Switching To Sand

[AshleyGracie]

I want to switch from gravel to sand but wondering what is the best way to do it. I know I have to rinse the sand first but when I put it in and add water back, do I have to let it settle again before I put my fish back? How long will the water be cloudy? And will it hurt my filter or fish?
I bought play sand because of cost difference, is this ok? I know it is a lot finer and was worried it may cause harm.

 

[paulyoung666]

depending on your filtration the water could clear quickly or slowly , keep the fish out till it clears though is what i would do , playsand is fine , just make sure you wash it thoroughly

 

[comocrayfish5]

i use play sand too. the key is to rinse, rinse, rinse!!! when it get so the light dust is out and the heavier dust sinks, that will be fine. the sand wont hurt the fish. you might need to let the filter get the remaining dust
(i couldnt even see though my tank and its a 5 gal!) but after several times of mixing the sand after cleaning to release and trapped gasses, the sand eventually got better. now it is clean and settles quickly. to clean it just rotate your gravel vac in a circular motion or quickly go along the sand just above the surface, do not actually vac it!! to make the sand look better, i sifted mine in a fine mesh i found to get the bigger pieces out. you also want to make sure the water flowing out of the filter is not going on the sand because it will made a dent in the sand!
here is my 5 gallon with play sand and real wood and hair grass:

good luck and post pics!!

 

[OldMan47]

If you can even see the back of the tank and your filter is cycled, the fish will not care. Fish are far tougher tan most of us give them credit for being.

 

[BigFish01]

+1^ my fish have been through a lot and i have read that the bgk and clowns are very sensitive. They seem to adapt pretty well.

When i changed to sand i filled a five gallon bucket just under half way with sand and rinsed it real good while stirring about twenty times. Was rinsed good enough that when i filled my 55gal tank up it was barely even cloudy at all. Just wait until the water is warm enough and in they go! I used a 11 gal tall kitchen trash can by rubbermaid. The flat back let me hang my HOB filter on it and they lived in there for a week and a half with regular changes.

Hey, Good luck. And Take your time and enjoy it!

 

[kcartwright856]

I've only done a substrate change once, but it was relatively painless. I'll offer my tips.

- Sort out your fish, plants, and decor into buckets.
- Turn filters and heaters off.
- Scoop all of the gravel out with a large fish net. Place it all into another bucket.
- Drain the water with a siphon.
- Place new substrate in tank.
- Replace plants and decor.
- Refill the water in the tank.
- Place the fish back in the tank.
- Turn filters and heaters back on.
- Place some old substrate in mesh bags or nylon stockings, and then into the tank, to help reseed your disturbed bacteria colonies.

I find it best to do all of this in one go, as it does put a bit of stress on the fish. It's better to do it quickly and all at once.

I don't care for playsand at all. I find that it's a pain to rinse, kicks up at the slightest touch and hangs in the water for quite some time, tends to compact much more than other sands, creating more danger for anaerobic spots. You'll need to get in there and stir it every once in a while to prevent this, which kicks it back up again.

It can be very rough on your filter impeller, and is just a pain in general. I much prefer pool filter sand and/or sand blasting sands. Not too much more expensive and easier to work with, in my opinion.

There are plenty of people that like playsand just fine. It'll be up to personal preference in the end.

 

[Aqua Tom]

< I don't care for playsand at all. I find that it's a pain to rinse, kicks up at the slightest touch and hangs in the water for quite some time, tends to compact much more than other sands, creating more danger for anaerobic spots. You'll need to get in there and stir it every once in a while to prevent this, which kicks it back up again.

It can be very rough on your filter impeller, and is just a pain in general. I much prefer pool filter sand and/or sand blasting sands. Not too much more expensive and easier to work with, in my opinion. >

In what way is it easier to work with? Just curious as I am upgrading to a bigger tank soon & will be using sand again.

Tom

 

[kcartwright856]

< I don't care for playsand at all. I find that it's a pain to rinse, kicks up at the slightest touch and hangs in the water for quite some time, tends to compact much more than other sands, creating more danger for anaerobic spots. You'll need to get in there and stir it every once in a while to prevent this, which kicks it back up again.

It can be very rough on your filter impeller, and is just a pain in general. I much prefer pool filter sand and/or sand blasting sands. Not too much more expensive and easier to work with, in my opinion. >

In what way is it easier to work with? Just curious as I am upgrading to a bigger tank soon & will be using sand again.

Tom

Firstly, it is infinitely easier to rinse! In the aquascaping front, I find that it holds shape/slope better than the much finer playsand.

And the compacting is also a real issue in my eyes. It can be difficult and messy to stir to prevent anaerobic spots, whereas the larger-grained sands such as pool filter sand and blasting sands can be stirred very easily without kicking clouds of dust up.

Hope that answered your question, or at least helped!

 

[Aqua Tom]

< I don't care for playsand at all. I find that it's a pain to rinse, kicks up at the slightest touch and hangs in the water for quite some time, tends to compact much more than other sands, creating more danger for anaerobic spots. You'll need to get in there and stir it every once in a while to prevent this, which kicks it back up again.

It can be very rough on your filter impeller, and is just a pain in general. I much prefer pool filter sand and/or sand blasting sands. Not too much more expensive and easier to work with, in my opinion. >

In what way is it easier to work with? Just curious as I am upgrading to a bigger tank soon & will be using sand again.

Tom

Very helpfull. H

How much more expensive is it? I can get a 15k bag of playsand for £3 so need it to be close to that to make financial sense. Also where would I get this stuff from?

Tom

 

[kcartwright856]

I have literally no concept of the cost ratio of playsand versus pool filter or blasting sand in the UK. Here in the US, it's not that much more expensive than playsand, but significantly cheaper than sands designed specifically for aquariums.

Blasting sand can be found at most hardware stores. Pool filter sand can be found at shops that stock pool chemicals and supplies.

 

[AshleyGracie]

So after an hour of rinsing a half of a bucket of play sand and getting no where I went and got sand blasting sand. Looks great! Just waiting for the water to finish clearing and going to put up a black background to make it pop!
Thanks for the input guys!

 

[comocrayfish5]

post pics of the finished project!!