Pool Filter Sand

[CMooreCichlids]

Does anyone have a specific favorite brand of pool filter sand?

I'm looking to transition from gravel to sand, and am looking for some opinions.

I would like black Tahitian sand, but that's a lot of cash.

PFS is cheap, and I hear good things about it.

Please share opinions and experiences.

Thank you

 

[BoxedWater]

I have been using HTH PFS from Ace Hardware for about 6 months now and love it. I think it was around $20 for 100 pounds. My old sand was too sharp for my cories and loaches but this stuff works really well. It only comes in an off-white color though if that makes a difference.

 

[Betty]

I love it and use it in almost all of my tanks.

Brand I use.

A couple of pictures under different lighting.

It's a tan color and a good sized grain compared to some of the other sands I've tried. The pfs is on the right.  I have bought mine at pool/spa supply stores and also at McClendon's.

 

[hose91]

+1 on the PFS!

I am using this same brand in my first setup, a 75G African.  +1 to all the things Betty said (without all of the pictorial evidence to back it up!).  I rinsed an entire bag using three 5 gallon buckets in about 20 minutes, and even then I think it was overkill.  No real particles came out of my buckets after the 3rd or 4th rinse.  I've got it in the tank now, but no water yet, so can't tell you for sure how it looks, but so far against the black background and under my new current satellite+ LED with all the colors, it looks pretty great.  I got mine at the local pool supply store in Silverdale.

 

[CMooreCichlids]

Thank you all very much. This is exactly what I was looking for!

Now to devise the best way to change gravel to sand without breaking the tank down...

 

[Paintguy]

If you have fish that like to dig and spit the sand all over the place... make sure to get a pre-filter sponge on your intake so the sand will not tear up the impellers. A buddy has a cichlid tank and this saved his HOB.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

I very much so agree with the pre-filter. I had a cichlid that loved to screw up my filters impellers!

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

But I also prefer sand over rock by far!

 

[CMooreCichlids]

I run an FX5, so I'll need to figure out a way to avoid getting sand in my filter without detracting from the aesthetics of the tank.

 

[Betty]

I've done it a couple of different ways if the tank was already up and running.  

One thing I would recommend before making the switch is to do some serious gravel vacuuming in the couple of days leading up to switch day.  You'd be surprised how much shtuff will be stirred up if you don't -- and probably even if you do.

The first way I changed over was to remove all of the fish into coolers. Then I used a large aquarium net that I wasn't worried about damaging and used that to scoop the gravel out.  After a large water change and more vacuuming, I used a big plastic cup to slowly lower the sand down to the bottom and carefully poured it out without getting it too stirred up. This minimizes the amount if cloudiness in the water.

The other way was doing half of the tank at a time.  I moved all of the decor to one side of the tank, removed the gravel, then moved the decor to the other side and did the same.  The fish moved themselves over to the side I wasn't working on. Then again, large water change and carefully adding the sand.

It's a good idea to allow the sand to come to room temperature if you have just washed it with cold water. And make sure your equipment is turned off before you start adding the sand.  It will damage hang-on-back  filters if you get much sucked in there. I've never had any problems with canister filters though and I always find a good amount in them when I clean them.

 

[CMooreCichlids]

I've done it a couple of different ways if the tank was already up and running.  

One thing I would recommend before making the switch is to do some serious gravel vacuuming in the couple of days leading up to switch day.  You'd be surprised how much shtuff will be stirred up if you don't -- and probably even if you do.

The first way I changed over was to remove all of the fish into coolers. Then I used a large aquarium net that I wasn't worried about damaging and used that to scoop the gravel out.  After a large water change and more vacuuming, I used a big plastic cup to slowly lower the sand down to the bottom and carefully poured it out without getting it too stirred up. This minimizes the amount if cloudiness in the water.

The other way was doing half of the tank at a time.  I moved all of the decor to one side of the tank, removed the gravel, then moved the decor to the other side and did the same.  The fish moved themselves over to the side I wasn't working on. Then again, large water change and carefully adding the sand.

It's a good idea to allow the sand to come to room temperature if you have just washed it with cold water. And make sure your equipment is turned off before you start adding the sand.  It will damage hang-on-back  filters if you get much sucked in there. I've never had any problems with canister filters though and I always find a good amount in them when I clean them.

Thank you for your explanation, Betty.

I was planning on getting a thin sheet of acrylic that'll fit snuggly between the walls of my tank so that I can section it off while changing the substrate. I will definitely be moving my fish into a cooler or bucket during the change...The majority of them are skittish to begin with, and bounce around like pinballs when doing anything in the tank.

 

[DMD123]

I have red hook silver dollars so I know what you mean about skittish. When I swapped out gravel for sand in my 210g I used a plastic strainer from the dollar store to get the majority of gravel then used a fish net to get the smaller amounts and finally a hose to suck out water wand gravel through a strainer to catch any small gravel. I used the CaribSea Peace River which has a nice 1-2mm grain size and does not get stirred up too easily. I also raised the intakes of my FX5's off the bottom a couple of inches and have had no problems yet with sand in my filters. But then I really dont have diggers in there.

 

[CMooreCichlids]

I have red hook silver dollars so I know what you mean about skittish. When I swapped out gravel for sand in my 210g I used a plastic strainer from the dollar store to get the majority of gravel then used a fish net to get the smaller amounts and finally a hose to suck out water wand gravel through a strainer to catch any small gravel. I used the CaribSea Peace River which has a nice 1-2mm grain size and does not get stirred up too easily. I also raised the intakes of my FX5's off the bottom a couple of inches and have had no problems yet with sand in my filters. But then I really dont have diggers in there.

Good advice, DMD123. I'm pretty sure my wife will be pissed if I use the plastic strainer we have in the kitchen, and I've been meaning to raise up my intakes on the FX5 for a while.

 

[DMD123]

Easier to get the stuff from the dollar store than face the wrath of the wife!   

 

[iandraco]

i use and like the target pfs. i am also looking for the mystic white brand which is actually white in color rather than the regular tan. cant seem to find it in Spokane and shipping it runs about $30. too rich for my blood.

 

[CMooreCichlids]

Since I've never used sand in a tank I have a newb question.

Does sand use the same calculations as gravel for the suggested 2lbs of gravel per lb of gallons?

125g tank = 250lbs of sand?

 

[DMD123]

This might help: http://www.garf.org/calculators/SandBedCalculator.asp

 

[hose91]

FWIW, I bought 2 50 lb bags for a 48x15 75 gallon tank, with about 35% of the bottom covered by hardscape rocks. It averages about 2 inches deep, and I only used 1 bag, and only 80 % of that bag. So, definitely not 250 pounds of sand! I'd say 2 bags, max, depending on your tank size.

 

[iandraco]

i usually do about an inch deep sand bed to avoid toxic gas pockets building up. never paid attention to the lbs per gallon ratio though.

 

[Missgrumpygills]

i usually do about an inch deep sand bed to avoid toxic gas pockets building up. 

Whatt? I'm new to sand, does that happen?