# Sand! Sand! Sand!



## Gerrad (Jan 5, 2008)

Hey guy's,
I'm sure I could look up previous thread's about this topic, but don't want to.
So, I just got my 120g tank yesterday. I got it from a craiglist ad. I got 50lbs worth of natural looking, river rock. It's nice, but I have to clean it. 
What I want to know is this:
1. Do I go to home depot or lowe's for the Play sand, sand?
2. How much sand do I need? Does it depend on how deep on want the surface to raise off the tank floor?
3. When doing a water change, how do I clean sand? Do i use a scoop, like you would with a cat litter? What if there is debri in the sand? 
4. Do you guy's confront, sand in your filter up pipe's?
5. Does the sand, effect water parameter's?
6.Can I just buy the sand, and put it in the tank right away? or do i have to do something to it, like gravel?
7. Can I use my python syphon system, to clean thru the sand? Or will the suction be to powerful, and I'll collect all the sand, into the tube?
8. say, like i didn't the sand, is it easy to clear out of tank?


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Gerrad said:


> Hey guy's,
> I'm sure I could look up previous thread's about this topic, but don't want to.
> So, I just got my 120g tank yesterday. I got it from a craiglist ad. I got 50lbs worth of natural looking, river rock. It's nice, but I have to clean it.
> What I want to know is this:
> ...


1-I'm not sure-
I use tahitian moon sand in my tanks
2-Correct
3-swoosh sand with hand or python after cleaning top of sand-keep python at 45 degree angle or so to minimize sucking sand up
4-Soetimes-all depends on where intake is placed-can also put sponge in front of intake to minimize as well
5-nope-Silica does though or can
6-gotta wash sand just like gravel
7-refer to #3
8-suck sand with python into bucket

Other will reply as well......These are all just my Opinions-Not set into stone by anymeans.


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## thedude8 (Oct 6, 2008)

Gerrad said:


> Hey guy's,
> I'm sure I could look up previous thread's about this topic, but don't want to.
> So, I just got my 120g tank yesterday. I got it from a craiglist ad. I got 50lbs worth of natural looking, river rock. It's nice, but I have to clean it.
> What I want to know is this:
> ...


1. I used play sand from lowes
2. 2 bags was good in my 125g, but at times I wish I added an extra half bag, (its cheap, just the work before hand I didn't want to go through again)
3. Just hold the vac above the sand to pick up debri that falls on top. In my tank the circulation is weird and most the debri falls to one side of the tank.
4. I have a sump and haven't found much if any in my sump yet
5. Didn't notice a ph difference
6. I washed it through with water, and used my hand to stir it around
7. I wouldn't go through it, most poop, and left over food will just fall on top
8. haven't tried getting it out yet, not looking forward to it.


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## Gerrad (Jan 5, 2008)

How do you guy's wash brand new sand?


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

in a big rubbermaid. set it in your bath tub or outside and keep filling it and mixing it until it can all settle quickly and water is clear. dont fill the whole thing with sand just add a little sand at a time so u can mix it better then add it to your tank


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

are you sold on play sand cause i was introduced to pool filter sand and i think it looks amazing and it really wasnt that much more


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## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

I jus cleaned out my sand outta my 40G about 2 months ago. It's a pain in the A$$ that's for sure. Very tedious cause you gotta let it settle. I still haven't gotten it all out. Now I have fine black gravel in that tank. I got rid of it cause I used to keep my pair of festae when they were smaller and they made a mess and would be constantly digging. I did like the looks of it and plan on having another sand tank soon. If I were to go with sand, I think I would go with the tahitian moon sand. I think a giant rhom would compliment the moon sand very well especially a 10"+ Blue diamond.....


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

Im with andymellon.. I rescaped my cichlid tank with some tan pool filter sand. Very natural look. Its a light brown like beach sand. Looks good.. If you dont like crap in ur tank you will love sand. All of the stuff settles on the top. I just take my gravel vac and swoosh it about a inch above the sand and it will lift everything up except the sand. If you get sand u wont go back to gravel. Gravel holds so much crap its not funny..


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

the best and easiest way to remove sand from your tank is to get a big hose and syphon it out.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

The only time sand sucks is if you have a monster fish. Otherwise it rocks, black or white.


