Habitat - Indoor :: Sand FAQ

[francinemarie]

I bought it at OSH(Orchard supply hardware) don't know if they have em where you live?

Yes, 30lbs would be good. That's about what I used in my 55g for a general sand depth of 1".

oh i don't think we have that here (U.S.). i have Lowes, Home Depot, & other smaller stores. thanks for the info

[Chrisbarnett]

I'm in the U.S.

I'm in california!

[francinemarie]

I'm in the U.S.

I'm in california!

oh lmao, i'm sorry. i don't think we have that here in jersey then

[ScrewZoo]

I just washed my sand and threw it in the tank, How long does it take to seddle? its REALLY cloudy..i washed it for at least 10 minutes.. Also is it okay for my turtles to be in there while it settles?

[Chrisbarnett]

its answered in the first page.

[Listen97]

i lucked out one day. i happen to work at lowes and decided to try this. when i walked over to the building materials side where they keep the sand they had a broken bag that was marked down to .25cents. what a great deal. my only warning is to be careful, it had a little bit of other sediment from being outside but with proper washing it all comes out.

[ScrewZoo]

Zoo Already answered my question so no need to look now! thanks though.

[francinemarie]

I just washed my sand and threw it in the tank, How long does it take to seddle? its REALLY cloudy..i washed it for at least 10 minutes.. Also is it okay for my turtles to be in there while it settles?

yep, answered on the 1st post like Chris said . depends on how well you washed your sand & yes it's ok for your turtle to be in the tank while it settles

[ScrewZoo]

Its been 24 hours, I put the turtles back in, and its still kinda cloudy.. i washed it pretty well too..

[francinemarie]

chrisbarnett - what happens if you just put the sand in the tank & fill it with water? it takes a longer time for the sand to settle & looks cloudy?

[desertcoyote93]

I live in the Mojave Desert and there is lots of sand where I live. I was wondering if it would be safe to put some of my sand through a sifter then use the fine grains of sand for my tank. I also have a Pleco fish. Would the sand harm the fish if it sucked up some of the sand while it is settling?

[Chrisbarnett]

chrisbarnett - what happens if you just put the sand in the tank & fill it with water? it takes a longer time for the sand to settle & looks cloudy?

yeah it will take ridiculously long to settle. Also, when it gets kicked up, the finer particles that didn't get washed out will suspend in your water again.

I live in the Mojave Desert and there is lots of sand where I live. I was wondering if it would be safe to put some of my sand through a sifter then use the fine grains of sand for my tank. I also have a Pleco fish. Would the sand harm the fish if it sucked up some of the sand while it is settling?

Hmm, if you are sure it is sand only that you will get after sifting it, then I'd say it'd be ok. Make sure that you boil it first, because otherwise your bringing unknown stuff into your tank. No it won't harm the fish.
But if you can, I'd avoid the sand from the desert. Just pay $5 for a 50lb bag of it at a local hardware store.
Hope it helps.

[francinemarie]

chrisbarnett - what happens if you just put the sand in the tank & fill it with water? it takes a longer time for the sand to settle & looks cloudy?

yeah it will take ridiculously long to settle. Also, when it gets kicked up, the finer particles that didn't get washed out will suspend in your water again.

aw ok, reason i ask is because it's winter now here in jersey & i don't have any place to run the sand in a bucket . which is why i've been looking hard for the green play sand. thank you

[Chrisbarnett]

No place at all to rinse some sand?? Can't you just use your shower?

I used the shower to wash a couple pounds of sand the other day, worked nicely.

Also, warning If you wash your sand in cold water, do not put it straight into the tank. the sand being so cold can cause a water Temp. drop that can shock your turtle, possibly causing a RI or worse. If you wash your sand in extremely hot water, a temp increase will happen. Not sure if this would be as much of a problem as a cold shock though. So if you washed with super cold or very warm water, let your sand cool to room temp. before putting it into the tank.

[Chrisbarnett]

I'm also adding that last paragraph to the first page. I forgot about it until now.