Is This Aquarium Substrate Worth It? Using Play Sand In A Fish Tank

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[@KGTropicals]

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[@Fishguy13]

I always use pool filter sand. I used to use play sand but when the fish move it makes it harder to settle vs pool filter sand doesn’t move to much. I rinse it alittle bit and put it in before filling and one day with a filter on makes it clear the next in my experiences!

[@mattkinsella9856]

Loving the Boats and "Hose" reference 😂 Step Brothers is such a hilarious movie! The Catalina Wine Mixer!! 😂😂

[@Shade_91]

you can get play sand clean it just takes a lot of time. for getting the sand into the tank i found that a funnel and a thick piece of pvc to put the sand right on the bottom worked the best and clouded the water the least.

[@MeanOldLady]

We keep a pile of construction sand on a tarp, in the sunlight, for various projects (then change the tarp out every year since plastic degrades) & let the rain wash everything out. We've had it sitting out for a couple years & we pick up a random twig or volunteer plant here & there, but whenever we use it, it rinses clear after 1 pass & is good to go. It's been working pretty well for one of my aquariums (only project with a light-colored theme). I also add crushed eggshells to it for calcium & winnow it to get most of the membrane flakes out.

[@shanemcneill178]

I just set up a 90, my 1st big tank and I went the sand route also. I used the quickrete brand and stupidly didn't wash it 😬 Took about 7 days and seven 50% water changes to get it to clear up. Once it finally cleared I had to do a deep clean on my canister filter. Lesson learned for sure

[@lucaskrauss4750]

Hey, I don’t even know if you will see this, but how the fishies doing? I’m a mess rn trying to get started on fish keeping, doing my first fish less cycle and just bought this same quickrete play sand to use, 100lb, did you have any issues with yours, did it harm your fish, did it clog the filter again?

[@MirpandaLee]

I've used play sand before, rinsed and rinsed, still had issues. Pool filter sand is better IMO. I currently use Black Diamond sand blast, 30/60 I believe, and I haven't had any issues when it comes to harming my fishies. I've had it a few years now. Had to rinse it of course, but it wasn't nearly has filthy as play sand.

[@onlywei]

Yeah, especially quikrete brand pool filter sand from Home Depot or Lowe’s. I’ve seen other brands with much finer pool filter sand, and it’s much worse.

[@shednscalz4620]

Which mesh size did you chose? I'm thinking I want really fine sand and not sure if I want to go with white or black. I'll be using a black background, dragon stone and driftwood

[@onlywei]

@@shednscalz4620 I never saw any mesh size options when using Quikrete brand pool filter sand from Home Depot. I really don’t like fine sand though. When sand is too fine it becomes much easier to stir up and float around in the water. Then it clogs up your filter.

[@tolstoy21]

Agree on pool filter sand over play sand. A little coarser, but easier to rinse.

[@MerkDolf]

Many years ago when I first started working with a pool filter that used sand I learned then that not all sand is created equal. For the longest time before that and even after I only used gravel in my tanks

[@jdlambert1]

I used a mud mixer in my battery drill with the hose running. Really gets the substrate stirred up. It seems to make washing it super quick.

[@MountainFisher]

I used my water change discharge in my garden and things grew like crazy, especially the grapevines.

[@denarisnoctem4562]

I love your honesty! We learn so much more from seeing mistakes corrected than seeing perfection.

[@reggie2803]

Aside from the amazing transformation of the tank, I found the video clips hilarious when you said “hose”. 😂

[@elmagicocustoms]

I went the cheap route! lolz needed this video 9 days before it was uploaded. 27 days later my tank is still cloudy. I thought my parameters were off, not the case.

[@chrisrabatin625]

For as long as I've been watching you which is a long time. That centerpiece tree trunk has always reminded me of devil's Tower from close encounters of the third kind. One of my favorite movies ever. I always hunt for something that looks similar to it for my tanks.

[@toddsworldofcooking8094]

That’s a lot of work but so rewarding. It looks beautiful.

[@chrissyosborne3879]

I think this tank turned out great! I love the open and natural look.

[@Jeffdoeswhat]

Pool filter sand and black diamond blasting sand is my go to for substrate.

