FishFreaks
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
were going to change our 29g from gravel to sand? ive heard about going to home depot or lowes? what is the best type of sand? is it possible i could get black? thanks in advance.
whats the best sand?
- Thread starter FishFreaks
- Start date
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TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
It depends entirely on whether or not you want to buffer your water with the substrate. If you want nice black sand get Tahitian Moon Sand, though IME this allows every bit of debris to show up, and is unsightly in that regard.
If you do not need to raise the KH or pH of your water, then any kind of sand you want to use is fine. Pool filter sand is a favorite, because it is cheap and coarse. You can use plain old sandbox sand from Lowe's if you like, also. Caribsea has many types of sand available in different colors, some that buffer your water as for African cichlids, and for a 29 gallon it should not break the bank to get the kind of sand that suits you.
If you do not need to raise the KH or pH of your water, then any kind of sand you want to use is fine. Pool filter sand is a favorite, because it is cheap and coarse. You can use plain old sandbox sand from Lowe's if you like, also. Caribsea has many types of sand available in different colors, some that buffer your water as for African cichlids, and for a 29 gallon it should not break the bank to get the kind of sand that suits you.
mr funktastic
Aquarium Advice Addict
there is a black sand that u can buy but i have never seen it in a hardware store. i have only seen it in fish stores. it is kind of expensive but apparently it is very good and doesnt cloud you water or anything
FishFreaks
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
i preffer black, i think it would look much better with the color of my fish! i will probably buy online if i cant get black sand at lowes of home depot, my lfs would be way too expensive, they overprice bad. what do you think about seachems onyx sand or Tahitian Moon Sand?
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you buy the sand online, the shipping will most likely outweigh the price at the lfs. Your lfs most likely sells Este's sand. Their sand is VERY clean and comes in black. I will warn you though, it is expensive and all of the bags that I have ever bought of the black Este's sand has a harder time sinking and clumps easily. It's a lighter sand and kicks up easily. That's one of the reason why TankGirl said that pfs is a favorite, it is heavier and doesn't kick up easily, sinks very quickly, and doesn't clump.
PBirdsong
Aquarium Advice FINatic
You can also look at getting Blasting Grit. It's used for sand blasters but the only way you will be able to find it is to call a place that rents out Sand Blasters. Look in the Yellow Pages. I wasn't able to find blasting grit or pool filter sand at Lowes or Home Depot so I used play sand. You'll find pool filter sand at a pool or spa store. I would have liked to use that, but the only place I found was sold out. The play sand looks great, though; and it was only $3 for 50 lbs. Pool Filter Sand runs around $8 for 50lbs.
Whatever sand you get be sure you clean it first before you place it in your tank. I poured all of the sand into a rubbermaid container and filled it with water. Let the water keep running and pour over the side of the container until the water clears up. Afterward I filled my 55gl tank with about 4 inches of water and scooped the sand in slowly with a measuring cup. Your water will still be muddy and it will take a couple of days to settle again. But if you are in a hurry, I syphoned the dirty water out of my tank as I filled it at the same time. I did that for about two hours and the water cleared right up.
HTH
Whatever sand you get be sure you clean it first before you place it in your tank. I poured all of the sand into a rubbermaid container and filled it with water. Let the water keep running and pour over the side of the container until the water clears up. Afterward I filled my 55gl tank with about 4 inches of water and scooped the sand in slowly with a measuring cup. Your water will still be muddy and it will take a couple of days to settle again. But if you are in a hurry, I syphoned the dirty water out of my tank as I filled it at the same time. I did that for about two hours and the water cleared right up.
HTH
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
The cloudiness also depends on the type of sand used. The Este's didn't cloud at all after washed. The pfs didn't do it either if washed for about 20 minutes each bucket. But YMMV. Some brands cloud while others don't. I've heard that the play sand will cloud alot more than the others mainly because it's not for "clean" uses, if that makes any sense.
I bought Tahitian Moon(black) sand online from bigalsonline... believe it or not, it was cheaper with shipping than any other place that carried it within reasonable driving distance.. about a dollar difference. I have yet to put in the tank .. i should have it all set up by this weekend, I'll let you guys know how it goes ..pics too!
spongebob69
Aquarium Advice Activist
3M colorquartz sand...inert and comes in lots of colours...u can contact 3m for a local dealer...also..i've read that it doesn't build up gas pockets like most other sands.
