# change from gravel to sand



## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

i want to get some play sand from lowes to replace my gravel. has anyone tried this while your piranha were still in the tank. i know before hand i will have to rinse the sand really well. i dont like gravel because all the waste gets under the gravel and stuff but with sand it sits on top or the powerhead blows waste around until it gets sucked up in the filter


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

I have done it a few times with fish in the tank. I have never had a problem. Rinsing the sand really well is the most critical part. I used a net and a cup with holes in it to scoop out the gravel. I then let the water and debris settle. After that I did a vac to get all the nasty sh*t that settled out. Use a cup to add you sand, dont just pour it in. I dip the cup to the bottom and gently pour it out to keep it as clear as possible.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

When i changed my gravel to sand i put my reds in the bath with filter heater etc..

I also used a scoop to get it as close to the bottom as possible to prevent it getting cloudy. But you could always just keep your fish in the tank, entirly up to you.

I made sure i done it as quickly as i could.


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

what kind of sand did you guys use? i gave my brother my 55 for 3 baby reds and we got play sand from loews. it looks really nice. but my reds are about 5" and when ever they get pissed im worried they could kick sand up in my filters and mess them up. anyone have problems with sand and filters?

also did u guys get a ammonia spike after removing your gravel?


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

I used aquairum silica sand, i could of got play sand but i wanted this one because it was white like snow, which looks cool i think. I had to rinse it until i literally collapsed though, really. I done a 50% water change before i changed it. I didn't get no ammonia spike. My P's kick sand upin the filters sometimes, but its nothing to be concerned about, just dont have the intakes so low and its all good.

Good luck!! Keep us updated


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

so i just made the change over from black gravel to sand. its a bit cloudy, but wow my rbp are so silver now they lost there dark color. they look so much better. once the water clears a bit more ill post before and after pics.


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

I agree.....I like them with lighter substrate because they are a lot more vibrant and their Red and Silver really comes out.


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## wizardslovak (Feb 17, 2007)

i never did it with fish inside
then i found out that gravel + sand looks nicer
half i did gravel with plants and feeding are i left sand when there is something they wont eat i can take it out easily


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## khmerboiRED (Jul 15, 2008)

I had sand before, and then changed it to black gravel. Me personally, i like the black gravel better because they darken up the color of my P's. But that's just me.


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## lovemyreds (Feb 18, 2009)

any issues with the piranhas and sand i figured that the sand would stir up quite a bit when they get nervous and dart around tank there would be a sand storm.


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

lovemyreds said:


> any issues with the piranhas and sand i figured that the sand would stir up quite a bit when they get nervous and dart around tank there would be a sand storm.


the only time i have problems with the sand is turning on the lights and they dart around but the sand settles fast. and also all the sh*t and stuff gets blown over to one side of my tank with the powerhead.


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## TurboVtec93 (Nov 29, 2006)

Back a few years ago I had a 90 gallon tank with a couple oscars in it and I loved it. I also had a tank with black gravel with 6 RBPs in it. I am buying a 125 gallon this saturday and cannot decide for the life of me which one I want to go with. I guess it will be cheaper to go with sand first if I end up changing my mind. I wouldnt want to spend $100 on gravel then decide id rather have $25 worth of sand lol.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

Im gonna change my tank over to pool filter sand it is tan. It is much heavier the play sand and settles very quickly. Doesnt get stirred up to much. Plus you dont have to rinse it as well cuz it isnt that dirty.


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## TurboVtec93 (Nov 29, 2006)

lo4life said:


> Im gonna change my tank over to pool filter sand it is tan. It is much heavier the play sand and settles very quickly. Doesnt get stirred up to much. Plus you dont have to rinse it as well cuz it isnt that dirty.


I have heard that, maybe thats what I will go with. Shouldnt be hard to get with summer around the corner. If I remember correctly it is around the same price, can anyone confirm that? Its been a while. Thanks.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

10 bucks for 50lb. You will have to ask them what color it is. I had to check 3 different places to find tan sand. Most other pool filter sand is white. The color of the sand that i got is like a real light tan. I will try to get a pic of it tomarrow. Im going to get some rocks tomarrow for my tank. Hopefully i can get everything all set up and post a pic for you..


