Substrate

[Fishmanic]

which wiould you recommend-pool filter sAnd or plAy sAnd And why

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Pool filter sand is great. Play sand is usually better used as a dry substrate especially for reptiles and inverts IMO

 

[Fishmanic]

thANks-ANyone else

 

[frapadoodle]

Use playsand myself, never had any problems.
I think mainly it comes down to what you like most.

 

[Alasse]

Pool Filter Sand is awesome, i got rid of all my play sand in preference for PFS.
 
Its easier to clean, you can dig your gravel cleaner in to the same as you do with gravel
It doesnt compact, and release nasty gasses
Looks better, as in not as stark white, which i've noticed many of my fish prefer

 

[majerah1]

I have heard the PFS is the better of the two due to compaction and how much better it looks. 

 

[Fishmanic]

DO I NEED TO WaSH
POOL FILTER SaND FIRST
 
KEYB0aRD PROBLEM

 

[frapadoodle]

The myth of playsand compation is more improper tank maintenance.

 

[ag-au]

I break up my "play" sand when I vacuum. I also have Malaysian trumpet snails. Seemingly no compacting problems. I started to dig around in the sand when I noticed some plant roots still in the sand after I moved a plant. Now I get most of the left overs in the sand. Be careful around planted plants. I hate uprooting them.

 

[Alasse]

The myth of playsand compation is more improper tank maintenance.

That is not entirely true.
 
I had a fully planted tank that the playsand definitely compacted in, started bubbling nasty gases that did a few fish in. This tank also had MTS in it. The stench that came from that sand when i decided to pull it all out was something i will never forget....ever. This tank had the hassle of having to swirl the gravel cleaner over the sand, because if ya actually dug into it ya lost a heap of sand up the gravel cleaner hose! I even went as far as digging my hands through the non planted areas to stop compaction, being so fine, you end up with crud mixing in with the sand and getting caught, causing more issues.
I have PFS now, and its is awesome, no nasty black spots, no stench, and areas that are free of plants is just a case of digging in the gravel cleaner
 
The only way i would use playsand now is as a very thin layer, horrid stuff for deep beds

 

[frapadoodle]

Might be a matter of where they dredge the sand from.
Mine is fairly coarse. Other than plant roots all I have to sift the sand are corys. My sand is a good two plus inches deep in spots, thanks to rhe aforementioned bulldozers. Never had a problem with compaction.
In the betta tank, I sift that myself, but again no problems.
Again may be personal experience and preferance.

 

[Alasse]

All the play sand i have ever seen has been fine. The stuff i had was a nightmare. I had cories in the tank too.
 
Thats great that you havent had a problem But dont discredit people that have had problems with it, and there are too many accounts of it for it to be totally a myth.
 
PFS i have not had to even worry about possible compaction, since buying it i can fully understand why it has become so popular

 

[orangegecko]

I put PFS in my tank a few weeks ago.  I rinsed it a few times and then put it in my tank.  It looks really nice in there.  I'll post a pic later.

 

[majerah1]

DO I NEED TO WaSH
POOL FILTER SaND FIRST
 
KEYB0aRD PROBLEM

 I rinse all my sand and other substrates, unless otherwise stated not to. 

 

[orangegecko]

DO I NEED TO WaSH
POOL FILTER SaND FIRST
 
KEYB0aRD PROBLEM

 
Here is a pic of what mine looks like.