Swart Skaap
Fish Fanatic
...is that meant for kids sandbox?
ingenius!
ingenius!
Sand Vs Gravel
- Thread starter dreworz5
- Start date
Wanda hornsey
Fish Crazy
If you have a tesco near you (UK) their play sand is cheaper still at around £1.70 a bag...mine is sand and gravel...yes i know but I want to try it...its a huge tank and has gravel both sides near my filter intackes and a "River " of sand down the centre..time will tell how it looks in a few months...And I think sand looks really great very natural 
Yup... Plenty of people on here have used it.. (i checked first).. the main thing is to make sure that it is NON-TOXIC.. which the argos one is.
Squid
isu_guy
Fish Crazy
dorkhedeos - sorry for putting words in your mouth about the bottom dwellers.
3M color quartz- I rinsed for a bit, nothing compared to what I've heard of some people doing for their play sand though. It was a bit dusty and I didn't wait for it to completely clear and I put it in the tank and carefully filled it. I never noticed a dust storm.
As for the mess showing up on it, I don't have any side by side comparisons, but I'd say its a lot less noticable on black than a white or light brown sand. Its not magic, if you look for the poop sitting on the sand you'll see it, but I don't think its too noticable. I've been pretty happy with it.
fyi - I bought mine from a place called Sterling Supply in Minneapolis. $22 for a 50lb bag. I bought 2 bags and that covered my 75g and 20g tanks.
3M color quartz- I rinsed for a bit, nothing compared to what I've heard of some people doing for their play sand though. It was a bit dusty and I didn't wait for it to completely clear and I put it in the tank and carefully filled it. I never noticed a dust storm.
As for the mess showing up on it, I don't have any side by side comparisons, but I'd say its a lot less noticable on black than a white or light brown sand. Its not magic, if you look for the poop sitting on the sand you'll see it, but I don't think its too noticable. I've been pretty happy with it.
fyi - I bought mine from a place called Sterling Supply in Minneapolis. $22 for a 50lb bag. I bought 2 bags and that covered my 75g and 20g tanks.
Dorkhedeos
Boss Major
np, how much does a 25lb bag of color quartz usually cost?
itszztom
Fish Fanatic
hey guys i never thought of sand for my aquariam before.
I have a 40-50 gallon tank with some kois in it. I'm about to transfer them to my pond soon. And i'm transfering my Silver Arowana * 9inches *
i also have 2 dojo loaches and 4 baby common plecos
my koi, dojo, and pleco is in the aquariuam witht he kois right now
i was thinking will sand be good for my fishes, Gravels cost a lot, the ones i buy, are sand any cheaper?
I have a 40-50 gallon tank with some kois in it. I'm about to transfer them to my pond soon. And i'm transfering my Silver Arowana * 9inches *
i also have 2 dojo loaches and 4 baby common plecos
my koi, dojo, and pleco is in the aquariuam witht he kois right now
i was thinking will sand be good for my fishes, Gravels cost a lot, the ones i buy, are sand any cheaper?
Dorkhedeos
Boss Major
if you buy the sand from home depot, its alot cheaper. i bought a 25 pound bag for 5 bucks. make sure it isnt cement mix though 
Opcn
Big fish
This is a UK based forum, althought I think it has more US members than UK members.
itszztom
Fish Fanatic
is sand safe for fish?
Cuz my fish usually nibbles on the gravel, what if they swallow some sand? lol
Cuz my fish usually nibbles on the gravel, what if they swallow some sand? lol
fatguppy
Fish Crazy
We changed completely from gravel to sand and I would never go back!
IMO the sand looks better, is easier to clean and the corys LOVE it! It is better for the corys too as it doesn't erode their whiskers either.
I am an English member of this site and have found that play sand is perfect. I rinse it a couple of times in a bucket and add it to the tank - no problems so far and that was about 6 months ago. Tesco, Argos, etc etc all do it. The one downside is that it is only available from these places in the summer. We have bought (in desperation) some aquarium sand from the lfs - it is identical but cost at least 10 times as much as the play sand.
I look at it this way - if it's non toxic for kids then it must be okay for the fish.
IMO the sand looks better, is easier to clean and the corys LOVE it! It is better for the corys too as it doesn't erode their whiskers either.
I am an English member of this site and have found that play sand is perfect. I rinse it a couple of times in a bucket and add it to the tank - no problems so far and that was about 6 months ago. Tesco, Argos, etc etc all do it. The one downside is that it is only available from these places in the summer. We have bought (in desperation) some aquarium sand from the lfs - it is identical but cost at least 10 times as much as the play sand.
I look at it this way - if it's non toxic for kids then it must be okay for the fish.
itszztom
Fish Fanatic
Is crystalline silica safe for fish?
I bought a bag of Filter Sand From a local pooll store. It contains crystalline silica.
Is this safe?
I bought a bag of Filter Sand From a local pooll store. It contains crystalline silica.
Is this safe?
Its funny that I was getting ready to post a question about sand and it was the top topic I just put sand in one of my tanks today. Really didn't research it much. Had a bag of play sand left over from my kids sandbox. I didn't think to rinse it, bet I should have. I put it in 3 or 4 hours ago and its still very cloudy. Is this to be expected? I wonder if a couple of water changes might do the trick. Any advice?
I just put sand in one of my tanks today. Really didn't research it much. Had a bag of play sand left over from my kids sandbox. I didn't think to rinse it, bet I should have. I put it in 3 or 4 hours ago and its still very cloudy. Is this to be expected? I wonder if a couple of water changes might do the trick. Any advice?isu_guy
Fish Crazy
itszztom- depending on the fish, it will put the sand in its mouth. My firemouths are constantly getting mouthfulls and spitting it out somewhere else. Its as if they are constantly redecorating. If they swallow it I would assume they will poop it out later. I doubt they swallow too much, it can't taste as good as normal food.
dorkhedeos- The place I went to only sold 50lbs bags. aquariums aren't really their main concern. This stuff is used to color and provide texture to the bottom of pools (and a few other purposes). But that might have changed... you'll have to look and see.
side note- Ive never done side by side comparisions but others that had said they couldn't tell the difference between colorquartz and tahitian moon sand... around me TMS costs 20-25 for a 20lbs bag... so ... colorquartz is half the cost of that, but on the other hand, still way more expensive than play sand. I've enjoyed it though.
dorkhedeos- The place I went to only sold 50lbs bags. aquariums aren't really their main concern. This stuff is used to color and provide texture to the bottom of pools (and a few other purposes). But that might have changed... you'll have to look and see.
side note- Ive never done side by side comparisions but others that had said they couldn't tell the difference between colorquartz and tahitian moon sand... around me TMS costs 20-25 for a 20lbs bag... so ... colorquartz is half the cost of that, but on the other hand, still way more expensive than play sand. I've enjoyed it though.
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