Using Pool Filter Sand in my Aquarium! Cheap Aquarium Substrate Pros and Cons!

In this video I show you a cheap alternative to aquarium sand and substrate! Aquarium sand can be expensive and really add up the bigger your tank is, the perfect alternative is pool filter sand. It’s cheap and looks good, just make sure to clean it before you add it to your aquarium! Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below, thank you.

[@toriechuntraruk3611]

Beautiful tank! Love the sand!

[@fishwateraquatics]

Thank you!

[@seebastian5834]

Other alternatives are sand used for sandboxes or garnet sand for sandblasting (nice because it's heavy and stuff planted in it definitely stays down), though simple gravel shouldn't normally cost you an arm and a leg - it's just the fancy ones or plant substrates/aquarium soil that's expensive. For plants, a simple 3-4 mm gravel is usually good enough for water circulation and root growth. Personally I prefer a finer look, but issues like detritus pooling, plants not being anchored as well and so on should be considered. Then there's also stuff like using literal dirt under a gravel layer in the Walstad method, etc.

[@seebastian5834]

@@madji6886 Nah. You forget we are talking about fishtanks here. Waterplants can and will assimilate nutrients from the water column alone. Root fertilizers can be beneficial for some species, but they are far from necessary to grow most aquarium plants. Also, forget planting epiphytes in gravel, that will just cause their rhizomes to rot and kill them.

[@AquariumArmy]

Dude, I use Quickcrete and Quickcrete play sand from Home Depot for all 12 tanks I have. I haven't had any issue other then you gotta clean it a bit more before you put it in! Screw these " Aquarium" substrates. This is the hobby, make it work for you bro. the poop actually gets sunk into the sand and will feed all of your plants plus most fish love it. Its a win win

[@dahmoneykeepsmultiplying]

Have you silica sand in all my aquariums from salt water to freshwater for over 3 years it’s at Home Depot cheap and is in a 100 lb bag

[@fishwateraquatics]

Very nice, I’ll have to take a look at silica sand for my future tanks!

[@Leah-sb4yw]

What is the name of this pool filter sand you have in your tank

[@fishwateraquatics]

HTH Pool Care Pool Filter Sand

[@njseashorechas2698]

How is it for live plants?

[@fishwateraquatics]

Great question, I’ve never kept live plants but I assume there would be no issue if you normally put the plant in sand, maybe try to do some research on a forum. Sorry I wish I could be more help!

[@jamesheath5389]

Will be a problem for plants. Would need a dirted substrate and have the white sand as a cap. Plants need nutrients that are not available in white sand only. Google Father fish and be enlightened.​@@fishwateraquatics

[@heavyaf_deuce3791]

I've got pool filter sand in 2 of 10 tanks and as long as I put root tabs in it does amazing g

[@andywrollo2915]

I used pkay sand. Went black and stunk like 💩

[@fishwateraquatics]

I’ve heard mixed reviews with play sand, i wonder why some people have good luck with it and others don’t, maybe there is a specific brand that works.