Habitat - Indoor :: Sand FAQ

[Chrisbarnett]

I did get the tank from craigslist.

gabloo,
look in your local pool supply store, they will have lots of different colors of sand. If not, then online you can order high quality 3M sand for not too much money, shipping is what kills with a 50+lb package. sometimes they will have free shipping deals, so jump on one of those if possible.

[psumichael]

Anyone used this specific type of sand? My local Home Depot stocks this.

[vear]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I used that one. I think it doesn't say anywhere how many pounds it is right? It gives you cubic feet. I used 2 of them for my 75gal.

[psumichael]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I used that one. I think it doesn't say anywhere how many pounds it is right? It gives you cubic feet. I used 2 of them for my 75gal.

Yep, when I quickly looked at it at Home Depot yesterday I didn't see a weight listed either.

Were/are you happy with the sand? Not too much of a PITA to clean, etc? Also, did you in the end think that two bags was necessary? I was just going to get one bag for my 75 gallon tank. Don't want the sand piling up above the tank trim, if that makes sense. Thanks!!

[vear]

Well, I cleaned it for a very very long time, but it was definitely a lot cleaner than the previous one I had. I cleaned it forever b/c I didn't want to deal with a sand disaster like I did the first time. I liked having 2 bags... honestly you probably don't need the entire 2. I think those bags are about 40lbs and you need ~50lbs for 1 inch in a standard 75 gallon so that's why I went with 2 bags.

[psumichael]

Well, I cleaned it for a very very long time, but it was definitely a lot cleaner than the previous one I had. I cleaned it forever b/c I didn't want to deal with a sand disaster like I did the first time. I liked having 2 bags... honestly you probably don't need the entire 2. I think those bags are about 40lbs and you need ~50lbs for 1 inch in a standard 75 gallon so that's why I went with 2 bags.

Thanks, vear! I may just pick up one bag for now as I have a lot of river rocks I'm going to put in the tank also. I can always add another bag later if warranted.

So this Home Depot sand is the sand you were referring to earlier as "white" and that you love it compared to the previous beige sand you had in the tank?

[vear]

Well, I cleaned it for a very very long time, but it was definitely a lot cleaner than the previous one I had. I cleaned it forever b/c I didn't want to deal with a sand disaster like I did the first time. I liked having 2 bags... honestly you probably don't need the entire 2. I think those bags are about 40lbs and you need ~50lbs for 1 inch in a standard 75 gallon so that's why I went with 2 bags.

Thanks, vear! I may just pick up one bag for now as I have a lot of river rocks I'm going to put in the tank also. I can always add another bag later if warranted.

So this Home Depot sand is the sand you were referring to earlier as "white" and that you love it compared to the previous beige sand you had in the tank?

Yes, that's the one! I think they have beige and white in that brand, but I wanted the white one.

[LouDiamondz]

should i put the water conditioner in after adding the sand and it settles? or just after adding the new water?

[Chrisbarnett]

you can put in water conditioner whenever you want.

[LouDiamondz]

is sakrete play sand okay?

[LouDiamondz]

Added some sand to Marley's new tank.. definitely didn't wash it long enough. was cloudy ALL DAY and still is. hopefully its not in the AM.

[db'sSlider]

Hey everyone, not sure if this has been mentioned, but seeing that nobody has talked about it (from what ive read) id like to get your opinions.
I was told by a friend who was told by a fish store owner that they use pool filter sand in all there tanks.
So when I was over at his house helping him setup his new 180 gallon we basically lined the bottom and filled it up, no rinse required and the water never got cloudy.
So I went ahead and did the same in my tanks.
When i filled up my maps tank I did not rinse the sand at all and the water was 100% clear, but I did line the tank with sand before filling it.!

Now with my res, I dumped the sand in while the tank was full so of course it got cloudy but nowhere near as bad as using the play sand!

And heres the best part, for a 50 gallon bag it was only $10.81!

So, unless there is some major reason not to use this sand, I would suggest this to anyone who doesn't want to have to rinse your sand for hours before putting it in your tank.

[psumichael]

Well, I cleaned it for a very very long time, but it was definitely a lot cleaner than the previous one I had. I cleaned it forever b/c I didn't want to deal with a sand disaster like I did the first time. I liked having 2 bags... honestly you probably don't need the entire 2. I think those bags are about 40lbs and you need ~50lbs for 1 inch in a standard 75 gallon so that's why I went with 2 bags.

Thanks, vear! I may just pick up one bag for now as I have a lot of river rocks I'm going to put in the tank also. I can always add another bag later if warranted.

So this Home Depot sand is the sand you were referring to earlier as "white" and that you love it compared to the previous beige sand you had in the tank?

Yes, that's the one! I think they have beige and white in that brand, but I wanted the white one.

Hmmm...this isn't going as planned.

I cleaned the Pavestone brand sand for a good 20 minutes in a 5 gallon bucket in the tub, then put it in the tank. Visibility was less than an inch! Took almost all the sand out and rewashed it in an 18 gallon rubbermaid container for a good 45 additional minutes. Drained almost all the water from the tank. Put the rewashed sand back in the tank and visibility is still horrible. Literally you can't see more than 2 inches. Grrr. If I knew it would be this much of a PITA I would have stuck with river rocks.

Vear, are you sure this is the type of sand you bought from Home Depot? I'm starting to think it's really fine sand and that a significant portion of the grains are so small they suspend in water.

Any suggestions on how to proceed? Another water change? I'm thinking that if I just leave it alone that any future "stirring" in the tank will result in it getting cloudy again.

[steve]

I'm not sure about the type of sand, but I think you need to give the filter more time to deal with the fine particles.

[psumichael]

I'm not sure about the type of sand, but I think you need to give the filter more time to deal with the fine particles.

Thanks for the reply. Okay, I'll let the filter run over night before doing anything else.