Sand for aquariums

[Peacock147]

Can anyone give any advice as the best sand to get for my 60 gal aquarium?? I currently have small river rocks in there now but want to switch to sand as it looks nice and seems to be easier to clean !! I currently have a few live plants and my tank consists of a bio filter and the fish are cichlids including 2 small peacock bass ( temporary until they get bigger) , African leaf fish and a Pictus catfish.

Thanks for any input anyone may have.

 

[absolutangel04]

I used black diamond blasting sand for a tank I just set up. It took a lot of rinsing, but looks great. Avoid play sand unless you want tons of algae. Aquarium sand is cool, but expensive.

 

[Peacock147]

Thanks will look into that

 

[Super_Blueberry]

I have play sand in mine and have not have any algae problems in my set up

 

[Mcgolg76]

Used pool filter sand and loved it. Was easy to clean and easy to work with in tank.

 

[Robynleigh]

I just set up my tank with playsand - no problems so far and my cichlids are loving it

 

[Khuligirl93]

I use play sand without any algae problems as well.

 

[okapizebra]

I have pool filter sand and love it. It's a bit heavier than play sand and won't cloud as much.

 

[wildroseofky]

I have used both pool filter sand and Black Diamond Blasting grit (coal slag). I liked both as far as cleaning and looks but I think the black shows off plants and fish better. No algae problems. I think the previous poster is referring to diatoms that show up sometimes with sand. They go away once all the silicate is out of the sand. Takes a couple of months but it does go away.

 

[rhsoto94]

Definitely pool filter sand thicker then play sand so won't clump and less cloudy. Also pretty cheap 50lb bag for less then 10$. Just wash it till the cloudiness goes away.

 

[connorilles14]

Definitely pool filter sand thicker then play sand so won't clump and less cloudy. Also pretty cheap 50lb bag for less then 10$. Just wash it till the cloudiness goes away.

New to the aquarium world. Just wondering what you mean by wash it until the cloudiness goes away?

 

[rhsoto94]

If you go with sand it comes with a lot dust and other things on it so you have to wash your sand before you can put it in your tank. Put it in a wide bucket and wash it with a hose until the water becomes clear. Then your good to put it in your tank although you'd have to empty your tank before you can put it in.

 

[xsryman]

I just put play sand in my new 20gal. Not sure if I just made a big mistake or not. I guess I will know in a day or two. I have already lost one filter and now on my second which is not sounding too good. Also I put a bubbler under the sand which I also think is a mistake because it just keeps stirring up more sand and wrecking my filter.

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[wildroseofky]

You can put a sponge around the intake of the filter to keep sand from getting sucked in. Sand is really bad for filters. I would think that a bubblier would be a bad idea with such fine sand. Cleaned pool filter sand is heavier and falls back into the bottom of the tank pretty quick.

When I washed my sand, I took a bucket and filled it half way with sand. I then tilted the bucket to the side and pushed the water hose nozzle to the bottom of the bucket. When I squeezed the nozzle it stirred the sand and the lighter particles get washed out the side of the bucket. Didn't take long to clean that way.

 

[absolutangel04]

Yes, I was referring to diatoms. Not everybody will get that issue with play sand, as you can see from the other responses, but many end up battling it quite awhile. Still, it will go away eventually.

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[gilpi]

Can anyone give any advice as the best sand to get for my 60 gal aquarium?? I currently have small river rocks in there now but want to switch to sand as it looks nice and seems to be easier to clean !! I currently have a few live plants and my tank consists of a bio filter and the fish are cichlids including 2 small peacock bass ( temporary until they get bigger) , African leaf fish and a Pictus catfish.

Thanks for any input anyone may have.

Pool filter sand at any pool supply store. I paid 12 bucks for 40 lbs!
Rinse it good it will cloud the water for a day but man it looks real nice.

 

[acejock999]

How much sand for a 180 gallon aquarium?

 

[molliwopp]

How much sand for a 180 gallon aquarium?

A standard 180? If not whats the footprint?

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[acejock999]

A standard 180? If not whats the footprint?

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I think it is pretty standard:72x24x24

 

[molliwopp]

Well i used 50lbs for 52g at 40"x16" and 60lbs for 65long at 48" x 16" and it gave me 2-3inches.

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