Is there any special sand made for fresh water fish tanks?

Question

My husband is putting together a 75 gallon aqarium. He wants to put sand in it but so far all we can find is sand for salt water tanks. This is his big project so i'm trying to help him out and find things here and there. But so far no luck with the sand. Does anyone know if there is such sand for freshwater tanks. We have tried all the pet stores and he has researched on the net and from books. Please help if u know anything. Thanx

Answer 1

Wow, lots of info, some good some bad and some conflicting.

First I would say that I would suggest you use gravel instead of sand unless you plan on having fish that would directly benefit from sand. Sand is difficult to clean properly once in the tank and can much more easily form pockets of anarobic bacteria that will release harmful gases and other waste into the tank. that said, sand can be a perfectly fine substrate for a freshwater tank as long as you take care to keep it clean.

Not all sand is equal, but most any sand will be fine in your tank. Silicone sand is perfect for a tank and I cannot understand why in the world you would be warned against it. It is very light colored and is very non-reactive which is exactly what you want from sand, non-reactive. As for it not housing your bacteria, it certainly will. First you are warned that sand grow bad bacteria and then told it WON'T grow the good bacteria....geesh. The fact is that nitrifiying bacteria grow on every surface in the tank. The glass, the plants, the silicone sealant, the fish, even free floating in the water. It will grow on silicone sand, pure and simple.

Play sand sold at places like walmart is fine for aquarium use and is usually pretty clean of foreign materials. Sandbasting sand is also safe for aquarium use. Any sand found at home improvement stores will most likely be safe as long as you check it for other materials, like larger stones, roots, leaves etc.

Sand from the beach can certainly be used but you will need to clean it well and wash it several times to remove salt. It does contain more calcium than some other sand but this does not lead to false pH reading. It will add calcium to the water that increases hardness and therefore buffers the pH and prevents it from dropping, but it's not a false reading.

Hope this helps clear the air a bit.

MM

Answer 2

DanielleZ is correct again. Sand is sand. You can pay more for sand in a pet store but it is exactly the same as the sand you will find at walmart or Homedepot. It isn't even washed!

Also, it will make clean up more difficult. If possiable get a heavier grit. Be sure to wash the sand well. Do not use a sheet to clean your sand. Larger pieces of debris will not wash out. Do as said above, in a bucket, swish rinse, swish rinse.

P.S. there is no lime in sand. Not even construction sand.

Silica or silicone sand is inert sand and will not house the good bacteria needed for cycling your tank. You can use it however, you will have to cycle your tank.

Ocean sand can be used (wash the heck out of it) but it will give you false readings on your testing. (Plus may house bacteria you DON"T want in your tank) Most ocean items should not be put into a fresh water aquarium anyway. No matter how well they are washed.

Answer 3

All sand is not created equal. Are you looking for colored sand? You can use sand blasting sand (Black and they do carry it in large grit) Home depot sells it, asphalt or driveway repair places carry it.

As for regular sand Yep go to the hardware store (Home depot, lowes, even walmart) and buy a bag of sand, any sand will work as long as it is not silicon sand. You know the white WHITE sand.

As stated above, Clean the sand well. Put it into a 5 gallon bucket and swish and rinse and swish and rinse. I will also let you know, cleaning a fresh water tank with fine sand as the substraight, is difficult since the syphone picks up more sand than fish poo.

Also, you cannot use more than 2". 1-1/2" is best. Bacteria pockets form housing lethal levels of bad bacteria if the sand is too thick.

Also, when you begin your cycling process, sand takes LONGER to build up and hold bacteria than other substraights. Your cycling process will take longer.

Using sand from the beach can be done, however the amount of calcium found in the sand will give you false readings on your PH. We use shells and sea sand to raise and maintain low PH level aquaria.

Answer 4

Unfortunately silica sand will not quickly house Nitrosomonas bacteria which is needed to oxidize the ammonia in your enclosed tank. If you are looking to add fish within a month, use a different sand.

If you are not planning to have fish for a month or so, silica can be used.

Sand from a beach should really not be used unless you are certain of its origins. Most sand is trucked onto public beaches since the ocean carries much of it away. That is not to say there is no original sand on the beach. I advise against using marine sand in a non marine enclosed aquarium no matter how well you wash it. There are too many reasons to name as to why it should not be used the main reason your PH levels will increase dramatically.

Many retailers sell various types and colors.

Answer 5

Sand shouldn't be used for freshwater tanks. There are different biological requirements that sand is not compatible with. Additionally, and also importantly, many freshwater fish like to rearrange their environments and burrow in the substrate. But, if there is sand, it can get into their gills and irritate and kill the fish. Please use gravel instead. Additionally, in decorating an aquarium, you are trying to recreate the fishes' natural environment. Sand is not a part of freshwater fishes' natural environment. Research the type of fish you have or want to have and what type of environment they prefer, then decorate your tank accordingly. I have a very fine gravel/coarse sand that I used called "Art Rock." It is made for aquariums, but isn't easy to find. This would be the closest you could come to sand.

Answer 6

Sand is sand. However, whereever you get it from you need to prewash it(rinse it off good) to get rid of lime deposits(which doesn't hurt concrete but will hurt the fish) or salt deposits which will hurt freshwater inhabitants, and you get rid of regular dirt. Just put the sand in a bed sheet (a couple of shovelfuls at a time)and rinse it off with a water hose and dump the cleaned sand in a holding bucket until you need it.

Answer 7

Yes, but, You have to go to BIG pet stores