Switching To Sand

[shadowhywind]

So short story, The gravel I have is like 15 years old, starting to lose its color, and actraully a bit rusted. So I thought I would try something new and go with sand, and hopefully it will be more friendly with my plants and my pitbull plecos. I have a couple of questions before I do this switch. The first, people said they picked up their sand from home depot. When I went to check out prices I found a 40 lb bag(i think) for $5 of white playbox sand. However printed on the bag it said do not use in aquariums. What should I be looking out for, what should I stay away from? The second is, I am trying to go with black sand, since I have black rocks in their now, do I have to worry about the color fading and polluting the tank? The third, is the sand from the fish store any better then normal sand. The reason I ask is i found a 20 lb bag at my LFS for $22. Also the fourth and last question, how much sand do you think is required for a 20 gal (24"L x 12" W) for an 1"-1.5". Any help would be great! Sorry for the long post!

 

[loraxchick]

the stuff at home depot is fine...i used it in three of my tanks no prob...and YES it is ONLY$5 a bag! i cant remember the exact name of the stuff right now but the bag was clear and had green and red lettering. ill check tomorrow and repost. if it is the same stuff, it only needs a good rinse and rinse and rinse in a bucket in the bathtub until it stops clouding...stir it up with your hand the whole time, or just run the hose in the bucket until the water draining over the top comes out clear(not cloudy)...you can wash it in "shifts", splitting the contents of the bag and replacing a bit at a time in the tank. instead of trying to get the whole bag to fit in the bucket and wash it that way.
and no...if the sand doesnt have chemicals added to it, it is NO DIFFERET than the stuff you buy at the pet stroe that is "safe for aquariums"...its such a money market...there are loads of ways to save money in this hobby, esp if you have more than one tank.
CHEERS

 

[cowboy507]

i believe that the stuff from home depot will be fine. its cheap and good. you should only need to enough to fill up about 1 inch, although you could do more, that one is up to you. Ive seen many tanks that have various depths of sand to create a more appealing look.
Also i agree with lora in wshing the sand, this is a must, unless you want all that gunk in your tank

 

[dthoffsett]

Also the fourth and last question, how much sand do you think is required for a 20 gal (24"L x 12" W) for an 1"-1.5".

According to this calculator you'll need 12-18lbs to get 1-1.5", the calculator is for reef tanks, but will work for what you want.

I also used the white play sand from Home Depot with no problems.