# Play sand



## susankat (Oct 14, 2007)

It will if you add fert tabs for your heavy root feeders and other ferts to the water column.


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## metageologist (Jan 10, 2008)

pool filter sand will work better it wont pack down as much preventing root growth


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## Link (Mar 22, 2009)

Thanx susankat


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

I will definitely back the recommendation of pool filter sand. It's the best to work with, hands down. (And I've tried 3M colorquartz and playsand)


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## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2009)

It also depends on what gets classified as "play sand" where you buy it. Most is quite fine, which means it packs too much. But some is larger grained and perfectly okay. Play sand in a shallow layer is great for fish like corydoras because they love to sift through it and it is smoother so it won't damage the barbels.

Jeff


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## Superedwin (Jan 19, 2009)

I use play sand and my plants grow very well and are nice and green. But with the addition of ferts, root tabs, lighting, and c02


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## connordude27 (Jun 14, 2008)

2x but without tabs


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 4, 2008)

the pool sand works great and is, i think 4.50 for 25lbs at lowes


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## markstr (Jul 5, 2003)

What's in the "Builders Sand version" that I've heard to stay away from??


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## Bzishka (Mar 14, 2009)

Link said:


> will play sand alone grow plants in it :icon_ques


honestly for ideal plant growth it depends what kind of plants you have, i have Dracaena, Spathiphyllum, trichomanes, and sygonium in a 75 gar (carnivour) tank that love to grow in sand, but my Hygrophila Difformis turns yellow when its plnated in sand, compared to the big and bushy green ones i have in my 125 friendly tank with a brown play sand, peat moss, and small pebble substrate:fish: but almost anything will grow in anything with the right nutrients like they said :thumbsup:


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## Joetee (Mar 28, 2006)

customdrumfinishes said:


> the pool sand works great and is, i think 4.50 for 25lbs at lowes


Is this sand a natural color like the plain gravel that one could buy at walmart? Or is it white?
Does it come in only one size or is there a choice that I need to look for?
Thank you
Joe


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## Superedwin (Jan 19, 2009)

Joetee said:


> Is this sand a natural color like the plain gravel that one could buy at walmart? Or is it white?
> Does it come in only one size or is there a choice that I need to look for?
> Thank you
> Joe


 Yeah to me it looks very natural the color is brownish, pretty much the color you see in sand boxes. I only saw one kind a home Depot.. IMO Play sand is very good just have to clean it very well:icon_smil


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## cyberhog05 (Jan 5, 2009)

Before you buy the sand from Lowes or Home Depot go to your local masonry shop and look at the silica sand they have to offer. Or look for a place that offers snad for sand blasting. Just make sure its Silica sand. I bought my silica sand(pool filter sand) from a masonry supply store and got a 100lb bag of #16 sand for $6.50. It is bigger than what they offer at the home improvement stores and IMO it allows the roots to really grow well because it is a large grained sand and it also allows the root feeders to get a better supply of root ferts because of the large grains compared to the small grains.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

markstr said:


> What's in the "Builders Sand version" that I've heard to stay away from??


I can't remember the details, but basically, builder's sand, ie concrete mixing sand or paver sand, does not meet certain health standards or is not tested for it as play sand and pool filter sand is. Play sand obviously has to be safe enough for kids to roll around in and stick in their mouths, and pool filter sand has to be inert to avoid altering pool chemistry, as well as not pose a threat to swimmers. I can't remember the possible "bad" contents of builder's sand but it is unlikely you want it in the aquarium.


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## Bzishka (Mar 14, 2009)

cyberhog05 said:


> Before you buy the sand from Lowes or Home Depot go to your local masonry shop and look at the silica sand they have to offer. Or look for a place that offers snad for sand blasting. Just make sure its Silica sand. I bought my silica sand(pool filter sand) from a masonry supply store and got a 100lb bag of #16 sand for $6.50. It is bigger than what they offer at the home improvement stores and IMO it allows the roots to really grow well because it is a large grained sand and it also allows the root feeders to get a better supply of root ferts because of the large grains compared to the small grains.



6.50 is alot cheaper then i pay at menards, its around 4 dollars for a 50lb bag of white sand box sand


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## therealorangejuice (Apr 12, 2009)

I have about a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch layer of play sand above my larger-grained (Mississippi River) sand. My plants grow fine in it (but maybe that's because it's full of good old Mississippi River nutrients ) and my cories love rooting around in the play sand. It's very entertaining to watch them root around in it, although they leave very small trails of moved sand when they root around. Still, it's nothing big. But I think play sand would be fine as a top layer. Or the whole thing with root tabs and water ferts, etc. as the people before me have said.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

another advantage of pool filter sand--at least for the kind that i have used--is that the grains are round and smooth. i looked at some under magnification and every single grain looked like a tiny marble. this is advantageous for cories and other fish that might be harmed by sharp sand and it also reduces likelihood that you will scratch aquarium glass.

the play sand that i have tried has had many fine particles, which are easy to pick with a scraper while cleaning glass and can quickly put unattractive scratches in your glass.

hydrophyte


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## cfi on the fly (Jan 28, 2009)

hydrophite, what type of pool filter sand are you using? Mine in #20 and I think it is too fine, looking for something with a bigger grain.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

It's believed that Corydoras barbel erosion is actually due to fungal or bacterial issues in the sub. Apparently there are places in the wild where the makeup of their natural river bottoms, their instinct to constantly burrow throughout each day, and a lack of erosion in those settings suggests the "sharp gravel" theory is just a hobby myth. You can read more about it on plecofanatics, corydoras.net or planetcatfish.


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

I've been using pool filter sand for a few years now. It's more of a beige in overall color, which is better than that blast white crap. My Corydoras lived for a few years with this stuff and never had a problem.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

jaidexl said:


> It's believed that Corydoras barbel erosion is actually due to fungal or bacterial issues in the sub. Apparently there are places in the wild where the makeup of their natural river bottoms, their instinct to constantly burrow throughout each day, and a lack of erosion in those settings suggests the "sharp gravel" theory is just a hobby myth. You can read more about it on plecofanatics, corydoras.net or planetcatfish.


that's interesting. i always wondered if that was really. it seems that the animals out in nature could encounter many sharp things in their habitats.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

cfi on the fly said:


> hydrophite, what type of pool filter sand are you using? Mine in #20 and I think it is too fine, looking for something with a bigger grain.


i'd have to go look. i don't remember there being a grain size description on the bag. my sand is pretty fine--each grain is somewhat smaller than a grain of sugar--and i would actually prefer something a little more coarse


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## cyberhog05 (Jan 5, 2009)

Here is the type of sand I use and how it is graded. I use #16 so it is mostly 1.168mm
http://lanemt.com/LM_typical_screen.htm


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