# Pool Filter Sand



## nathanAcs

i was wondering where can i get this sand to use as a substrate for my fish tank? is it expensive?
how do you clean this substrate?
does it change the ph of the water.
can i grow plants in that substrate?

I basically need all the info i can get on this substrate. thanks


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## aweeby

you can get it at a hardware store. it's very cheap. as for cleaning, a wide gravel vac seems like the only way. it is inert, it doesn't do anything to your pH. You can grow certain plants in it, but like i said, it's inert. You'd do well to have some substrate fertilizer in it.


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## nathanAcs

does it have another name? I am trying too look it up in the home depot website and when i type in "pool filter sand" there are no results? any suggeestions


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## Big O

pool and hot tub supply store.thats where i got mine. if you want it in black, it's called blasting sand. Black diamond. and i got it at the trackor supply store.


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## nathanAcs

oh okay my tank is about 4 feet long. how many bags would u think i need?


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## Big O

it comes in 50 pound bags. and i used almost a whole bag in my 20 long(maybe 5/8. how many gallons is your tank?


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## In.a.Box

2 1/2 bag 50# is enought for a 75 maybe to much.
before you can find out how many bag you want.
you need to find out how many inch you want in your tank.

if your doing 2inch in the front, 3inch in the back 2 bag should be enough.

BTW IMO black blasting suck, hate the fact that stuff is full of these small glass piece in each bag i got.
those glass look alike piece will fade and turn yellow.


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## Titan17

I paid $8 for a 50lb. bag from a local pool supply store where I live. I grow plants no problem in mine and it is very easy to clean. Here is a pic of my tank from about a month ago. I use Seachem Flourish Tabs and that is it.


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## [email protected]

Swimming pool filter sand is one of the few things you probably won't find at most Home Depot stores. Where you will find it is places that sell swimming pools. 
Two bags should be find for your tank. 

Titan17 shows a picture of what has to be the smallest grit pool filter sand. 
It looks more like white silica sand. Which might be used in some filters.


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## TWA

Look up pool supply stores in your area. They'll have it for sure. 2 bags is enough, by far. I have a good amount in a 75, and a thin layer covering another 75 of two bags. If your tank is a 55 you'll probably be fine with just one bag. If its a 75 1 bag would work but the bed would be a little shallow


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## m00se

Lowes sells it. It's in the garden center. It usually looks like the cardboard box has been there for 100 years. I think the sand's in a plastic bag though. It's also way more than $8 for 50 lbs. When I last saw it I think they wanted $28 for it. I use Black Diamond.


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## nathanAcs

Okay thanks ill go chek out a place where they sell pools and look for the sand. One more thing. My tank is cureently already set up. It has fish and gravel and a plant. Its been up for a couple years now. Will i have to take all the wter out. And heve it cycle again in order to change the subtrate from gravel to pool filter sand?


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## Titan17

Mine is pool sand but it is silica sand. I absolutely love it. Have had no problems. There are three pool stores in my town and this is the only sand any of them sell. None of the Lowes, Home Depots, or hardware stores in my area sell pfs.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk


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## Fishly

nathanAcs said:


> My tank is cureently already set up. It has fish and gravel and a plant. Its been up for a couple years now. Will i have to take all the wter out. And heve it cycle again in order to change the subtrate from gravel to pool filter sand?


If the tank has a filter, you should be fine as long as you don't clean the filter for a week before or after the switch. If you're worried, remove half of your gravel and test your water for ammonia/nitrite. If no ammonia or nitrite shows up after a week, then remove the rest of your gravel and put in the sand. If you see an ammonia or nitrite spike, put some gravel in a nylon stocking and let it hang in the tank by your filter. 

To remove your gravel without removing too much water, use a 1/2-3/4" hose to suck it out of the tank and into a 5g bucket. If you rinse your sand well, or if you don't mind having cloudy water for a few days, you can just pour the sand directly into the tank. However, if you are worried about cloudy water, it's easiest to drain the tank before you put in the sand.


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## mickmac247

RINSE RINSE RINSE and oh ya rinse again


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## Diana

PFS is a very clean material. A quick rinse is all it takes, if you are pouring it though the tank water. (I have even poured it in with no rinsing, and it was just a bit cloudy, cleared up overnight, but there were no fish in that tank to risk)

I find it a better to take the tank down and re-scape when I want to do a switch like that. 

1) Read through and get all the things ready. 
2) In the week or so ahead of time, deep vacuum as much as possible, if you currently have an open substrate like gravel. 
3) If you need to prepare water ahead of time, do so. As if you are doing a 100% water change. 

4) Turn off, unplug all equipment. 
5) Drain some of the cleanest water (before you disturb anything) into enough buckets for the fish. Aggressive fish separate. Not too many fish per bucket. Loaches separate from other species. Cover the buckets. Wrap a thick towel around them to keep them warm. 
6) Remove the plants. They can also go into buckets. This a possible time to treat for algae or snails. A bath with a mild dilution of whatever works for whatever the plants have on them. All other things (rocks, driftwood) can be placed on garbage bags or anything else. The minor amount of N-cycle bacteria on these things is not significant. 
7) Remove equipment. If it will sit for more than an hour, the cycled filter media ought to have some circulation. The bacteria need oxygen. You could toss the filter media into an open bucket of tank water. OK to clean it, but just gently slosh it around. The bacteria are well stuck to the media, but don't over-do the wringing or harsher methods. 
8) Vacuum out the rest of the water, doing more and more deep vacuuming of the substrate. 
9) Remove the substrate. I like certain plastic food storage items, such as the square quart or pint size as scoops. The rounded corners fit into the siliconed tank corners pretty well. 
10) Install the new (rinsed) substrate. Make hills and valleys, add rocks, driftwood... 
11) Plant, misting often. 
12) Place a plastic bag or plate over the substrate and refill, using the prepared water. If you are refilling directly from the tap, make sure the temperature is right, and don't forget the dechlor! Make the water land on the plastic or the plate and trickle over the edge. About 1 gallon per minute works well, (I use a garbage can of prepared water and a fountain pump). Larger tanks can be filled faster once the water is deep enough. Make sure the incoming water does not disturb the substrate. There will be a bit of cloudiness, but not much, and it will clear up in a short time, a few hours to overnight. Add the equipment, turn it on when the water is high enough. 
For added insurance you can add Nitrospiros bacteria. Any other cycle-in-a-bottle has the wrong bacteria, a waste of money. 
13) Add the fish, but not the water from the buckets. Fish under stress produce excess ammonia, and stress hormones. Some Loaches produce something that seems to be toxic to other species. Looks like strands of excess slime coat. 
14) Lights off the rest of the day. Feeding is optional. OK if the fish are acting OK, otherwise no harm in skipping a meal or two. 
15) Regular schedule the next day, and monitor ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Be ready to do a water change if needed.


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