Fresh Water Sand

[BiGBlak]

What type of sand is ok for a fresh water aquarium ? I went into petco today and askd about the sand and the lady said tht it was salt water sand . Is all sand salt water and can you wash that off us that the reason for washin sand before you put it into the tank or was she just wrong from the begining ? ...

[bushwhacker]

lol the lady has her head up her butt.. go to ace hardware and get playsand.. about 4 bucks for 50 #.. wash the heck out of it and you;ll be fine

[Garrett]

I use play sand from Home Depot. Two fifty pound bags have set up a 20, a 55, and a 38 and I've got a little bit left over. Your mileage may vary, but it's worked great for me.

Now, the sand they sold there may well have been SW only.

You are going to want to rinse the stuff out thoroughly just to remove all the small particles that'll cloud the water. I recommend a large bucket and a hose. It'll take you about half an hour, it's not too difficult.

[DrNic]

Most types of play sand will work fine in an aquarium. Just read the package and make sure there isn't any preservative in it. Some play sands will have preservatives or anti-bacterial granules to eliminate bacterial growth in a playground.

Some sand that you find at Petco is packaged in saltwater and may have crushed coral in it. With a decent washing you could use it in a freshwater tank (although crushed coral may effect your water chemistry). It tends to be expensive though.

[souly]

I liek Pool Filter sand. I paid like 8 bucks for a fifty pond bag, its more expensive than play sand, but doesn't compact like play sand does. Also clouds the water barely at all.

[annageckos]

I use play sand and have no problems what so ever with it. You can use play sand or pool filter sand, it is all personal prefence. You can also use some of the sands marked for saltwater, but you need to read the lables. Some of them are packed in water or are called 'live sand'. You want to avoid these.

[BiGBlak]

How many pounds should I get ? I'm not doin real plants ...