play sand?

[iheartmyed9]

So pretty easy question, I got some bags of play sand in the garage. Can I use this in my tank? I currently have a planted bottom, tall plants and would like to add just enough sand to cover up the rocks. Feasible?

 

[FreshwaterTropical]

Yes you can use play sand just wash it before it goes in your tank!

 

[BigJim]

Wash it really well or your tank will be really cloudy. Once it's clean, it works just fine as aquarium substrate.

 

[FreshwaterTropical]

Yeah the sand will cloud your tank. I recommend taking all your fish out and putting them in a bucket of tank water until the cloudiness glues down!

 

[iheartmyed9]

Yeah the sand will cloud your tank. I recommend taking all your fish out and putting them in a bucket of tank water until the cloudiness glues down!

I have a fairly well stocked 55 gallon and the largest bucket I have is 3 gallon.....

 

[FreshwaterTropical]

I have a fairly well stocked 55 gallon and the largest bucket I have is 3 gallon.....

Oh well, than just be careful with putting the sand in.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Check the contents. Play sand is often high in silicates, if so it may cause a prolonged diatom bloom in your tank. Play sand is also notorious for clumping up over the long term.

 

[LyndaB]

My play sand is horrible. It's like mud at the bottom of the tank. It also raised the pH in my tank. I ended up having to mix pool filter sand in with it. Don't know if I just got a bad batch of play sand, but buyer beware.

 

[kelbaker79]

My play sand is horrible. It's like mud at the bottom of the tank. It also raised the pH in my tank. I ended up having to mix pool filter sand in with it. Don't know if I just got a bad batch of play sand, but buyer beware.

I was wondering the same thing, now that I see this I'm really leary :/

 

[meegosh]

I used Quikrete's Premium Playsand from home depot and had no issues with it. Was not like mud, did not cause any algae blooms. I highly recommend the pillow case trick to wash it. Dump about 1/4 of the bag into a pillow case, run water through the case, stirring the sand occasionally. Repeat until the water comes out clear.

 

[iheartmyed9]

I wish you had post sooner. I saw alot of positive posts so I went ahead and did it. I hope everything will be OK. I was worried about my Ph already .... :/ it don't say the contents just says filtered and tested for thorough consistency. Says premium play sand on the bag

 

[kelbaker79]

I wish you had post sooner. I saw alot of positive posts so I went ahead and did it. I hope everything will be OK. I was worried about my Ph already .... :/ it don't say the contents just says filtered and tested for thorough consistency. Says premium play sand on the bag

Let me know how it works!!! Interested in finding out...

 

[iheartmyed9]

Let me know how it works!!! Interested in finding out...

Hopefully well. I've gotten rather attached to these fish. They seem to like it and it looks way better than the rocks. Plus the reflective nature of the sand might help the plants. Hopefully.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Looks good. I did the same thing in my 70. The rocks will eventually work their way back up to the surface and you will have to add more sand.

 

[Morgie]

I use pool filter sand in three of my tanks and have never had any problems with it. I've had it in my 55g for over a year, no problems with clumping of pH. Hope you have the same experience. :>

 

[iheartmyed9]

So far so good. No clumping or anything. I will measure the Ph shortly.

 

[Wy Renegade]

So far so good. No clumping or anything. I will measure the Ph shortly.

The clumping in play sand is a long term issue ~ and is not always an issue with all play sands. It won't show up immediately, but rather will show up over the long run. If it does, the play sand will have sections in it that turn almost to a concrete-like substance.

 

[iheartmyed9]

Well let's hope it never shows up