playpit sand ??

[bribones]

is playpit sand suitable for the bottom of a tank housing tetras ?ive got chunky gravel and they keep hiding

 

[Doggfather]

yes, playpit sand can be used as a substrate as long as it it washed well

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I have it in all but one of my tanks, I didn't even need to wash mine that much and it settlesquickly because it's heavier than aquarium sand, I think.

Oh, and I got mine from Argos for £2.50 each and had them deliver it to save my back.

 

[ChriX]

I got mine from Argos too after a recommendation from cheesie, didn't get it delivered though so had to walk with it for like a mile, quite tiring!

Just make sure you wash it well!

 

[CFC]

Play pit sand is just silver sand in a fancy package and is fine for aquarium set ups, in fact it is the best and most authentic choice for Amazonian bio topes so if you tetras are of the South American variety it will be perfect.

 

[bribones]

thanks everyone ,hi cheese,

just got neons in there at the mo but aim to buy some cardinal and lemon tetras next week ,decided just to keep it as a tetra type tank

 

[kev]

I made the mistake of adding Tetras too early - I lost 12 cardinals!!

Just to confirm though - You have got substrate in the tank at the moment haven't you??

 

[cometcattle]

I have it in all but one of my tanks, I didn't even need to wash mine that much and it settlesquickly because it's heavier than aquarium sand, I think.

Oh, and I got mine from Argos for £2.50 each and had them deliver it to save my back.

How did you wash yours Cheese?

I kept changing the water till it ran clear and it took forever.

 

[CFC]

I dont bother to really wash sand before use, all i do is place it in a large bucket and let the hose run in the bucket for a few minutes so that the water runs down the sides, once the water starts to run a bit clearer i pour off the water and dump the sand into the tank.

 

[cometcattle]

I dont bother to really wash sand before use, all i do is place it in a large bucket and let the hose run in the bucket for a few minutes so that the water runs down the sides, once the water starts to run a bit clearer i pour off the water and dump the sand into the tank.

LOL, I live in an apartment, no hose.

Next time I'll try putting the bucket in the large sink in the laundry room.

My "water change" way of cleaning it was a nightmare.

 

[Fish Buddy]

I got mine from Argos for £2.50 each

Cheese, what do you mean each-how many pounds was that.

And what about pool filter sand, isn't that better than playsand? (and what is the colour difference?)

 

[CMC]

I replaced my gravel with play sand in my african cichlid tank last week and my water is still a little cloudy. I thought I had washed the sand very well. I'm going to do a 30% water change each week for the next 3 weeks to see if that will help to clear it up. Did anyone else have a problem with cloudy water at first?

BTW, I lost 2 of my cichlids in the process, 1 of them was my favorite (Julio) I placed the cichlids in a bucket using the tank water and an air stone while I made the switch (it took about 1-1/2 hours) and for some reason those two began gasping for air at the top of the water. I tried to hurry up and after I got done and put all of them back in the tank, those two began swimming sideways and were dead the next morning. I wonder if the shock of moving them did it because they were sensitive anyway. The other 3 are doing good.

 

[Teelie]

Pool Filter sand is better IMO because it's meant to be in water so it's heavier and doesn't cloud up easy if at all like Play sand has a tendency to do. Might be slightly more expensive than Play sand but still much cheaper than aquarium sand and worth it.

 

[bribones]

You have got substrate in the tank at the moment haven't you??

was gravel but now sand, tetras are back in the mixed tank at the mo

washed the sand ,water was running clear but now ive got a very fine haze in the water in the tank,changed the filter pad down to a finer grade,how long does it take this to settle ?

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I got mine from Argos for £2.50 each

Cheese, what do you mean each-how many pounds was that.

And what about pool filter sand, isn't that better than playsand? (and what is the colour difference?)

My playpit sand settled immediatley. Didn't have to wait for it to clean at all.

When I say each, I mean per bag. Each bag was 15kg.

cometcattle - I put some sand in the bath, put the plug in and ran the cold tap o it at full power for a second or 2. I wooshed it around with my hands a little, let the water out (the sand does not go down the drain because it's heavier than water) and scooped it out. Did it again until I had what I needed for my tank.



bribones - my tank really took no time at all to settle. I did it the other day for the fry tank and it was fine straight away.