Sand?

[kmez]

hey folks im in the process of buying a bigger tank and really want a sand substrate but how the hell do i clean the sand before i add it???

obviously the wife's colander isnt going to work this time and im at a loss of how to clean it without loosing it all down the drain!

 

[o0ric0o]

id say stick it in a bucket swish it around with water let it settle a while and tip out the water

 

[nay27uk]

sand usualy comes in a sack, now this may or maynot work. in one end of the sack put a hole just big enough to fit in a hosepipe. then get a fork used for eating and puncture the sack in several places with the fork. then run the water through the hose. the sand should stay put, and the water should escape through the tiny fork holes in the sack. (you could also use a pin rather than a fork if you wanted finer holes)

 

[Rooster]

Get a bucket and half fill it with sand.... take it outside, near a drain and run a hose pipe into it - push the hose to the bottom, and with a decent flow of water, move the pipe about every five mins of so... continue until the water above the sand is clean - you cannot overdo this, each load may take 30 mins, but trust me.... time spent here will save a lot of tears later !

Once washed, I find it a LOT easier to half fill the tank with water then just "wash" the bucket out in the tank... or scoop it out with a mug etc.
The sand will settle immediately but turn off your filter to prevent any getting sucked up - which is bad!

 

[o0ric0o]

i wasnt far wrong then lol

 

[ibbledibble]

you may already know this, but as a warning sand can cause problems if not done right.

What type of sand are you using?
How deep is the level of sand in the tank?
What fish have you got/will you have in the tank?
Is it going to be planted? what sort of decor will it have?

 

[pauly]

I used the bucket method which worked a treat.

Put about three inches of sand in the bucket and fill it with water and stir the sand. All the dust and crap floats to the top whilst the sand sinks to the bottom. Then you pour the water straight down a drain, the sand will stay to the bottom of the bucket whilst the crap gets the flushed out. Then fill the bucket up with water again and repeat the process until the water you're flushing away is fairly clear. It took me about 5 times with each bucket load.

Then once its in the tank, the sand will settle almost immediately but leave it a day or so after filling up before turning the filter on. If its still a bit cloudy, use Filter Aid and a Filter Wool when you turn on your filter.

Sand looks so much better than gravel, good luck!

Paul.

 

[Rooster]

Then once its in the tank, the sand will settle almost immediately but leave it a day or so after filling up before turning the filter on. If its still a bit cloudy, use Filter Aid and a Filter Wool when you turn on your filter.

Sand looks so much better than gravel, good luck!

Paul.

It wont be cloudy if you wash it right the first time !

 

[pauly]

It wont be cloudy if you wash it right the first time !

It will to some degree. You can't get it 100% clear no matter how much you clean it.

 

[Straydum]

It wont be cloudy if you wash it right the first time !

It will to some degree. You can't get it 100% clear no matter how much you clean it.

i beg to differ. if you did wash properly, and i mean properly, it would be as clear as before the sand went in. that was how it was when i changed from gravel to sand.

 

[Darkstar]

It wont be cloudy if you wash it right the first time !

It will to some degree. You can't get it 100% clear no matter how much you clean it.

i beg to differ. if you did wash properly, and i mean properly, it would be as clear as before the sand went in. that was how it was when i changed from gravel to sand.

and I beg to differ in the favour of Pauly.

 

[Rooster]

It wont be cloudy if you wash it right the first time !

It will to some degree. You can't get it 100% clear no matter how much you clean it.

i beg to differ. if you did wash properly, and i mean properly, it would be as clear as before the sand went in. that was how it was when i changed from gravel to sand.

and I beg to differ in the favour of Pauly.

Fight fight fight !! LOL
I have always managed to get crystal clear water..... if there IS anything clouding the water, why didnt it come out in the rinsing ? Because you were impatient !



Once rinsed - you can literally pour it in - it sinks within seconds, then you turn the filter back on... job done

 

[unannon]

also if its still cloudy, for sand, it will settle when it grows natural micro-organisms on it, but that takes awhile. They also have a few chemicals available which will do this much quicker (i forget the names but i used it before and works great)