Whats The Best Way

[stephen57911]

hi just ordered me some sand for my tank from argos and was just wondering whats the best way to rinse it through i got be 3 bags to do ??

 

[mike455555]

i heard
1 half fill bucket with sand
2add water
3stir
4wait 2 mins
5 drain off water and any floating particals
repeat step 2+ untill the water is clear after 2 mins ... i might be wrong though iv never done it myself

 

[scobie140]

It could be pre washed, i got sand from toys r us and didn't need to rinse it but best checking with others if you can get away with that with the argos sand

 

[mike455555]

i hear it clogs up your filter if you dont wash it off... and turns your water cloudy ... but thats only word of mouth like iv said iv not actually used sand before (just picked up on things on here)

 

[stephen57911]

iv orderd 3 bags of it now 45kgs and have just noticed all the bad feedback it has like it can screw up the filter ect ???

 

[mike455555]

its good stuff but you need to wash it properly or it will mess you up... (apparently)

 

[karawr]

Sand has to be rinsed otherwise it will make your water cloudy/dirty. It won't affect fish or the filter it just won't look that nice.

Sand can mess up a filter by sand particles getting into the filter so make sure you only turn on the filter once it has settled, and make sure the intake is a suitable distance from the sand bed (ESPECIALLY if you have fish that like to kick up sand).

Rinse sand by putting it into a bucket out in the yard and run a hose in it for awhile. Stir occasionally. It will be clean once it runs clear.

I've done this 3 times now with 20lb bags and have never had dirty water.

EDIT: also if you put it into the tank after rinsing and the water looks dirty... that's fine. Your filter plus a couple of waterchanges will clear this up.

 

[mike455555]

^^ there you go =D someone whos done it

im thinking of setting up all my new tanks with play sand ;p

 

[stephen57911]

what about this way will take abit of time though

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-XB0bwtZh8&feature=related

 

[karawr]

Ummm no... as soon as you add the sand to your tank it's going to turn the water brown. Just clean the sand outside the tank.

 

[phishyphil]

It is right that you should clean your sand, It WILL clog up your filter, belive me, It happened to me the first time I ever used sand, the filter foams were Compact solid with blocks of sand.

Bucket of water, half fill, add half a bucket of water, just jeep turning the sand over and over for a minunte or so, then pour the dity water out, repeat until you have the amount of sand you desire, it will look better in the tank when it is set up too mate