[@cammiluna]

A lot of fishkeepers have sworn by play sand and loved it! I switched my tank from gravel to sand last year because my fish is unable to move the gravel around to get any food that falls in between, but I got straight-up aquarium sand as this was my first time working with sand. For a weak person such as myself, it was still hard to clean (i live in a city and don't have a hose or back yard) and the tank (20g) was still cloudy for several days. Very worth it in the end as there's much wasted food and debris to clean up and i can just fold the sand over when algae starts to layer on top! I eventually want to upgrade to a 30g (some apartment buildings impose limits on size/gallons of fish tanks allowed and my current place has a 40g limit of all tanks combined) and I may use play sand, but only if I have a burly strong friend to help me clean it!

[@shuanaroden5226]

Not a fan of sand but would use pool filter as opposed to play sand but your tank looks good

[@dack4545]

Ill second that because its been pre cleaned so it doesn't fowl the pool pump 👍🏻🇦🇺🐠

[@DavidDavis311]

I had the exact same experience but with pool filter sand. Took me literal hours to get it clean enough.

[@andreashessler838]

I wouldn't risk either without rinsing well. Have used both at various times and had to rinse every time. In terms of how it looks, I like the larger grain of pool filter sand better personally.

[@fishypetkeeping]

I think it looks gorgeous that you added all the different sized rocks to it as well! Perfect ratio of hiding spots and open space. Also, I'm pretty jealous of those Dragon stones. 😆

[@audrameyer9558]

That looks great! I loved the look without the sand, but think the sand pulls everything together. I hope you really enjoy it. I felt so bad for you when you were washing the dand. I can relate...lol I bet we all can. I know it costs more, but I started using pool filter sand. I find it rinses clean easier.

[@bryanjennings7410]

looks great John. I also used play sand when I set up my oscar tank. this was about a year ago. I'm still happy using it as a substrate

[@Mrx7tloma]

Really makes a difference how clean you get your sand. I decided I do sand in my 75 gallon and this was my first time using sand. I kept finding mixed messages on people saying don’t wash your sand or do wash it. Then the package of aquarium sand I purchased also said not to wash it so I didn’t. Took a month to settle and cycle my new tank while my goldfish set in their old tank waiting patiently. Finally dropped them in went upstairs and came back to my 75gallon looking like sand storm blew in. I couldn’t even see my goldfish anymore and I was panicked trying to figure out where I went wrong. Well it was because I didn’t wash the sand to begin with and goldfish like to dig around. The two combined made a huge disaster in my new tank. I had to pull my fish back out and back in their old tank they went. I then spent the next week stirring the sand out while draining out 25 gallons a day. Finally by day 6 it would settle down within minutes of me stirring it up and I put my fish back the next day. I love sand it is a pain to clean but it just looks way better then gravel substrate.

[@GOKUX2012]

if it says not to wash it it might be live sand for reef tanks

[@Mrx7tloma]

@@GOKUX2012 that would explain why it said not to wash it. It was expensive to was around 20 a bag and I got 8 total for my tank. It came with these packets that it said to use to help pick up any metals and some other particles.

[@Laura-ed5kf]

Lol! Goldfish are jerks! I used Seachem Flourite and a few years later topped that w/ Caribsea Naturals. Even after heavy-rinsing rinsing, each was still cloudy. When I transferred my two carnival-prizes from a 50 to their new 90, I recycled the sub instead of buying new. They mixed together and look really natural. The plants recovered almost immediately, & the goldfish (still jerks) haven’t messed it up. The CaribSea keeps them from uprooting the plants and the sand makes it look more like a streambed. The four original-bags was ultimately too much in the 50 but enough to cover the 90. If you ever do it again. 🙃

[@Mrx7tloma]

@@Laura-ed5kf thought of going bigger but I like my 75 gallon. I was using gravel before and omg with goldfish and plants it was a nightmare. I would look over while I was working and go omg again you uprooted all the plants. When I moved them to the new tank and got new plants I took the advise of some and super glue them all to some rocks and lava rocks which looked really nice with the sand substrate.

[@briangaliote4509]

Hi John. Great video!!! I did this myself once in my 125 Oscar tank….And added play sand after the fact. What I found to be very successful for clarity was adding 2 fine sponge filters. Tank cleared in less than a day. Water clarifier is helpful as well, but the fine sponge filters are a very quick and easy solution without worrying about adding chemicals. But again, either will work well.