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## TurboVtec93 (Nov 29, 2006)

That would be wesome. $10 isnt bad, still alot cheaper than gravel.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

if anything i will get some pics of just the sand for ya..


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

Hell play sand is only $2.25 for a 50lb bag! I just cleaned a bag a few hours ago and the tank is up and running clear as day. I rinsed it for maybe 3-4 minutes. The key is laying it on the bottom gently with a cup after you fill the tank with water. You will love the sand.


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## TurboVtec93 (Nov 29, 2006)

Yea dude no rush. That would be cool so I know exactly what to look for. I used the play sand last time and it was alright but got kicked up like crazy by the oscars so I cant imagine what the RBPs would manage to kick up. I am definitely going to go with the filter sand. Unless of course, I can't find it around here it will be back to play sand more than likely. Thanks again bro. Apreciate it.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

No prob TurboVtec


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

at loews around here they sell play sand for 3.50 for 50lbs. i suggest a bucket or something larger to rinse it out in. there is alot of dust.


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## Smoogle (Jan 8, 2009)

are there any pool filter sands that have bad chemicals?


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

it shouldnt, but i would put some in some water for a day or so then check the ph.


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

i was looking into getting sand but do they have the pool filter sand in black or white


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

from what i heard from other peoples experience pool sand is bad and brown stuff will start growing over it. i think because its silica based


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

so your saying play sand is better?

im just worried about a dust bowl if i were to switch over


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

This is the stuff i got at the local pool place and i LOVE IT!!! I got the tan color of sand. Its in the tank and i PROMISE i will get pics up when it clears up. Here is the link http://www.fairmountminerals.com/interior....vel1=AquaQuartz


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

i love my play sand and its great for an amazon biotope


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

how bad does the dust up get when the p's freak out i am doing a shoal of RBP's in my 120

and how many bags would you need


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

it settles really quick. you will need 1lb for every gallon. for example my 75g i used 75 lbs of sand. they sell them in bags of 50lbs at home depot, or loews. they are $3.50 a bag. so u will have to buy 3 bags and use half of the third and keep the rest if u ever need to add more. while your at loews or where ever buy a rubbermaid storage container to rinse your sand out. that worked best for me. its gonna take a lot of rinsing and stirring. but once it is clear i used big net to transfer the sand to my tank. if it is a little cloudy get some water clarifier so it can join up the little particles and you can suck that up on a water change later. i find sand low maintence because my powerhead blows all debri towards my filter. it also brings out a very nice silver and reds in your fish.


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

i actully went down to my local construction store and they only had beige so i am gonna keep looking for white

how can you tell when its clean


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

it will be clean when its filled up with water and you stir it up and it all settles and its not cloudy


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

Personally I didnt add any chemicals to my tank. It will all settle after a bit plus your filters will be doing their job also. The other crap will be sucked up during a water change. By not adding any chemicals you are doing the fish a favor. The less chemicals the better IMO....


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## gtc (Nov 5, 2008)

I have a buddy who's about to set up his 90g, he was planning to buy the play sand at home depot. We both work at home depot so we opened one of the bags to see what the play sand looks like and so far i can say it looks good, our play sand has a nice tan color and of course its pretty cheap.


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

whats better white or tan


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

^^^^^^depends on preference. I would go tan.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

I got tank pool filter sand. Its a quartz no silica.. Looks pretty good and pretty much no cleaning at all. Just rinsed it off and chucked it in there... here is a close pic of what it looks like


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

thats a nice natural looking substrate. was it very dusty?


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

yeah i like that a lot


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

well i am curious how much did you pay for the pool filter sand cause my local Lowes has it 24 dollars for 25 lbs which is a ton

and how do you clean this sand (play sand or Pool filter sand)

do i shovel out the gravel and leave the water or empty everything?


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

Just get the play sand. It is not worth buying the pool sand IMO. It is the same thing it just needs cleaned a little more.

