Play sand

[evanb]

Hello. I'm pretty new to the site.
I suppose it's probably been discussed many times before but what are the general thoughts on using play sand in a tank. Argos sell a bag for about £5. Pretty cheap I'd say! Is it better that gravel. I have gravel at the moment but I'm not a fan of it.(a pain to keep clean)
Let me know your thoughts, i would much appreciate it!
Thanks

 

[seangee]

I used Argos sand for many years (about 15). You need to rinse it well the first time but I thought it was great. I only changed in the last few years to get different colours.

 

[CassCats]

Play sand is awesome. Way better than gravel, as waste sits on top instead of getting trapped inside it

 

[evanb]

Ok. That's great.
The cleaning of the gravel is the worst bit about it I reacon
Does the sand get sucked through the siphon tube?

 

[Essjay]

Sand will get sucked up if you get the siphon tube too close. Hold the tube about 1 cm above the sand and make little swilring movements to lift the debris off the sand. If you use a bucket to catch the old water, just rinse any sand that ends up in there and put it back in the tank.

 

[evanb]

Ok. Thanks

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hello. I'm pretty new to the site.
I suppose it's probably been discussed many times before but what are the general thoughts on using play sand in a tank. Argos sell a bag for about £5. Pretty cheap I'd say! Is it better that gravel. I have gravel at the moment but I'm not a fan of it.(a pain to keep clean)
Let me know your thoughts, i would much appreciate it!
Thanks

Definitely cheap, and safe.

Gravel is a pain, I find cleaning sand is easier. (You can YouTube how to properly clean sand, there are some great videos out there. )

 

[Retired Viking]

I switched one of my tanks from gravel to sand and so far I am happy I switched. I am thinking of changing another tank to sand soon.

 

[evanb]

Great minds always think alike