High Desert Play Sand

[Gramazing]

I decided to bite the bullet and change over from gravel to sand. It's want I really want and will look much cooler IMO, and besides, I want to get some cories.

I bought two bags of this stuff today. It's really white and is coarser than the aquarium sand they were selling at my LFS - and about 8 bucks instead of the 50 I would have paid for aquarium sand. It's called "High Desert Play Sand". I've been rinsing the stuff for a couple of hours and it still kicks up plumes in the water when I stir it around. It's a messy job! I was going to get pool filter sand but it costed the same as the aquarium stuff.

Has anyone else used this? I saw a thread where another person was going to use it but changed their mind. I found a lot of links where people are using it for saltwater tanks.

Also, what's the vinegar test? I poured some over a small handful of the sand and there's no bubbles or foaming, so it's not reacting. Is that bad and why? Does the sand really need to be so alkaline? My water is already high on pH, my tank is always on about 7.8 - 8, I don't want to put something in there that raises it even more, especially if I want to put cories in there.

[lobsternoob]

It can take a lot of time to get even the expensive aquarium made sand to rinse clean. I spent about an hour the other week rinsing 20 pounds of tahitian moon sand, which some people say should just go straight in the tank.

The fact that the sand is not reacting to vinegar is good, you dont wanna see that fizz, so you should be ok.

[Gramazing]

Ugh, it's taken me HOURS and I'm still not finished. It was standing in a bucket overnight and the water is still cloudy.

I'm going to make another attempt to find some cheap pool filter sand today. That apparently doesn't require rinsing, although I will still rinse it.

[Girl Got Mojo]

I used play sand in my 55 and it is a complete pain to get clean. I spent almost
3 hours a day over 4 days rinsing the stuff, and it still gets a little cloudy when i
vac. The trick is to stir while rinsing and do it in small amounts at a time. Paid
off well tho, i think its beautiful.

[Northernguy]

If you saw pool filter sand for the same price as aquarium sand you were in the wrong store.
I have never used play sand but the stuff you have sounds extremely fine.That will not be good for any filter.
The pfs I have is heavy and reacts much like small gravel.

[Gramazing]

If you saw pool filter sand for the same price as aquarium sand you were in the wrong store.
I have never used play sand but the stuff you have sounds extremely fine.That will not be good for any filter.
The pfs I have is heavy and reacts much like small gravel.
You're right about the price - it just didn't seem right to me after what people have said on this forum. It was $25 for a 25lb bag in both Lowes and Home Depot, but today I found an LPS (Local Pool Store :ssmile: ) and they sold me a 50 pound bag for $8. It's not pure white like the other stuff but it still looks great.

PLUS - it was a piece of cake to rinse it. :19:

It's in my tank now and it's almost completely clear after only about 15 minutes. My fish are cooling their fins in a tote and think I'll just pour the whole lot in in about another 15 minutes.

BTW - has anyone tried chasing a zebra danio around a 55 gallon tank with a 3 inch shrimp net?

BBTW - does anyone want 50 pounds of soggy High Desert Play Sand? It's outside behind a tree.

[Northernguy]

Its a lot whiter in the tank than in the bag!
Can't wait to see pics!thumbs2:

[Gramazing]

I will post a before and after pic later today.

[Swifterz]

it took me FOREVER to clean out my play sand, so don't get discouraged.

[Gramazing]

it took me FOREVER to clean out my play sand, so don't get discouraged.Nah, I used the pool filter sand instead, it was way easier to rinse.