how do you wash sand?

[mellawson]

I would like to use sand instead of rock when I set up my 30 gal tank, but I'm lost on what kind to get, where to get it, and most importantly how in the heck do you wash it with out washing it away?

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Its really quite simple, just find the sand you want. Put it in a 5 gal bucket (i used 2 for my 29 gal). Fill it with the sand about even in both so half to 3/4 full. I filled the bucket with water to about an inch above the sand line then swirled with around and emptied out the water. After that i took the hose and stuck it into the sand, swirled it around and let it run for a while (until the water starts running clear) after that you should be good, you may have to do a couple 50% water changes for the first week but no biggie.

 

[mellawson]

Thanks! sounds simple enough, but then again so did resealing the tank..lol

 

[Evaunitone]

When I cleaned my sand I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed and rinsed...... and it still had a lot of dust in it. I use water clarifier and that cleared it up quick but you have to wash that out of your filters / sponges. On the other hand if you get white pool filter sand you barely have to rinse it at all.

 

[meegosh]

I used in playsand in my 10g and 30g long and was able to wash it in my bathtub (apartment building). I did the same as Chad recommended, filled bucket halfway, tilted the bucket at an angle and started to swirl the sand around until it ran clear. It took me about an hour to rinse 50lbs for my 30g. The more you rinse, the less cloudy the tank will be at first. It took my 10g about 8 hours to completely clear up but within an hour most had settled. My 30g cleared up overnight with a pre-filter running on my AC50.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

I used in playsand in my 10g and 30g long and was able to wash it in my bathtub (apartment building). I did the same as Chad recommended, filled bucket halfway, tilted the bucket at an angle and started to swirl the sand around until it ran clear. It took me about an hour to rinse 50lbs for my 30g. The more you rinse, the less cloudy the tank will be at first. It took my 10g about 8 hours to completely clear up but within an hour most had settled. My 30g cleared up overnight with a pre-filter running on my AC50.

+1 on the ac50 too it really does a great job of clearing the water. Mine runs with no chemical filtration either. Great little filter.

 

[BigJim]

In another thread, someone suggested using a cheap pillow case and a hose to rinse your play sand. It was one of those "I wish I'd thought of that!" moments.

If you get PFS or Quickrete medium sand, it doesn't need much more than a quick rinse. Play sand is much more dusty.

 

[meegosh]

Quickrete's Premium Playsand wasn't too bad either. Never thought of the pillow case way... I guess it just strains it. All I can say is that it is pretty dusty when you first dump it into the bucket. I usually pull my shirt up over my nose so I don't breath it in. I'm not concerned for health reasons... if you ever got some of the dust in your mouth you'll know what I mean, LOL.

 

[Viper]

In another thread, someone suggested using a cheap pillow case and a hose to rinse your play sand. It was one of those "I wish I'd thought of that!" moments.

If you get PFS or Quickrete medium sand, it doesn't need much more than a quick rinse. Play sand is much more dusty.

I've mentioned using this method before on the forums but I can't take credit for the idea (if in fact it was my post that you saw it on). Either way, it does work rather well and if you look at the pic in my avatar, it was taken literally 2 minutes after I filled the tank up for the first time after adding sand.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

I've mentioned using this method before on the forums but I can't take credit for the idea (if in fact it was my post that you saw it on). Either way, it does work rather well and if you look at the pic in my avatar, it was taken literally 2 minutes after I filled the tank up for the first time after adding sand.

So you just put the sand in the case and fill it with water?

 

[WhiteDevil]

yep, works best with a hose, basically that pillow case turned into a sock filter. it holds the sand you want and gets rid of the tiny granuals and dust.

ANY sand is easy to clean compared to flourite.

Also, you can use a fish net, not a fine one just an old green one, to clean the sand when its in the tank, kick up is minimal and the fish love what you dig up.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Hmmm...I'm gonna keep that in mind for my 250 gal build. Ill get you with rep for that when it let's me. Thanks

 

[WhiteDevil]

with a 250, get a big pond net, those neon green handle ones with the black netting is great size comparison wise.

 

[Viper]

So you just put the sand in the case and fill it with water?

I actually didn't use a hose on mine (it was the dead of winter so the outside water was shut off anyway). I put mine in the utility sink in my basement, same effect though. You can either let the force of the water swirl the sand around inside the pillow case or use your hand if you want. Make sure you move the pillow case all around forcing the sand to shift constantly, this way, the sand that is on the bottom of the pillow case can get a better chance to be stirred around.

I actually put the stopper in the sink so I could see the changing color of the water that was running out of the pillow case. The first few times that the sink filled up, the water was a nasty yellow/tan color. After a couple drains and refills, the water was looking much clearer. It took me about 20 minutes per batch of sand but that really depends on how much sand you put in the pillow case each time.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Thanks, viper. im gonna give it a shot when im ready

 

[TCool]

I used the 5 gallon bucket idea to clean my play sand. But, like others I live in an apartment and don't have access to a hose. So, what I did was took my water changer and hooked it up to the bathroom sink. Stuck the bucket in the tub, took the gravel tube off the water changer, and then jammed it down into the sand. Not a hose, but works like one.