Argos Children's Play Sand

[mackay55]

can you use this in a aquarium if yes how do you clean it.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, you can use it in fish tanks; I have it in most of mine.

Half fill a bucket with sand, run it under the tap (an outside one if possible) and pour away all the stuff that doesn't sink immediately, even if you lose a bit of the good sand along with it. You must be ruthless about tipping away all the particles that don't sink, as that's the stuff that will cloud your tank if you don't get rid of it. Carry on rinsing until all you have left is the heavy sand that sinks within a few seconds

 

[Aqua Tom]

Yes, you can use it in fish tanks; I have it in most of mine.

Half fill a bucket with sand, run it under the tap (an outside one if possible) and pour away all the stuff that doesn't sink immediately, even if you lose a bit of the good sand along with it. You must be ruthless about tipping away all the particles that don't sink, as that's the stuff that will cloud your tank if you don't get rid of it. Carry on rinsing until all you have left is the heavy sand that sinks within a few seconds

+1. Argos playsand is the perfect substrate.

 

[Hermithall]

Lots of people use it with no problem, I had it myself once over. I suppose the only issue is that there is no onus on the producer to make it aquarium safe, and being that it is not actually meant for aquarium use, the processes involved in it's preparation could change at any time rendering it dangerous for fish - i.e the addition of anti fungal/bacterial agents. Ignoring the vague risk, it's a way to save a few quid while putting up with some extra rinsing (branded aquarium substrates have usually been pre-rinsed to some extent).

 

[CezzaXV]

My LFS sells small bags of sand and gravel for £3.99, and it took 2 to cover the bottom of my 60L. I know I could have saved a few quid by buying the play sand, but I'll rest easier in the knowledge that the sand is meant for aquarium use.

 

[Tizer]

play sand is inert, it has to be by law to qualify as play sand, thus its perfectly safe for aquariums. I got 4 bags of the stuff in my tank ;D

 

[Hermithall]

My LFS sells small bags of sand and gravel for £3.99, and it took 2 to cover the bottom of my 60L. I know I could have saved a few quid by buying the play sand, but I'll rest easier in the knowledge that the sand is meant for aquarium use.

Good for you
Purchasing purpose produced aquarium substrates is my modus operandi too these days, and erring on the side of caution for that extra peace of mind is deffo well worth the extra few quid, couldn't agree more. The merest hint of a suggestion of things like anti-fungal agents makes me paranoid!

 

[raptorrex]

My LFS sells small bags of sand and gravel for £3.99, and it took 2 to cover the bottom of my 60L. I know I could have saved a few quid by buying the play sand, but I'll rest easier in the knowledge that the sand is meant for aquarium use.

Good for you
Purchasing purpose produced aquarium substrates is my modus operandi too these days, and erring on the side of caution for that extra peace of mind is deffo well worth the extra few quid, couldn't agree more. The merest hint of a suggestion of things like anti-fungal agents makes me paranoid!

but making a dissension on erroneous information, as you have, is not smart. neither is suggesting there is something dangerous or harmful in PlaySand.
please point out where there is a suggestion of "anti fungl" in playsand?

it is now, and always has been, safe for use in an aquarium. indeed, please point out any time it has caused a problem?

please point out, also, this is your choice, based on nothing other than your feelings. and is in no way based on fact.

 

[Hermithall]

My LFS sells small bags of sand and gravel for £3.99, and it took 2 to cover the bottom of my 60L. I know I could have saved a few quid by buying the play sand, but I'll rest easier in the knowledge that the sand is meant for aquarium use.

Good for you
Purchasing purpose produced aquarium substrates is my modus operandi too these days, and erring on the side of caution for that extra peace of mind is deffo well worth the extra few quid, couldn't agree more. The merest hint of a suggestion of things like anti-fungal agents makes me paranoid!

but making a dissension on erroneous information, as you have, is not smart. neither is suggesting there is something dangerous or harmful in PlaySand.
please point out where there is a suggestion of "anti fungl" in playsand?

it is now, and always has been, safe for use in an aquarium. indeed, please point out any time it has caused a problem?

please point out, also, this is your choice, based on nothing other than your feelings. and is in no way based on fact.

Uurghh, nice tone there fella

Hmm, I made the point earlier in the thread that there is no onus on the producer of children's play sand to make it aquarium safe, so while the brand in question (Argos play sand) has been proven aquarium safe thus far, we have no guarantee that it will remain so - that was my point, shame you didn't read the whole thread and come to realize that by yourself. I've read that other play sands are said to contain anti-fungal or anti-bacterial agents, so that's how my concerns arose about the future safety of Argos play sand. It's a reasonable concern I think.
Carrying on with your theme of what's "smart" I'll stick to the good practice of using purpose made aquarium products which have undergone the appropriate quality checks and approval, then there is no issue. I feel that encouraging people to use alternative products aimed at different markets (sand or otherwise) is just overall bad practice leaving the doors wide open to potentially harming fish. I can totally understand the defensive attitude of people sitting at home with aquariums full of kiddie's play sand, it's a human knee jerk reaction to criticism but I won't change my principles and I'm not scared to exercise my opinion about it

Just to be as clear as I can to help the OP, here's the state of play on Argos play sand. It is made from quartz or silica which is entirely inert and 100% safe in itself for use in the aquarium. To comply with the law for children's safety (not fishes, lol sheesh!) the sand must pass safety tests for heavy metals and must have a low enough content of ferrous oxide to not cause staining. Further to that, the particle size should fall within a range from 1mm down to 63 micron with a sub rounded grain shape in order to avoid abrasion.
As far as use in the aquarium goes, it's all good, good, GOOOOOD!!!! But... they could add something else or make some change in the process making it unsuitable for fish in the future. Here's a quote from British Play Sand themselves who supply Argos:

"British Play Sand is continually monitoring and improving production methods to ensure only the highest quality end product reaches the market."

How could you do that then? Hmmm, lemme see - let's stick some anti-fungal agent in there!!

Bottom line is that this is not sold as aquarium substrate, it's meant for children to build sand castles with, and whether or not it will always be safe for aquarium use is pretty much irrelevant if you're an old hen like me and you want to be 100% responsible about it, because in that case you'd fork out for something that was always safe, is currently safe, and always will be safe!!

Edit: No offence to anyone, merely stance/opinion

 

[lilfishie]

i have it in all 8 of my tanks, no problems what so ever

 

[Hermithall]

Didn't have problems with mine either, nobody has had problems with it