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## Gerrad (Jan 5, 2008)

Hey guy's,
Yea, you know my boss at work. I was telling him about my new 120g tank. How I was considering in putting sand in my tank, then gravel. I told him that it's play sand, or sandbox sand. But, I'm totally down with pool sand. My boss, say's it settle's easy. I don't know much about sand. 
Do you guy's think play sand is better than pool sand? Which settle's better, say if your p kick's it up? You know, I didn't even know that there was such a thing, as pool sand. I've never swam in a pool, with sand. Do you get this stuff at lowe's, menard's, or home depot? And, I assume you'll have to clean it before putting in tank. ty



upgradepc said:


> in a big rubbermaid. set it in your bath tub or outside and keep filling it and mixing it until it can all settle quickly and water is clear. dont fill the whole thing with sand just add a little sand at a time so u can mix it better then add it to your tank


Interesting. So, I have 2 rubbermaid container's, that are probably 30 gallon's. So, fill them with sand, add water. Do like you said, and mix and add sand till water is clear. I just may have to do that.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

Pool fitler sand seems to settle quicker when sturred up. I have it in my 75 now with the cichlids and i will never put gravel in a tank that i own again. If you have a local pool store around you they will have it. It is a little more expensive but IMO its worth it.. The stuff that i got is a #20 no silica added sand.

Dont fill the containers FULL of sand.. Only fill teh container 1/4 of the way. This will let you mix the sand up very well and it will get a chance to settle before the crappy water rolls over the top.


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## Plowboy (Apr 9, 2008)

I used a vegatable juicer (to old school ones that looked like a mortar and pestle, but anything with 1/16 inch holes will work) to clean mine. Gets rid of more of the fines than I ever could rinsing it with a hose and a bucket. It settles in my tank just about as fast as moon sand, but there is a lot more wasted sand to begin with. I used almost 6 x 40lb bags in my 125g and only ended up with a couple inches of sand.


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

To clean the sand fill a pillow case with sand; about 15 to 20 pounds per round. I used a garden hose and stuck it into the pillow case, then just rolled the sand around- worked like a charm. Just rinse it until most of the "dirty water" stops coming out of the pillow case.


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## Gerrad (Jan 5, 2008)

Interesting idea's. Does the pillow case thing, really work? I first thought you were joking. lol
Pool sand, hm. Well, there is a place near me, that sell's pool stuff but if they don't have it. Then maybe I could go to wal mart or home depot or menard's. I'll have to think of any pool place's around. 
I just put in my 50 lb's of river rock in my 120g. I cleaned all the rock's prior, but there was still a dust cloud( 4 inch's deep of water at this time). I drained a few time's but still dirt cloud, actually if you look down, the water look's ok, but from side, this is were you can see the mess. I finally filled the tank, and it seem's the debri settled. 
I'm going to give the gravel some time. But, will definately have the sand on the back burner.


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

The pillow case does work. It works beautifully actually. And if you fill the tank with water first and then you wanna take out the gravel and add sand.... good luck. That is way more work. You are better off waiting and getting sand before filling the tank. As with gravel, sand, driftwood, rocks, etc; you want to rinse until the "rinse water" becomes clean and there is no dirty or murky water coming off whatever you are rinsing. Driftwood you soak, but you get the point. Good luck.


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## Yanfloist (Oct 1, 2007)

very fine sand is hard to clean - your python syphon will suck it up so quick. very small pea gravel (same size grains) is easier to work with and it doesn't get caught in your filter.
menard's is quite cheap $3-$4 for 50lbs of sand or gravel.


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## sprfunk (Dec 22, 2005)

I never used play sand because I heard it was harder to clean. I now use Moon sand and silica sand in another. The silica was very easy to clean. The way I clean it is a 5 gallon bucket and filling about 1/4 with sand. Then sticking a hose to the bottom of the bucket. Then let the water overflow while mixing up the sand. You just use the python about 4 inches above the sand and it will suck must stuff up, anything thats left usually comes up if you twirl the python around. Personally I think it is a lot faster then sucking up gravel because gravel traps crap and you can never get it all out.
As far as getting it out it is very easy if you empty the tank first and use a dust pan to scoop it. However if its full of water its a pain. No mater what its almost impossible to get it all out but that really does not mater. It would just be covered by gravel and sucked out eventually with water changes.


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## Yanfloist (Oct 1, 2007)

if anyone here is planning to plant their tank with live plants then don't use silica sand. silica sand will cause a mass diatom bloom if the sand is not cleaned extremely well!


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## Gerrad (Jan 5, 2008)

Yanfloist said:


> I never used play sand because I heard it was harder to clean. I now use Moon sand and silica sand in another. The silica was very easy to clean. The way I clean it is a 5 gallon bucket and filling about 1/4 with sand. Then sticking a hose to the bottom of the bucket. Then let the water overflow while mixing up the sand. You just use the python about 4 inches above the sand and it will suck must stuff up, anything thats left usually comes up if you twirl the python around. Personally I think it is a lot faster then sucking up gravel because gravel traps crap and you can never get it all out.
> As far as getting it out it is very easy if you empty the tank first and use a dust pan to scoop it. However if its full of water its a pain. No mater what its almost impossible to get it all out but that really does not mater. It would just be covered by gravel and sucked out eventually with water changes.


Interesting point, about getting left over sand, thru the gravel.


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