to cover the glass.

I've heard of people using some sand that takes very little or no cleaning, like pool filter sand or something. Any info on this stuff?

Any advice on what to do here and what kind of sand I should use is appreciated. I'm going to try to stick to the cheap playsand stuff, I don't want to spend a hundred bucks on aquarium sand just cause it doesnt take as much scrubbing

thanks much

There are some specialty sands available online, but the only ship in 20 pound bags, and $15 a bag adds up. Pool filter sand still needs to be rinsed and it isn't as fine as play/aquarium sand. In all honestly it's a lot of work for a really spectacular look, so I would just get to it. When I clean, I dump all the sand into an industrial paint bucket and then put it under the shower.

 

[onidrase]

When I cleaned my last 50 pounds of QuikRete Playsand, calling it a chore was an understatement. And that was when I had a large utility sink to do it in. Unfortunately, since I moved, I don't have that resource anymore. I'm stuck with an average kitchen sink, or an outdoor hose. Which I can't really use all too well in the middle of the winter. There is still a good foot or so of snow outside and its not done snowing yet. I could try the bathtub or something, I guess. But that'll have to come later.

Anyways. I need a good 50-75 more pounds of sand for the new tank. And to give a bit more sand to the 10 gallon tank which barely has enough to cover the glass.

I've heard of people using some sand that takes very little or no cleaning, like pool filter sand or something. Any info on this stuff?

Any advice on what to do here and what kind of sand I should use is appreciated. I'm going to try to stick to the cheap playsand stuff, I don't want to spend a hundred bucks on aquarium sand just cause it doesnt take as much scrubbing

thanks much

There are some specialty sands available online, but the only ship in 20 pound bags, and $15 a bag adds up. Pool filter sand still needs to be rinsed and it isn't as fine as play/aquarium sand. In all honestly it's a lot of work for a really spectacular look, so I would just get to it. When I clean, I dump all the sand into an industrial paint bucket and then put it under the shower.

What sand do you use? They had some dark brown stuff at a hardware store nearby, which I thought would look really nice, but I dont recall the name or if it would be too fine.

Oh wait, I got it. Pavestone Natural Playsand

 

[CameronN]

When I cleaned my last 50 pounds of QuikRete Playsand, calling it a chore was an understatement. And that was when I had a large utility sink to do it in. Unfortunately, since I moved, I don't have that resource anymore. I'm stuck with an average kitchen sink, or an outdoor hose. Which I can't really use all too well in the middle of the winter. There is still a good foot or so of snow outside and its not done snowing yet. I could try the bathtub or something, I guess. But that'll have to come later.

Anyways. I need a good 50-75 more pounds of sand for the new tank. And to give a bit more sand to the 10 gallon tank which barely has enough to cover the glass.

I've heard of people using some sand that takes very little or no cleaning, like pool filter sand or something. Any info on this stuff?

Any advice on what to do here and what kind of sand I should use is appreciated. I'm going to try to stick to the cheap playsand stuff, I don't want to spend a hundred bucks on aquarium sand just cause it doesnt take as much scrubbing

thanks much

There are some specialty sands available online, but the only ship in 20 pound bags, and $15 a bag adds up. Pool filter sand still needs to be rinsed and it isn't as fine as play/aquarium sand. In all honestly it's a lot of work for a really spectacular look, so I would just get to it. When I clean, I dump all the sand into an industrial paint bucket and then put it under the shower.

What sand do you use? They had some dark brown stuff at a hardware store nearby, which I thought would look really nice, but I dont recall the name or if it would be too fine.

Oh wait, I got it. Pavestone Natural Playsand

I used some playsand I found in my garage mixed with some "aquarium" sand from Petsmart. The finer the sand the better the look (IMO) but also the more maintenance that is required.