[@dawnt6791]

Totally cracked me up at the bichir that just sat there while John tried to vacuum around it.

[@lilaczeus67578]

i used play sand for my 40 gallon tank and i washed about 3/4ths of a bag of play sand in a 5 gallon bucket and had zero issues, emptied the tank of fish and dumped the remaining sand and there wasnt any cloudy water, just amazing white sand!!!

[@natashawalters3734]

Did anyone mention the water bill price in washing the sand?? Would the water bill still be less then the aquarium sand??

[@James_Hande]

Like the video, thanks for sharing John. For future sand builds opt for pool filter sand. It's not as dirty as play sand, although it should still be rinsed. As a kid I had to help my dad maintain the swimming pool and the filter sand didn't take much rinsing. After all they don't want pool owners turning their crystal clear water cloudy LOL. Tank looks nice with the added hardscape!

[@7301285051087]

I used swimming pool filter sand initially, but wanted something a bit whiter. So I changed everything to playsand and YES it takes a load of washing and then some more washing. We don't have many options for affordable substrate in Namibia and I am loving my setups now.

[@crazycatlady4391]

Is it working out well? I was debating on doing the same for my fishies & turtles.

[@XCaliKev]

👍😎 Thanks for showing us that John. Don’t think I’ll be going that route when I set up again. Maybe crushed coral. 🖖

[@geoffypattinson5557]

Pool filter sand is almost clean as it can be used in water filtering for drinking water. In Australia the pool filter sand has a standard on the bags for this. Play sand is full of clay so it will clump for kids.

[@GenRN]

Black Diamond blasting sand is my favorite, even over planted substrate.

[@fhpd350]

I love play sand! Use a screen over a bucket and screen out larger pebbles. Use the two liter bottle method to slowly add the sand. My favorite substrate.

[@trippin9899]

My hillstream and kuhli loaches loove sand. I do at least partial sand in my loach tanks since they seem to love it so much, but i use gravel for planting since plants dont tend to do well planted in sand. That works out well, sand in the front and gravel in the back, great texture, and the loaches come out to the front to play in the sand where you can see them. I really am partial to sand, just because my fish seem a lot happier since having it added. I dont mind washing it since it seems to make them so happy. Granted, ive only ever done a small amount at a time for my nano tanks(and Yes! You can get the water clear!!)

[@KyleSchwanz]

Looks good! I’ve had great success with pool filter sand. It’s cheap and cleans up much quicker.

[@og5607]

I found filling the a stocking with substrate and gently emptying to the parts of the tank has helped me distribute in the past. Great video exciting times ❤️

[@Ladybug19391]

Love the tank and all your videos. My one complaint is I end up staying up all night watching them instead of sleeping. When I got back into fishkeeping I went with sand (aquarium) rather than gravel. The first few bags I bought were great and I loved the look but when I switched up to a bigger tank and had to get more, even though it was the same brand, the new bags were horrible. Even though I had rinsed and rinsed and rinsed some more I still had an extremely cloudy tank. I ended up getting a clarifier which helped but the slightest disturbance of the sand muddied the water again so much so that I ended up breaking down the tank, tossing the sand and going with a different brand.

[@OregonOutdoorsChris]

Regarding the lights, it is the manufacturer's fault, though maybe what you mean to say is that the product isn't bad or defective, but it's definitely their fault. The fix is actually really simple, they need to do their PWM at a higher frequency and put a couple more capacitors on there for smoothing out the tiny last bit of ripple.

[@oinkmastersupremeforever]

thus far the only sand I've ever used is blasting sand So I have nothing to compare it to as far as any attributes good or bad . I do have other sand on hand but I haven't used them yet so we'll see how it goes then . I do love how the blasting sand glitters 😁Everytime I see those beautiful Oscars I am always reminded of how much I would love to have one someday 💕

[@haywardgarner4850]

I love pea gravel for my aquariums, and have had success with using it in heavily planted tanks. Like play sand, getting it clean takes a lot of time and water.

[@michellelambert1650]

We use sandblasting sand. More corse and after maybe 4-5 rinses No Cloudy Mess. I Love it..

