Sand for my tank

[ottawa11]

Hey guys,

I've been thinking of switching to sand for my 29 gallon FW tank. I'm just wondering where can I get sand that won't cost me much in the pocket.Also,  will play sand be useful in a FW tank?

Thanks

[dan2x38]

Merkley (sp) Building Supplies just off of Scott St. on Bayswater sell tons of sands and gravel for dirt (no pun intended) cheap. I bought a bag enough to do 2 tanks or more for $18. I rinsed it and my fish did great in it for years.

If you are planning to do plants sand is not the best choice. Some people use playground sand but I have no experience with it. I remember there is an issue with some type/s of that sand but forget what it was. It was discussed on here search the forums maybe.

[Feivel]

A little long but absolutely free,

Go to the dollar store and get a strainer for the park, kids section bundled with other shovels and sand toys. While your playing with your child at the park, strain the sand and you will get some small size rock. pull out the bigger ones you dont like and voila. obviously you must rinse it out untill nothing floats out of it.
i have picked up a 5 gallon pail from the park and its been in my tank now for a few months now no problems. plants seem ok with it too. 

hope this helps
(merkley would probably be MUCH quicker)
Cheers
Seb

[Fishnut]

If you do go to Merkley, they keep odd hours, so call ahead of time.  They also have no concept of how to use their products in aquariums.  You're specifically looking for Silica Sand.  I have #10 Silica in my tanks.  It's my personal preference because the smaller stuff is so lite that it gets sucked into the gravel cleaner too easily.

I can't remember exactly but I have a feeling there is a reason why play sand isn't used to often in aquariums.  Something about the purity of it and the way it affects water chemistry...not too sure.  Google it!

[dan2x38]

I did a search and found this link to a discussion on sane including play sand:

http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=23509.0

Read down to DarkDep he mentions the pros/cons of play sand.

From a playground it would be full of pee and I also read about kids picking up worms from play sand - intestinal worms that is... freakin' nasty! 

[Nerine]

yeah park sand bad! LOL

I'm going to Mermaid this weekend to grab some sand..it's fairly cheap and quite nice looking

[Feivel]

ok, so if you get park sand, rince it VERY well, then boil it for at least 5 minutes and you should be fine lol

but yeah serious about the intestinal worms? thats freaky cause im at the park A LOTwith my child......SIGH.. the world these days ......

[dan2x38]

but yeah serious about the intestinal worms? thats freaky cause im at the park A LOTwith my child......SIGH.. the world these days ......

Sorry OP little off topic but still regarding safe sand...

The park sand carries tons of stuff that would freak you out like rodent droppings, dog crap/pee, parasites, diseases (I read some stuff that scared me) wash hands after playground visit and in our last nieghbourhood my wife went and raked the sand in the playground there were syringe parts found there and other nasty stuff... BTW in less than a year we contributed to stopping these findings and cleaning up that nieghbourhood it was on the news - we've since moved.

[Nerine]

I wouldn't worry about it...you can get hookworms from walking barefoot, giardia from bird droppings and all sorts of stuff. just practice good hygiene

I would recommend AGAINST taking sand from a park though...why risk infection or killing your fish with chemical residue?  a bag of sand is cheap!

[ottawa11]

At mermaid how much does a bag usually go for? I don't think I'll go with the taking sand from the park idea hehe.  Thanks for all the useful tips

[wandmangels]

if i remember correctly pool filter sand is approx $10 for 50lbs @ mermaid pools on merivale

[ottawa11]

I went to Mermaid Pools and bought some sand. They gave me a bag that says silica sand...is that the filtered pool sand you guys are talking about or did they give me the wrong sand?

[dan2x38]

I went to Mermaid Pools and bought some sand. They gave me a bag that says silica sand...is that the filtered pool sand you guys are talking about or did they give me the wrong sand?

That is the one.

[ottawa11]

So how would I prepare it to be unharmful for my aquarium?? how long should I wash it for?

[Feivel]

till the water is not cloudy any more, or until the stuff stops floating out of it. swish your hand in the bucket to get all the smaller debris and dust out of it.

good luck with whatever you decide on doing.

[sas]

Hopefully we'll eventually get some nice weather and you'll be able
to get outside to do the rinse.
Try using a hose turned on just a bit, place it at the bottom of a pail
of sand and tip the pail slightly so water flows out the top.

[ottawa11]

Hopefully we'll eventually get some nice weather and you'll be able
to get outside to do the rinse.
Try using a hose turned on just a bit, place it at the bottom of a pail
of sand and tip the pail slightly so water flows out the top.

Thanks for that tip..wow did it ever take a while maybe 30 mins to 1 hour I was cleaning the sand. I've actually decided to start a new tank build. I found my old 40-50 gallon or more tank(I don't really know) in the shed. Its another cycle time and got to stay patient.