Washing Sand?

xamy_valox · Oct 2, 2011

Ok so I'm finally getting my 125 litre on wednesday and am hoping to buy my sand today ready. Everyone says how throroighly you have to wash sand but how do I go about doing it? Is it the same as gravel where you just swish it for ages in water and keep changing the water?
Or do I need to siv it? Also when putting it in the tank, do I need anything underneath it or can I just go straight in with it?

fidjet2 · Oct 2, 2011

When i put my sand in i-

put a bit of the sand in a bucket and fill with water- swishing it as you fill- once enough water is in there, wait for the sand to settle a litte and tip out the water- don't worry if some of the sand comes out with the bad stuff-

Repeat this with the same bit of sand over and over- until when you put water in, the sand sinks to the bottom in a couple of seconds- then put in the tank and start again with some more sand

takes awhile but if you don't do it like this, the water becomes cloudy.

I didn't put anything underneath my sand either.
hope that helps

xamy_valox · Oct 2, 2011

Ok cool, I went and bought it today along with some more plants as with my current plants the tank would look pretty bare haha. I got a nice light but natural looking sand so hopefully although it will go slightly darker in the water it will still look fresh.
My current tank is quite literally full of plants haha, my cories won't be happy for the next couple of days until I switch over to the new tank!!!
So just swish and get rid of manly water, and repeat until the sand sinks. Gonna take me a looooong time!!!
Thanks xx

This Old Spouse · Oct 2, 2011

Once I get it all washed, I put it in the tank, then mostly fill with warm dechlor water by pouring it onto a plate I've set on top of the sand. This will save you loads of clean and wait time. Fill it mostly full, then do an immediate water change of about 50% and replace with warm dechlor water again.

I know this sounds like a lot of extra work, especially after having cleaned the sand already, but I've found this really does the trick. Good luck!

Inchworm · Oct 2, 2011

I wash sand, just a few cupfuls at a time, in lukewarm water, in a round dishpan. It does take a little while to do this but when it's finished I think it's worth the effort. It's a sort of soothing thing to do and as a bonus, when it's done you will find that the abrasive sand has left your hands silky smooth.

xamy_valox · Oct 2, 2011

Haha, I'm kinda dreading it to be honest. I hate washing gravel let alone sand! But I'll stick with it and take on your suggestions. The plate thing sounds good, I was wondering how I would put the water in without then disturbing the sand.
As I'm doing this will my fish be ok in a bucket with a heater in?
Also, how is sand for plants? I've heard people say that the plants kinda float out of the sand? Should I put a bit of gravel around them?