# White Sand Vs Gravel And Prices . How Much Of It I Need?



## dmackey

wondering whats the best white colored sand i can use that won't affect my water . how long does it take it to settle? is sand my best bet ? or white gravel ? which looks better? which is easier to clean ? also can i plant if i do use gravel ? since i plan to add plants in a few weeks. would i still be able to use my magnet glass cleaner since the sand has magnet in it ? how much sand or gravel do i put , like thickness ? need it for a 180gal and last but not least where is the cheapest place to buy this stuff at ?


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## CuzIsaidSo

Everything I've read about this says it's good. They even use it in tanks at the aquarium. I didn't want white sand so I went with another brand.

http://www.u-s-silica.com/mystic.htm

Its about $7 a 50lb bag. I go with the 1lb per gallon rule on my tanks so for my 180 I got 4 50lb bags and I'll have some left over


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## dmackey

CuzIsaidSo said:


> Everything I've read about this says it's good. They even use it in tanks at the aquarium. I didn't want white sand so I went with another brand.
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> http://www.u-s-silica.com/mystic.htm
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> Its about $7 a 50lb bag. I go with the 1lb per gallon rule on my tanks so for my 180 I got 4 50lb bags and I'll have some left over


cool can i grow plants in this stuff? do you know if they make a redish color?


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## Puddjuice

I have used both sand and gravel and you can have a planted tank with gravel or sand. I personally think a sand substrate is easier to clean because you can see the debris and. With gravel the sh*t and food gets caught down in the gravel and you then need a gravel vac to clean it out. You can get the sand to settle as soon as you want depending on how well you clean it. These are the 2 methods I use. I personally use a pillow case and I pour the sand into it and run a hose through it to clean the dirt off and the majority of it runs through the pillow case and the sand stays behind. The other method is to take a large bucket... preferably a 5 gallon bucket because it will allow more water to sand ratio. You will find it's a pain in the ass to try and stir sand and water up in a small pail. Anyways the basic idea is to put sand and water together and stir the sand up in order to clean the dirt off the sand. The more you do it the cleaner it gets. I will stir the sand, pour out the water, stir the sand pour out the water. I will usually do this until I am pouring completely clear water out of the bucket. Also I recommend adding the sand after you fill the tank up. I do this because pouring water into a bed of sand will stir the sand up a lot clean or not. Another tip, do not have a filter or a power head running when you add the sand. The filter will suck the sand up and it can make it grind and be noisy as hell.


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## CuzIsaidSo

Good info Puddjuice.

Plant growth depends on what kind of plants you want to go with. If you want a more difficult plant setup you'll prob need a Co2 or 1" of plant substrate under your sand. I've been reading alot about this lately cuz I'm setting up a 180 too. I've never had a live plant tank setup before so I'm gonna go with low light/beginner plants that are easier to care for.


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## CLUSTER ONE

dmackey said:


> wondering whats the best white colored sand i can use that won't affect my water . * pool filter sand can often be white and can be bought cheaply*how long does it take it to settle*all depends on how dense the sand is*? is sand my best bet ? or white gravel ?*define best- some liek sand while others prefer gravel. Personally i like sand over gravel but white sand will show debris* which looks better?*thats opinionated* which is easier to clean ?* Sand shows debris while gravel hides it so gravel looks cleaner but needs cravel vacs, while white sand shows debrsis so you will have to clean it more frequently if you want it to look clean* also can i plant if i do use gravel *you can plant with eather, but either can only do hardy plants and cant do and moderate to high difficulty plants*? since i plan to add plants in a few weeks. would i still be able to use my magnet glass cleaner since the sand has magnet in it ? *Are you saying the sand is magnetic or what? You should be able to use the mag float, but watch when your down by the substrate as you dont want to trap sand in the pad and be dragging it along the glass* how much sand or gravel do i put , like thickness ?*If your doing plants a 1.5-3" bed would be ideal* need it for a 180gal and last but not least where is the cheapest place to buy this stuff at ?*pool supply stores often have pool filter sand. You can check green houses or whatever for other gravel, but ive never seen solid white gravel that wouldnt mess up pH. Hardware stores often stock natural coloured gravel and play sand (which i use).*


For plants a finer gravel is best. I would personally go playsand or something over white sand and debris on white sand will stick out. With my planted tank with play sand i never vacuem as you cant see the debris and theres alot of platnts to consume it. Also i think this tank has a sump, but sand is usualyl best with cannisters or sump and not hob as if it gets sucked in a hob the sand goes through the motor before being filtered out.


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## CuzIsaidSo

Sean I thought playsand had clay in it, got almost as hard as concrete in water, clouded the water cuz it takes longer to settle and is more likely to get into your filter. These reasons are why I went with pool filter sand.


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## lo4life

I have plants and I used Pool filter sand for my tank.. I think it looks pretty good.. Its not white but its a really light tan.. ryanimpreza used white pool filter sand for his tank. If you havent saw it check out the planted section.. I didnt use any plant substrate or anything like that.. I just use root tabs for my plants about once every month and they are doing pretty good.. Yes the lighter sand does show the crap but IMO it makes you want to keep your tank a heck of alot cleaner then if you have a darker substrate. When you see that crap layin on the sand it kinda gets to you and then you find yourself cleaning the tank. I have had gravel and I HATED it because it always looked really clean till you stuck that python down in it then saw all the crap that came outta it..

The best thing to do is what you want because you will be the one looking at it..

CuzIsaidSo- pool filter sand I am pretty sure is a little heavier then play sand. Plus the pool filter sand is alot cleaner when you get it then the play sand is.


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## CLUSTER ONE

CuzIsaidSo said:


> Sean I thought playsand had clay in it, got almost as hard as concrete in water, *ive never heard of this and mine is still soft sand*clouded the water cuz it takes longer to settle and is more likely to get into your filter.* its very dusty which is why if not rinsed well it will be cloudy and can get kicked up easily, but you dont have this problem if you rise well. Play sand can get in your filter, but so any any sand. Its more the rock dust then the actual sand* These reasons are why I went with pool filter sand.


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## HGI

I use white silica sand, cost $12 per 50lb bag in my area and took 3 bags to fill my 170g tank... I have plants and they're having no problem with the sand.


















Cleaning it with the gravel vac is easy.

Haven't had a problem and I'm loving it.


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## Puddjuice

The clay in the play sand is a myth. Are you thinking of paver sand? Paver sand is used in brick patios/sidewalks and it meant to stiffen up when you wet it down. Anyways go to Home Depot. I just bought a 50 pound bag for 3.59 yesterday.


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## dmackey

HGI said:


> I use white silica sand, cost $12 per 50lb bag in my area and took 3 bags to fill my 170g tank... I have plants and they're having no problem with the sand.
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> Cleaning it with the gravel vac is easy.
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> Haven't had a problem and I'm loving it.


mann that looks really good ....


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## dmackey

okay 
thanks fellas


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