Sand that won't cloud the tank?

[johnnyr]

I was reading about this in another forum a few weeks back, but can't remember the details...anyone have any idea what i'm talking about? It's apparently special and won't cloud the tank at all.

 

[Jezah]

If you rinse sand before you place it in the tank and dont disturb it as you put water in....it shouldnt cloud the tank. Dont know if there is a "special" type sand that has no clouding possiblility at all....but most sands dont cloud. You just need to rinse out all the little particles first.

 

[The-Wolf]

when setting up my latest tank, I used pool filter sand and it required no washing at all. If you can't find it under that name try seraching for silica sand, its the same thing.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

i havent tried that, but other than that, all sands will cloud your tank for a while. it took my sand to stop clouding the tanks. just stir the sand as fast as you can and do water changes if you want the cloudiness to go away quickly

 

[Jezah]

I would have washed it anyways Wolf, as it may have had contaminants in it. Its always a good idea to wash sand in HOT water before you put it in your tank to hopefully kill most parasites and rinse away particles. I use pool filter sand too, and I always recommend rinsing it.

 

[Jen]

I also used pool sand, and I washed it a good deal... probably 30 - 45 minutes per 10 pounds (I had 50). I still had some clouding, but nothing like someof the pictures I have seen. Lasted maybe a day or two.

 

[rdd1952]

I would highly recommend the Tahitian Moon Sand. It is black and looks great in the tank. It only took me about 5 to 10 minutes to rinse a 20 lb bag. Once you put it in the tank, you can fill with water and have no cloudiness at all. It you disturb it, it just sinks back to the bottom. Here are links to pics of my new 75 gallon (with the moon sand) that is cycling,

http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/rdd1952/Tank4.jpg
http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/rdd1952/Tank2.jpg
http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/rdd1952/Tank1.jpg

 

[johnnyr]

I was going to go with black...but I decided on a more natrual looking beige....what options do I have? don't want the grain size to be too small, since this is going to be a planted tank. Money isnt an issue, i'm willing to pay a bit extra to get safe, inert sand. (flourite is going to be under it)

 

[Raechal]

I was going to go with black...but I decided on a more natrual looking beige....what options do I have? don't want the grain size to be too small, since this is going to be a planted tank. Money isnt an issue, i'm willing to pay a bit extra to get safe, inert sand. (flourite is going to be under it)

I use regular play sand, but that may be bad for live plants as most of mine have died ever since I switched them to the sand substrate. Not sure though. I know you get can it cheap for like $1.67 for a 40 lb bag at walmart in the gardening section.

I must warn you, I am doing daily sand vacuums because the beige/white shows up poo really bad and it looks nasty just sitting there. But vaccumings only take like 5 minutes for me to do my 120 gallon.

 

[dwarf-puffers]

any sand wont cloud tank as long as u wash it first also the cloud dosent even take 24 hours to settle anyways hope this helps

 

[Ben]

Pool filter sand works the best

but if you really dont want cloduing (its quicker with smaller tanks)tank the sand per glass/cup,and gently pour it down near the bottom of the tank

DD

 

[johnnyr]

Hmmm... I found this:

Silica sand
Hello,
I am new to this site and I am sure you have already encountered this
question before, but please bear with me. I currently have a 75 gallon with 3
small frontosas, 3 clown loaches, 1 Syndontis catfish, and 1 Pleco. I had
aquarium gravel in this tank but upon reading articles about these fish I found out
they prefer sand substrates. Many sites have said that you can use pool
filter sand as a substrate and I bought some.
<Mmm, pool filter sand? I don't agree... siliceous materials are bad to use on a few counts... they're too sharp (hard on your loaches), too slick/smooth and pack down due to their two-dimensional structure (bad for biological filtration), and do naught for alkaline buffering (unlike carbonaceous materials...)>
After cleaning it really well
stirring it with my hands, I noticed little cuts on them.
<Bingo>
Finding more sites, I now read that silica is actually sharp and will injure my fish, yet you said
at one time you used sandblasting sand. Isn't silica the same thing?
<Maybe in some localities, yes... but not in all>
Is there a sand more suitable that isn't as costly as what my LFS is charging?
Thanks,
Wanda

That to me says pool filter sand isnt safe for the fish. Am I totally off here?

http/www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwgravelfaqs.htm

Sigh...can't they just make that tahitian moon sand stuff in beige!?

 

[OohFeeshy]

I just got play sand. Its clouded my tank, but I'm not too bothered as I still need a heater and to cycle it. I'm doing lots of water changes, and have a small sponge filter with carbon in on it as well as the fluval.