[@zeriyx]

i am not done watching this, but i have two sets of lights on my living room 75 gallon. i have an extremely underpowered light probably meant for a twenty gallon i run most of the day unless it's feeding time and then i turn on the giant beast. i am sure there's room up there to enjoy both lights. you could switch when it's time to film.

[@ACSchoenwald]

I like the small New Zealand pebble gravel, dark and light colors and feel very natural. I had crushed coral sand, and hated it. Glad it makes you happy! That is what matters.

[@matthewjbauer1990]

John, your "before" tank is one of the theming styles my dad prefers, maybe his ideal theme. Dad wanted to do his tank like that, but since it is in his combo living room/dining room, Mom wouldn't allow it. Instead, they have a more conventionally themed S. American tank + S. American Cichlids.

[@jordan505]

Try to make your camera's shutter speed slower unit the light flickering clears up, if your video is too bright after slowing your shutter speed then, try to compensate using the f-stop/aperture, and shutter speed.

[@ralphanderson3316]

I set up a 55 with play sand and love it. It takes time to settle, but worth it. It looks great.

[@michaelphillips2875]

John simply awesome! Love the look and the fish have lots of room to swim and hide. I think it’s a nice bio-type and the fish will have fun with it. Loved the additional river rock, sets it all off. George Farmer would love it big man.

[@realangiechrist]

I used pool filter sand in my 30 gal. and decided after all the rinsing I would never use that again, lol. It's great in the tank but the amount of wasted water for rinsing (I live in the desert) was too much, so I'll buy some more expensive sand next time I think. I def think your tank is improved w/ the sand and small rocks- it would be interesting to see what the oscars would do with stuff if you put the materials in there. Enrichment. I've never kept them before- what would they like? I wonder.

[@Laura-ed5kf]

Ditto on a follow-up w/ the Oscar’s in there! And I laughed at your use of “enrichment”. I pruned the guppy grass from my shrimp tank this morning and thought to see how it would work in my live-planted goldfish tank. Enrichment. 🤣. They’re having so much fun ripping it out and dragging it around. 😁

[@eccentricsmithy2746]

I dumped all my play sand into a kiddie pool and filled it with water, kept the hose running and let my 6 year old daughter play in it, she stirred it up pretty good and it came out pretty clean. Then in the tank it went.

[@catwomanva]

So glad you were able to get your hose from Lowe's. 😂 Sorry, couldn't resist!

[@thomase6787]

New tank owner here. Not sure if the brand matters but I recently used quikcrete play sand in my 55 and it was nowhere near as dirty. I’d imagine different batches could be different as well. Either way, $16 vs 80something definitely worth it.

[@63jafo]

Play sand has clay mixed in with it and that's the reason I'll never use it again. The last couple tanks i set up I used black diamond sand blasting sand which is basically coal slag and completely inert. I gave it a quick rinse and it's been good without any cloudy water.

[@blujeans9462]

Definitely looks very natural! Even the haze is what you'd see in nature. I'd say it's a win-win in this situation (you're probably on a well, I'm guessing - hope you didn't burn your pump out ;-). Thanks for this - I always wondered if it's worth the savings. I'd have to factor in the cost of water (city water) - I guess that's why I'd never have large tanks. :-). Great video!

[@lizdyson3627]

This is an awesome video. I was thinking about changing the substrate in my aquarium and was worried about how to remove the fish while I did it. I have 8 Harlequin Rasboras, 6 Glass Bloodfin tetras and a Pair of Kribensis. Thanks John.

[@joeprovenzano4362]

John. Just use a drill with a paint mixer

[@carlwagers9829]

Great idea 💡 👍

[@msbranen6261]

Turned out nice John. I like that you're keeping it real in the videos.

[@drewsta005]

Great vid. I like how you showed the struggles with sand. Tank looks really nice after the addition.

[@durc123]

I’ve never used play sand before. This is a good alternative to aquarium sand or pool filter sand. Beautiful Oscar’s btw. I have a 75 with two tiger Oscar’s, one regular and one albino.

[@MrHominid2U]

I love oscars but have given up on all large New World Cichlids. They get sick and I think it's because my local water is too hard. African Cichlids thrive in my tank.

