paver's sand... did i mess up?

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Homedog98

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well, went to lowes, bought paver's sand, and after i put it in the tank, i was told it could have chemicals in it... no fish yet, fishless cycling, just started today so
ammonia: 4
nitrite/ate: 0
ph: 7.6
please help! tank seems cloudy with dust i guess, and i have an anubias nana plant if that helps, but that's it really.
 
Homedog98 said:
well, went to lowes, bought paver's sand, and after i put it in the tank, i was told it could have chemicals in it... no fish yet, fishless cycling, just started today so
ammonia: 4
nitrite/ate: 0
ph: 7.6
please help! tank seems cloudy with dust i guess, and i have an anubias nana plant if that helps, but that's it really.

Sorry Homedog :-(. After a quick google search and seeing threads from this site and others...it looks like a bad idea. Seems some people use it and defend it, but the majority of people say it's not an option. I know you're like me and think it's always better safe than sorry with our fishy friends...so maybe time for a breakdown, rinse and rebuild :-(. Did you get that link I sent you last night? I can send it again if it didn't go thru.

*The more I research, the more I'm seeing both sides of the argument. I'd see if you can get some details of the actual sand you used and see if you can research that particular brand.
 
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I looked at this sand briefly while I was at the hardware store recently and it looks like it is a bit rough anyhow, without much uniformity. Could lead to a very compact substrate with anaerobic pockets as well.
 
Hey Lauren, I went out again today in search of some decent looking sand and nothing but pavers, so I started researching. There are reports of success, but they are amidst harsh advisories against using it. For one, it's used in placing pavers because of its ability to be compacted rather easily, which isn't considered great for tanks, especially planted ones. Some say it's impossible to get it rinsed well enough, and it always puts off white dust. It's also usually high in silica, and can greatly raise pH. What worries me the most is probably the high glass content in a lot of it, that can really injure fish. :(
 
ah, good to know. i had asked a whole back and never did get a good answer. Luckly, i never got that tank set up. i will go dump it out and start over. I was having a hard time getting PFS.
 
I got my pfs at home depot for about $5 per 50lbs. :)

Unfortunately not all home depots carry the pfs. Took a few stores for me to find it. My leslie pool supply has the same sand for like $7.5 per 50lbs.

Good luck!
 
Yeah my home depot doesn't have it and my lowes told me they aren't carrying any pool supplies of any kind anymore. I'll have to order I guess but I needed something like, yesterday. I can't believe I can't even find a white play sand. Sheesh!
 
well... i'm pretty much out of options. ive got carbon running in the filter to hopefully get the bad stuff out, and the brand is american country paver sand. it looks just like regular sand... it looks really good, but if it's going to kill my fish i would love to get it out... but i don't think my parents would... so there's no way to get out the chemical stuff?
 
well... i'm pretty much out of options. ive got carbon running in the filter to hopefully get the bad stuff out, and the brand is american country paver sand. it looks just like regular sand... it looks really good, but if it's going to kill my fish i would love to get it out... but i don't think my parents would... so there's no way to get out the chemical stuff?

Not sure what filter you have, but I'd suggest using poly-fil to clear the water column. I'm using it in all my tanks, but with it in my DT leaching tannins, heavy bioload and overfeeding, the amount of gunk it grabs in a weeks time is remarkable to say the least.

Here's a link with a pic, info and getting the right stuff.

Cool Tools: Share Your Aquatic/Non-Aquatic finds with AA - Page 2 - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community
 
Mr. Limpet said:
Not sure what filter you have, but I'd suggest using poly-fil to clear the water column. I'm using it in all my tanks, but with it in my DT leaching tannins, heavy bioload and overfeeding, the amount of gunk it grabs in a weeks time is remarkable to say the least.

Here's a link with a pic, info and getting the right stuff.

Cool Tools: Share Your Aquatic/Non-Aquatic finds with AA - Page 2 - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

Thanks, I have the AC50... Is it the poly-fil that pellet stuff?
 
From my research, I think most importantly...even if you could get the chemicals out and weren't worried about the other factors...you wouldn't want to stock any fish that would spend any time on or in the sand, such as cories or kuhlies, because it's known to be very sharp and cause injuries. IMO it isn't worth the risk.
 
Also... If y'all are thinking of the first pic... Then we're on a totally different spectrum lol... It looks a lot like the second pic.
 

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