Sand?

[giggalz]

i've had fish tanks for many years but would like to finish redoing my tank but with sand...now i've searched online and people feel differently about different types of sand...theres regular sand you can get at lowes..pool filter sand, i've had sand that you can get at ac moore for sand art that you put in bottles...to actual freshwater sand...

i'm not really sure what to get..and afraid of getting something wrong here..mind you some or all of these options need to be rinsed well..

so please enlighten, set me straight..opinions, advice, thoughts etc would greatly be appreciated..thank you! :O)

 

[mfdrookie516]

I really like pool filter sand. it's cheap (usually less than $10 for a 50lb bag), won't cause any big issues, and is pretty clean from the start. Its heavy enough that you don't have to worry much about sucking it up in your filter or with a gravel vac. It *can* help fuel diatoms, but it's never been an issue for me. I have it in all 4 tanks that I have running right now.

 

[giggalz]

pool filter sand is something i read later in my research..which i thought seemed better then some of the other stuff that would be to dirty or have some sort of chemicals in it..

 

[Fishguy2727]

I only use and recommend Estes' Ultra Reef. It is for fresh and salt and will not alter any chemistry. It runs about the same cost as gravel and you get color options (unlike cheapo sands).

Out of all the cheapo sands PFS is the best.

 

[Shadowraven]

I would avoid pool or play sand. It can compact too much and is difficult for some aquatic plants to root in. This compaction can also increase the likelihood of its forming pockets of decay which can encourage the growth of anaerobic bacteria. The waste products of hydrogen sulfide gas these bacteria produce is deadly to aquarium fish.

Fishguy's suggestion is the best. Much fewer problems with compaction. No matter what kind of sand you use, it is a good idea to keep corydoras, kuhlii loaches or malaysian trumpet snails in the tank. All of these animals stir up the substrate and help you to avoid these kind of problems.

I have used sand before and corydoras love it. Just make sure that it stays mixed to avoid those pockets of decay.

 

[Fishguy2727]

The one I recommend is extremely uniform in size, and the size is just large enough to allow oxygen to get to the whole sandbed, preventing toxic gas pockets from forming.

 

[giggalz]

i'm actually having trouble finding an online store to buy "Estes' Ultra Reef"

 

[Fishguy2727]

Most LFSs can order it for you, even if they don't carry it. Try to go that route so you don't have to pay for shipping.

If searching online search 'estes marine sand'. It is the same thing, marine sand is just what it is called by wholesalers and retailers.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I would avoid pool or play sand. It can compact too much and is difficult for some aquatic plants to root in. This compaction can also increase the likelihood of its forming pockets of decay which can encourage the growth of anaerobic bacteria. The waste products of hydrogen sulfide gas these bacteria produce is deadly to aquarium fish.

I highly disagree. First, pool filter sand does not compact. Trust me, I've kept it in my tanks for about 2 years now. Second, it's not more likely to create these gas pockets than any other sand. Have you ever seen this happen? In my time here, I've heard people say this over and over again. But over and over again, its never happened.

 

[Fishguy2727]

It has never happened to you, but not everyone has access to the exact same pool filter sand. It can vary from brand to brand and even batch to batch. This is just something that people need to be aware of when choosing a sand.

 

[ejaramillo01]

But seriously, can somebody in this forum mention ONE experience where sand substrate (any type/brand) compacted and trapped deadly gas that kill your fish???

 

[Welshy]

But seriously, can somebody in this forum mention ONE experience where sand substrate (any type/brand) compacted and trapped deadly gas that kill your fish???

I use Pfs and researched this exact thing....never found a source who actually had it happen too. On the bag of Pfs it told me to stir regularly.... But so far had no issues with it

 

[Shadowraven]

I highly disagree. First, pool filter sand does not compact. Trust me, I've kept it in my tanks for about 2 years now. Second, it's not more likely to create these gas pockets than any other sand. Have you ever seen this happen? In my time here, I've heard people say this over and over again. But over and over again, its never happened.

As a matter of fact, I can. Many years ago I had a friend who disturbed a pocket of decay in his sand substrate while cleaning his tank. The end result was everything in the tank died in within minutes. There were some very treasured fish in there that he had kept for years. That was a horrible experience and not one that I care to repeat. Hydrogen Sulfide is no joke and is deadly to anything that breathes oxygen. So you will please pardon me if I have been made a believer.

