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 Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:24 pm
I'm setting up a 20 gallon tank. I'm thinking of getting some sort of cichlids. I am strongly considering a sand substrate rather than gravel. I have a 1/2 bag of play sand left over from setting up a tortoise enclosure. Thing is, I noticed it says "not for use in aquariums" on the side of the bag. I used play sand in my turtle tank and have not had a problem, but turtles are not as sensitive to water quality. Why couldn't I use the play sand? (they charge SO MUCH for sand at the petstore and most of the sand there is the "live" stuff with the bacteria for marine tanks!!!) Help please!
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:53 pm
I use play sand in all my tanks (except the one in my brother's room, he wanted gravel), I think it looks nicer than gravel. What you have to do is rinse it out really well first. Use a bucket or something, put the sand in, fill it with water, swish it around, empty the water, and repeat that process for a long time until the water stays mostly clear while you swish. The water still might get cloudy for a few days when you first set up your tank, so just buy an extra filter pad to use during that period. I've been using the playsand coming on two years now and my tanks are fine.
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:52 am
isnt there an issue with gas bubbles though? thats what i had been told when i was thinking of using sand for my corries so i got really small gravel bits instead
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 6:19 pm
Don't use play sand, the edges are rough and sometimes it can release things into the water that can irritate the fish. I would also steer away from any sort of fine sand (especially the sugar-sized grain), as oxygen can't totally penetrate it, and anoxic spots develop where anaerobic bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide, which can be toxic. I would go with gravel maybe slightly smaller than .25 inches at the least.
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Ammonia Spike Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:35 pm
Although it is possible to just use regular play sand in an aquarium, some might have chemicals or toxins that would leech into the water. I have heard of people using play sand, but there may be different types that are safe (you don't need the expensive aquarium stuff).
That doesn't help much I know, but I'm not 100% sure either.
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