POOL FILTER SAND!! CAN'T BE FOUND!!!!!

[Mad Professor]

OK I've been to Home depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware and some local hardware stores and it can't be found!!! I've been looking for it, but it must be under a different name in the south. I live in florida. So is this just a northern or western thing???
I'm going to call some pool stores to see if they have it...
Please I need some help!!!!!

 

[src]

Just go to a local swimming pool supplier. They all have it.

 

[joannde]

Go to Pinch-A-Penny - they'll have it for sure

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yes, check a pool supply store. They will have it, especially now since it is summer and prime time pool activity season. I have never been able to find it at Hardware stores like Ace, Lowe's, and Home Depot.

 

[Creamhorses]

Our Aubuchon Hardware Store has it. Bought 4 bags........love it for my set up's.
Don't know if you have those stores in Florida.

 

[Mad Professor]

How much did you guys pay for your sand?
What should I ask for so I don't get something to kill my fish?
I plan on using this 10gal in my room as a little test lab before I put anything in my 29Gal.

 

[Creamhorses]

Can't find the receipt.but it's made by Quikrete, the same folks that make the cement. 50# bags. I've found that even though theyt claim it's washed, some bags have had a very strong chlorine smell. I rinsed that several times and let the pail sit for a day before I added the sand to the tank, even though I wasn't going to add water or 'life' for a while.

 

[Mad Professor]

Well I called Pinch-A-Penny they have it at one store here in orlando.
They didn't recognize the term Pool Filter Sand. So I asked what kind of sand they had and it was silca sand. Is that safe? I've been running some searches on AA, and found out it is abrasive to saltwater fish. But I'm going freshwater.
One of the fish I'm getting for sure and is one of my favorites, CORIES!!!!!!
Is this going to be a problem??

 

[hulkamaniac]

Just buy play sand. I used the sand that comes in those big bags you use to weight down the back of a pickup during the winter.

 

[Mad Professor]

Just buy play sand. I used the sand that comes in those big bags you use to weight down the back of a pickup during the winter.

umm ok....?......

So I should use play sand or silca sand????
I need more data input please? MORE INPUT!!!!!!!

 

[Creamhorses]

I use this 'pool filter' sand because it is very consistant in size, and it works very well for plant roots and.......[[oh boy, do I dare wisper such nefandous nomanclature]] UGF's. I just set up a 55 gallon with this sand, the UGF, run with 2 Power heads. I love it.

CH

 

[Shelby_Tempo_GT]

Just buy play sand. I used the sand that comes in those big bags you use to weight down the back of a pickup during the winter.

umm ok....?......

So I should use play sand or silca sand????
I need more data input please? MORE INPUT!!!!!!!

silica is sand. All sand, rocks, soil, aggregate is silica based.

Play sand is generally washed and sterilized (and sometimes colored)

"Silica sand" probably means its raw sand straight from the quarry (sand from crushed rocks vs hauled up from a beach)

 

[Mad Professor]

So what should I use for cory cats?
Silica ? Play Sand

I have used gravel with my cory cats ever since. The originals are still alive, 7 years and still going.
But I'm worried about barbells if I switch to sand.
Am I ok if I go with Silica?

 

[SCFatz]

I use pool filter sand.For me I can find it at the local home depot...but it seems most people can't.

It was about 5 bucks for five cubic feet,which is a pretty heavy bag...40 or 50 pounds I'd guess.

It works great and I,like others have mentioned,suggest a pool supply store.

 

[Mad Professor]

ok I'm was a little ticked off this morning, but now I'm pissed. I asked twice if PFS/Silica sand was safe for my cories barbells and any other soft bellied fish.

GAWD!!!! It seems lately like people just don't/can't read or have been ignoring my posts alot..
GEEZ!!!

 

[An t-iasg]

I recently got some pool filter sand. I got it at a pool supply store. It is quartz sand, which is inert and won't change your water parameters - meaning it won't increase your pH or KH values.

Quartz does belong to the silica group, if you are interested in the classification of minerals. My sand was not sharp - it was rather coarse in texture and not fine like playsand. If you look at silica sand at a hardware store, make sure to rub a few grains between your fingers and make sure it's not sharp for the bottom dwellers.

Playsand can also be known as aragonite sand - it may be labeled this way at a hardware store. You don't want this sand for freshwater because it will raise or keep stable a high pH; unless you are keeping a fish that needs a higher pH like African cichlids.

 

[Mad Professor]

I recently got some pool filter sand. I got it at a pool supply store. It is quartz sand, which is inert and won't change your water parameters - meaning it won't increase your pH or KH values.

Quartz does belong to the silica group, if you are interested in the classification of minerals. My sand was not sharp - it was rather coarse in texture and not fine like playsand. If you look at silica sand at a hardware store, make sure to rub a few grains between your fingers and make sure it's not sharp for the bottom dwellers.

Playsand can also be known as aragonite sand - it may be labeled this way at a hardware store. You don't want this sand for freshwater because it will raise or keep stable a high pH; unless you are keeping a fish that needs a higher pH like African cichlids.

FINALLY!!!! I love you!
Thank you
I guess silica/PFS sand is the best way just as long its not sharp.
I kept debating for last few hours between silica and playsand, on what info I had. This completes what I'm looking for. OFF I go on my journey to find the perfect batch.

GAWD!!!!!1 ~LoL

 

[An t-iasg]

Mad Professor - I can understand your concern - you just want what's best for your fish. But please don't shout! There is no need to use a huge font size to draw attention to your post - as far as I can see, you have gotten several helpful replies. It has not even been an hour since the last reply, not including mine above.

You will have to visit hardware stores and pool supply stores to look at and feel the sand. That's what I did one afternoon. I have given you my experience in sand "shopping". Some places will have different nomenclatures/labels on the bags, whether it's playsand, silica, etc. You'll have to keep our responses in mind as you go out to look, and after you take a look around, post back with questions.

 

[Mad Professor]

Sorry but I can't help it. You try posting something on acouple of other forums and it doesn't get answer within the day or 2.
But I had questions on my cories. I posted one at 11:01am, I didn't get an answer. At 1:02 Pm I posted again, 50 minutes I still couldn't get an answer until you came along. But lately it seems like I post something in a forum and it doesn't get anwser or They plainly ignore it like it was nothing. Even if this wasn't a day still I got fed up and just threw large text out on the table.

 

[QTOFFER]

Dude, chill! Don't forget it's summer and board activity usually drops when the weather gets nicer.

There's two basic types of sand: coral-based (aragonite), and silica based. As An t-iasg said, you don't want aragonite unless you're keeping rift lake cichlids.

Play sand, pool sand, and construction sand are all silica based. The only difference is the size and coarseness of the grains. Play sand is very fine and very smooth while construction sand is irregularly sized and rough. Pool sand lies in the middle.

I'd stay away from construction sand if you have corys because of it's rough texture. Play sand will work fine, but it's difficult to rinse and takes longer to settle due to its fineness. Pool sand is your best choice. A bona-fide pool supply store is certain to carry it.