1. Get a 5 gallon bucket and pour a bag in it.
2. Get the water hose and start filling it with water (I always take the nozzle off the hose)
3.  Keep pushing the hose up and down in the sand in different spots till it is overflowing with water.
4. Dump the water slowly. If you tip it fast you will lose a lot of sand. I put my hand over the end so the water has to go over my hand and the sand stays in.
5. Repeat steps 1-3 for 7-8 times or more. You can use your hand to work the sand around also. (make sure you dump slowly!)

When it is done you should be able to put a few inches of water in the bucket and see the sand really clear. 
*Remember to much rinsing is better than not enough*

Putting sand in the tank

1. Fill the tank with water first. IMPORTANT!
2. Get a cup and scoop as much sand as you can in one swipe
3. Gently lower the cup down to the bottom of the tank. When at the bottom slowly pour the sand out spreading it evenly.

This procedure works really well for me. I never have any cloudiness! Hope this helps!


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

i personally for my play sand got a big rubbermaid tub and put it in the bath tub. i then would fill a quarter of it with sand then fill it up and stir it up real quick , then lettle it settle for 20 seconds and dump the dust particles out then repeat until all the sand settles quickly and the water is clear.


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

and another quick question i am using a tank with fish in it already

should i empthy tank or should i scoop out gravel or sonmething else


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## ryanimpreza (Jul 19, 2006)

pool filter sand is the way to go. No chemicals, easy to rinse (just put the sand in a pillow case and run water through it) her is a pic of mine with 10 buck for 50 lbs pool filter sand found at your local pool supply shops.



andymellon4 said:


> and another quick question i am using a tank with fish in it already
> 
> should i empthy tank or should i scoop out gravel or sonmething else


and just scoop it out, take about 30 to 40% of the water out.


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

andymellon4 said:


> and another quick question i am using a tank with fish in it already
> 
> should i empthy tank or should i scoop out gravel or sonmething else


No need to empty the tank. Grab a net and start scooping the old gravel out gently. I would do a quick gravel vac to keep the debris down. I used a small plastic kids sand shovel to get all the small rocks out that are left. It is a pain to get it all out without one.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

Yea mine was the same as ryan's as far as price. You dont have to take the fish out at all. I did mine with my elong in the tank. Just scoop the sand into a cup and GENTLY dump it out. The filters will take care of any clouding of the tank (if any). Mine only coluded up for bout 30 mins and it was gone. I only rinsed the sand out for 2-3 mins. Pool filter sand is a little more expensive BUT saves on the rinsing. Plus it is a little heavier then play sand so it settles fast. GL


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## ryanimpreza (Jul 19, 2006)

lo4life said:


> Yea mine was the same as ryan's as far as price. You dont have to take the fish out at all. I did mine with my elong in the tank. Just scoop the sand into a cup and GENTLY dump it out. The filters will take care of any clouding of the tank (if any). Mine only coluded up for bout 30 mins and it was gone. I only rinsed the sand out for 2-3 mins. Pool filter sand is a little more expensive BUT saves on the rinsing. Plus it is a little heavier then play sand so it settles fast. GL


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

i called my local Pool City and the have 50 lbs for $7

i think that lowes stuff had to been priced wrong but o well

thanks everyone


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

the pool sand looks really white. i bet that brings the colors out of thr reds really nicely.


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

ine is a little tanner than i thought but i dont mind i now plan to use the listed methods from everyone

thanks i hope this works


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## andymellon4 (Mar 17, 2009)

Update i have currently been switching all of my tanks over into pool filter sand

its perfect it gices you the sandy look but it also gives you the effecs of gravel(no dust up or when it does happen it settle within seconds).

I highly suggest to anyone looking to get sand to buy pool filter sand


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## bensonjohn (May 24, 2009)

pool filter sand is great.
just started a 75g and put 100lbs.
stuff settles quick. i'm a noob at the
whole aquarium world, so i got the water
pretty cloudy. can't wait to start scaping
it once it clears up.


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## shiver905 (May 27, 2009)

Check out my thread its called "My Plans" or something like that.. under discussions

I bet ull learn at least something from there..

One word of experence... ITS HARDER then you think to clean playsand.

It it shure does look natural.


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