I will admit that is not a common occurrence, and maybe even a very rare one, but why take a chance? Not all sands are created equal. You may be using coarse sand, rather than fine. I don't dislike sand as a substrate, but I firmly believe that you need to stick to only the coarser brands that allow the substrate to breathe.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Was this pool sand or some other sand? Pool sand is specifically designed NOT to compact. It has to be.... how else would it allow water to flow through it in its designed application- a pool filter? I can see play sand or a lot of the finer sands compacting.

There's a link floating around here somewhere (that I can't find) that shows those gas pockets really aren't that harmful to fish. I can't remember the exact chemical process, but basically once the gas hits oxygenated water, it's not harmful.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Was this pool sand or some other sand? Pool sand is specifically designed NOT to compact. It has to be.... how else would it allow water to flow through it in its designed application- a pool filter? I can see play sand or a lot of the finer sands compacting.

There's a link floating around here somewhere (that I can't find) that shows those gas pockets really aren't that harmful to fish. I can't remember the exact chemical process, but basically once the gas hits oxygenated water, it's not harmful.

I agree with Jonathan! My experience was not with fish, but when I was "younger" I worked during summers as a helper on a pool maintenance business, in few words, I was cleaning pools, and never saw a filter compacted, but when some people complained about the filter getting clogged, my boss use to tell me, check the sand, be sure that is pool filter sand and not play ground from Home Depot, and guess what.... Yes many times the playground sand clogged the filters !! Just my two cents here.

 

[TommyLiNy]

I only use and recommend Estes' Ultra Reef. It is for fresh and salt and will not alter any chemistry. It runs about the same cost as gravel and you get color options (unlike cheapo sands).

Out of all the cheapo sands PFS is the best.

+1 I have this in all 4 of my tanks and have never had any complaints. Just bought 150lbs for $100.

 

[Shadowraven]

Was this pool sand or some other sand? Pool sand is specifically designed NOT to compact. It has to be.... how else would it allow water to flow through it in its designed application- a pool filter? I can see play sand or a lot of the finer sands compacting.

There's a link floating around here somewhere (that I can't find) that shows those gas pockets really aren't that harmful to fish. I can't remember the exact chemical process, but basically once the gas hits oxygenated water, it's not harmful.

I'll admit that since it was a while ago (25+ years), I can't remember. All I do remember is that it was a fine grade of sand. The pool sand I have seen seemed to be of a finer grades and I knew fine grades to be bad. But I've had people here inform me that coarser grades exist. It could be that the people telling that they're showing me pool sand could have been something else entirely.

If pool sand does have something about it that keeps it from compacting, then there should be no problem. I'm no expert on pool sand, I'll have to investigate this further. I may be wrong about pool sand and I will always admit when I am wrong. God knows, I'm not perfect. What you are saying makes a lot of sense.

As far as the Hydrogen Sulfide being deadly to fish, I'll have to investigate this further. When this happened to my friend, all I could clearly remember was the awful smell involved and the fish dying. At the time, the information I got indicated that hydrogen sulfide gas was the culprit. Things have progressed since then and more information is now available. Getting information at that time was not as easy as it is today.

Since I'm getting so many contrary reports here, that initial assessment may have been wrong. If what you are saying is true and hydrogen sulfide gas is neutralized by oxygenated water, then maybe it was something else. There are other toxins that can get into an aquarium. I'm going to investigate this and I'll let you know what I find out. If I'm wrong, I'll come back and state that clearly.

The only thing I do know for sure is that hydrogen sulfide gas is deadly. There are verified reports of its release from some pools that resulted in the death of humans and animals. But that probably was not well oxygenated water either.

Scientists believe that a massive release of this gas from the seabed was responsible for at least one of the earliest mass extinctions in the earth's history.

Prior to this, these are the only cases I had been familiar with in relation to this gas. Like I said, I'll go read more.

 

[siva]

I'm interested to hear what you find out! I have several times read about someone popping a big bubble in their sand and smelling a foul odor and all the fish dying.

 

[Viper]

Was this pool sand or some other sand? Pool sand is specifically designed NOT to compact. It has to be.... how else would it allow water to flow through it in its designed application- a pool filter? I can see play sand or a lot of the finer sands compacting.

There's a link floating around here somewhere (that I can't find) that shows those gas pockets really aren't that harmful to fish. I can't remember the exact chemical process, but basically once the gas hits oxygenated water, it's not harmful.

I'm here to back you up Rook. Here's that link that I believe you are referring too.

Substrate Gas Pockets - Tropical Fish Forums

 

[giggalz]

i keep getting conflicting answers and opinions through googling...you all have been helpful..just still not sure what to get...a specific freshwater tank sand or pool sand...i've at least narrowed it down...i've heard people use playsand but in my head thats made to get compact...so i'm going against that...