[@chico6085]

If you put the sand in a 3 gallon bottle close the lid, put it upside down in the tank, then open the cap and gently squeeze the sand out, you'll have no mess and all the dirty water from the sand will stay in the bottle. Cap it, dump it, repeat

[@LegendCreations_MC]

A great tip for substrate next time, use a water bottle or soda can and put the substrate in it using a strainer, then shove the bottle in the water can open the cap from beneath it squeeze it and the sand will distribute with minimal cloudiness. And based on other peoples suggestions I’ve heard Pool Filter sand is a MUCH better option than play sand I don’t know just something to consider I guess.

[@PhoebeLisaaa]

Pool filter sand directly in the tank and slowly painfully fill and it's super clear 👌

[@justinholmes4333]

If you shop around and wait for sales, you can often get a deal on CaribSea sand, which is much better behaved. I think I paid 40 bucks for 2 50lb bags with shipping.

[@stevegee8010]

I use pool filter sand and after five or six well stirred up buckets it's pretty clean. I've bought sand from aquatic stores that have needed just as many rinses.

[@3DRC-707]

Super cool! No worries on the missing footage, the damned step brothers clips were more than sufficient. Lmfao

[@chico6085]

Love these kinds of episodes John!! You should have gotten Aqua quartz pool filter sand! Barely even needs to be washed out.

[@GSP-76]

I've used play sand before as a substrate...it works great but it requires a lot of rinsing and does not hold any bacteria. As long as you have good bio media in your sump, it's fine to use. It looks cloudy at first but it will settle. Just change your filter socks and it clears up quicker.

[@taylorhickman84]

do you think the coarser pool filter sand would be better for beneficial bacteria?

[@heythere5817]

What are you talking about. Sand is the best for beneficial bacteria

[@GSP-76]

@@heythere5817 Wrong...all sands are not the same and not all sands hold beneficial bacteria.

[@heythere5817]

@@GSP-76 not all sand is equal, but hands down sand is better than gravel for bacteria. Every time. I've run my tanks of deep sand alone for many years and they are superb

[@EpicConspiracy]

I just dump sand in and the filters will clear the water by the next day then you clean the filters. It doesn’t harm the fish at all. Though I only use Black Diamond blasting which is super clean, and cichlid sand

[@djditto47]

The Carib Sea sand I bought had a floc to clump all the fine particles to vacuum it out. An option to help remove the haze faster.

[@PlayfullyPainting]

I love clean bottom tanks, no substrate. Easy clean and I do more cleaner water changes. Love your tank using playsand was very clever. Beautiful happy fish

[@JasonLaveKnotts]

Buy washed play sand and wash it again 40 lbs for $5.98 it is a natural beach sand that's been washed and sifted.

[@thehairywoodsman5644]

where I live Lowes sells play sand for $5 , but they sell pool filter sand for $10 ......its worth the extra $ for me to not have to rinse the sand.

[@thehairywoodsman5644]

with that being said , none of my tanks are anywhere near as big as that one.

[@Evil_Genius_888]

Yup, sand works. My second aquarium was a low tech planted tank with pool filter sand.

[@markbaumgardt2868]

I used Aqua One sand poured it in the tank straight from the bag no problems very miniscule cloud tank went clear so the fish looked like they were floating on air I would definitely recommend it 😊👍

[@bill9845]

i wash all my sand and gravel out using a stainless mesh screen instead of a bucket and hose method, i have a couple of diffferent sizes, one for sand and one for gravel and wash it over a drum so if im clumsy i dont lose a screen full on the grass

[@Luciferkrist]

LOL, this vid shows off one of the reasons I love bichirs. Once they are comfortable with their tank mates and you, they just DON'T care.

[@jonclark8155]

I use river sand and gravel. Yes it does take time to settle. Your tank looks good good job on it.

[@mubarikmorojehoney5625]

I used play sand for my aquarium As time goes on is going to clear in the tank I did water changes every two days which cleared up in a week I thought I was the only using play sand Thank you

[@edchoi2428]

You know that you never need it to get clear. I just clean it as much as a few times to get the bubbles out in case they used some detergent in the cleaning of it at the place that sells it then add bacteria. The idea is that once bacteria forms a slime layer over the grains of sand that is going to make it less cloudy. They cloudy parts will go away once the slime layer forms on the grains of sand so I use Fritz 9 and other bacteria until it forms.

