Sand

[AndI3kAY]

Ok, just got some sand today for my new 30 gallon. Many people on here recommended pool filter sand, i got a 50 lb bag for about 10 dollars, great deal! But the salesman said the sand was 20 grit? The grains look pretty large to me, will this kind be ok or should i return it?

 

[Convict2161]

Ok, just got some sand today for my new 30 gallon. Many people on here recommended pool filter sand, i got a 50 lb bag for about 10 dollars, great deal! But the salesman said the sand was 20 grit? The grains look pretty large to me, will this kind be ok or should i return it?

Your fine. 20 grit is the size of the particle. 1mm I believe. That's just about right.

 

[wildroseofky]

I have a 29 gallon that I just set up with pool filter sand. Be sure to rinse it really well. I put it in a pillow case and ran water through it but that didn't get it very clean. The water was still a mess the next day. I ended up draining the tank and putting the sand in a bucket and rinsing it that way. It took a lot of stirring and digging around in it to get it clean. The water didn't get dirty looking a bit the second time around. Sand looks so much better than the gravel.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

As already stated rinse it very very well. All I had when I did my 55g in sand was a 2 gallon bucket. It took me a while, but I did maybe 10 cupfuls (I used a solo cup) at a time. I rinsed each bucket of sand 10 times. My water was cloudy after filling the tank up, but it did clear completely in a few hours. So given my experience I would rinse more than 10 times per bucket.

 

[Eli]

When I was changing from gravel to sand in my first tank I got a bit lazy and gave the sand a quick rinse and just dumped it in... And what a nightmare! I left it for around a week doing 50% water changes every day and the water was still like mud by the end, so I had to strip everything out and start again in the end. Needless to say I learnt my lesson and spent a bit more effort cleaning the sand the second time! I'm not sure how long I rinsed it for, I used a dish bowl (only used for fish stuff so no soap or chemicals in it) then filled it with water, stirred up the sand then emptied off the water and I did this until the water ran off clear for a few times. It may seem like a nuisance at the time but I wish I just did I properly the first time lol.

I think that grain size should be ok, might even make cleaning a bit easier as its a but heavier so you'll lose less of it when your vacuuming the surface

 

[Rare]

It took me a good hour or so to get all the 50lb cleaned but well worth the price and the look I wanted. I made sure I got everything out and the water was clear. I took a few big scoops and in the tank they went... water is clear. I havent put it all in but happy at what I see so far.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

It took me a good hour or so to get all the 50lb cleaned but well worth the price and the look I wanted. I made sure I got everything out and the water was clear. I took a few big scoops and in the tank they went... water is clear. I havent put it all in but happy at what I see so far.

Just curious how big of a tank you have? I only used half the bag to get about an inch in a 55g.

 

[Rare]

I have a 50g tank. I washed all the sand at once & dont plan on using all of it but knowing it cleaned im good. I'm started so only a few scoops went inside till I get my hands on some holey rocks.