Sand For Freshwater Tanks?

[brigette17]

i asked a employee at james tropical fish if i can use sand for freshwater tank n he said no but i seen lots of people use them expecially for tanks that have corys in it..so can i really have sand in my tank?? and if so whats that type of sand called? thanks all!

 

[OohFeeshy]

Of course you can, it's preferable to gravel. Most people opt for playsand (the sort sold for childrens sandpits), but there's also pool filter sand and a few other types. Generally, as long as it's inert (ie, it won't change the water conditions in any way), it's fine.

 

[timmystood]

A really useful pinned topic

 

[loachman]

I used 3M colorquartz crystals in mine. It's a great product if you want a sand that's not tan. I got a completely black substrate w/o the cost of tahitian moon. The stuff is VERY uniform in size and shape and comes in alot of colors.

Just be aware that the black in particular can take awhile to clean. I rinsed 100 pounds for a couple hours (I had to do it inside so it look longer than needed) and the tank was totally clear within 48 hours.

 

[adamgreen240]

hi i use argos play sand - works fine

only 2.99!!



adam

 

[loafybones]

I use fine Coral Sand. I actually got it for my Mbunas when I had them a couple of years ago. In fact sand is a requirement for a few types of Cichlid I think because they like to dig.

I liked it so much I've got it in the new tank too!

Loaf
X

 

[fishlette]

whoever told you you cant use sand in fresh water was VERY wrong. i have 4 freshwater tanks running at the moment and all of them have sand. sand is a great substrate as the poop and food dont fall down the gaps in the rocks and this makes it easy for me to do a poop scoop every few days with airline tubing. definitely an awesome substrate

 

[brigette17]

ok so i wanna get some sand..where do u think i might find some? walmart?

 

[Nevergone815]

anywhere that sells play sand or pool filter sand and with the warmer months it can be quite a few places