can i use play sand?
by Aquaboy on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 | 2 Comments
is it ok to use play sand in my freshwater aquarium and is it hard to clean with a gravel cleaner will it suck up all the sand
Play sand, as long as it contains no “extras”, is fine, but be sure you wash it very well before adding it to the tank, as it will leave you with a perpetual fog otherwise. Cleaning a sand-bottom tank is actually considerably easier than gravel once you get the hang of it– just hover the siphon over the sand, and maybe “flail” it around a bit so the current pulls all the crap straight into the hose, while all the sand is left behind. Also, if you do suck up sand, it’s very easy to get it from the bucket back into the tank.
Play sand works very well, I have also heard great things about pool filter sand, but have not used it.
With whatever you choose, make sure to rinse it well, if you don’t, and you add it to the tank, your water will look like milk because of all the dust and particles in the sand.
As far as cleaning it, watch the video below, it is a great how to video about cleaning sand substrates.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/videos/cleaning_sand.php
Edit: Below is a good video showing the method used to rinse the sand, the man in the video is rinsing sand for a reef aquarium, but the method is the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EwuzVqEIL4
MFK