[@jugemujugemugokonosurikire7231]

I just use river sand. We have a lot of rivers where I live. Mosses and bruophytes with scale and scaleless fish so i think it’s usable

[@javim121]

What about using filter sand. I hear it is easier to work with

[@volcanixthanksyoufortheviewz]

Main issue I see when folks do this, they put the sand in tanks that already have water in them. If you put the sand in first and use a buffer to add water, there is minimal frosting because the sand is already settled.

[@MrAaroncissell]

A Magnum 350 set up with DE works wonders. Especially when they get to moving all that sand to the other side of the tank.

[@Nickel_palovich]

Pool filter sand all the way, but with the play sand you got that river look for sure! Changing the tanks up is always fun!

[@kens.2753]

Lowes Paver sand is a little dirty but it works and looks good. Salute.

[@dastiles1]

Great video! I am a big fan of Dragon Stone. It looks great in any aquarium regardless of size.

[@mariepuls8157]

I see your cat likes to help. My cat loves to watch the water changes also. Chases the debris along the hose.

[@melaniedc_]

I went the cheap route for my new 75 gallon. I bought pea gravel from Home Depot and cleaned it by blasting the rock with the hose over left over chicken wire. The little pieces fell through the grate and were caught into the bucket below. So it had big and fine rocks. Also got some big pieces of River Rock from the local landscape. $.75 for a 5 lb bucket of big river rock. The local place didn't bat an eye went I said can I dig through your rock. Just smiled and said go ahead.

[@agf1958]

I just had a thought. Maybe sift the sand with a flour sifter and get the fines out first will save you time and water.

[@sawyerhanson1117]

If you use a plastic bag to pour it like a cake decorator with a frosting bag I can't remember what it's called but that works great.

[@Anthony69420]

Black diamond blasting sand looks amazing in my wittle tank

[@mesquitemagic]

I decided to try play sand in my 10 gallon. I had 5 gallon buckets that I'd drilled holes in for potato planters. Poured the sand into one, placed it into a bucket without holes, and bounced it up and down. Drained the bottom bucket and did it two more times. It worked pretty good, but it was HEAVY. 50 lbs of dry sand run through with water is crazy heavy. I used it over aqua soil, which is also new to me. One week in, and it looks pretty good. Now I need to figure out what I'm doing with the other 45 lbs of sand... Found out my new Red Eared Slider likes to dig, so I think sand is a bad idea in her tank.

[@leo2o915]

Awesome set up John the fish look happier

[@ryancook4771]

Lol your method for cleaning play sand is literally the exact same method I eventually settled on

[@audrameyer9558]

"It's the effin Catalina Wine Mixer" 🤣🤣

[@threadbarerag336]

I hope the fine sand didn't trash your impellers. I know eventually, it isn't a problem. If I was paying attention, I'd know if you had intake sponges. Marineland crystallizers are good for the fine particles.

[@avimaelmoreno2398]

I put the same sand, and the same thing happened to me, but i wash the sand in the second try and it was way better.

[@exmoordogman6558]

I did a 5ft fully planted tank converted from gravel to play sand , plants took off and within a week Corydoras Pandas, Corydoras Adolfi started breeding successfully like crazy,

[@neilvose4257]

Just wondering how much water is wasted getting the sand clean . Lot of us , in the UK , are on meters , think I'd rather use aquarium sand , know how much I'm spending rather than worrying about my water bill .

[@BigJeec]

Fill, stir and dump...repeat as necessary. Went that route a couple of times and sticking the hose in and let the bucket overfill never got me anywhere satisfactory. Stirring it well so that the dust and other micro particules gets in the water then dump the cloud and repeat. It's more exausting for sure but I got my sands to settle within minutes in the tank.

[@NihilusTheGreat]

I used it in my first tank. A 40 breeder for a solo electric blue acara. Huge mess, same experience as you except I don't have a hose or a yard to wash it out. Had to use a bathtub spout in my apartment bathtub.

[@jesperhansen6991]

If you use a 1,5 ltr plasticbottle filled with dry sand and you put it in the tank upside down the sand will flow out into the water leaving all the dust inside the bottle😉😃😃