# white sand in a freshwater tank??



## AquaLizzie (Jan 17, 2011)

I am starting my first "serious" tank! I have had a few "kiddie" ones before, for my daughter and myself (5-10 gallon kind). But this will be my first serious 50 gallon one. I want to do it right, and make it look awesome!

I want to have a white sand bottom. From what I have seen, it appears this sand is for salt water tanks. Does anyone know what I can use?

Thanks! *c/p*


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

You can use playsand.Its not pure white,but it looks nice.Or you can look at the LPS.Im not sure but you may be able to use the one they use in saltwater tanks in your freshwater setup.


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## AquaLizzie (Jan 17, 2011)

I want it to be very white. What is "LPS"?


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

LPS = local pet store(correct me if im wrong) if you want pure white, you could order glass blasting beads from any company that sells blasting abrasives. being made of glass, they are chemicaly inert, so no worries about it changing your ph like most saltwater tank media would. those companies usualy offer different grain size, so you can pick what coarseness you want. the downside is they are chemicaly inert, so you would have to add nutrients for any plants you might grow.


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## AquaLizzie (Jan 17, 2011)

Wow...glass beads? I was thinking of actually taking white sand and just giving a good rinsing? I am seeing other fresh water tanks with white sand, I may just go ask those folks too.

Thanks for your imput!
As for the LPS, I don't always trust a minimum wage (no offense) kid...if you know what I mean.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Pool filter sand is little beads.

Caribsea makes a white sand that is for use in fresh water, however white sand gets dirty quick.


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

i used play sand from home depot in my community tank. so far so good, my plants are growing great and the ph stays right at about 6.9. all i did for mine was give it a good rinsing to get rid of the fine clay particles, so any sand you get would probably be ok. different kinds of sand will affect the ph and hardness of the water, but that isnt a bad thing, just something to think about when stocking fish. cushed coral will raise the ph, good for tangyanika cichlids, bad for neon tetras, while silty sand is better for neons but doesnt help the cichlids, etc..


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Your white sand, from a saltwater tank, probably contains seashells. It will make yor water very hard with a high ph. You can buy gravel that is white that won't do this. Many FW fish won't feel secure with white gravel and will have very washed out colors. You will see that esecially on Cardinal and Neon Tetras. A lot of fish try to adaopt to the color of the gravel in their tank and will lighten up in color in a white gravel tank.


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## Old Glory (Oct 4, 2010)

Silica sand

White Sand ~ Aquarium Accessories


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## Mark1988 (Jan 9, 2011)

Petco has white sand for freshwater. It's called Super Naturals by CaribSea inc. "No artificial dyes, paints, or coatings."


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

Sand looks great in an aquarium, and fish really seem to prefer it over the relatively large gravel that most folks have in their aquariums. Just don't expect your pristine white sand to stay that way for very long; it just ends up getting dirty with algae, etc. in short order.


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## Mark1988 (Jan 9, 2011)

Scuff said:


> Sand looks great in an aquarium, and fish really seem to prefer it over the relatively large gravel that most folks have in their aquariums. Just don't expect your pristine white sand to stay that way for very long; it just ends up getting dirty with algae, etc. in short order.


+1

Also, you gotta disturb the sand every once in awhile to prevent dangerous gas pockets from building up under the sand and killing all your fish. The deeper the sand layer, the more often you have to do it.


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

Mark1988 said:


> +1
> 
> Also, you gotta disturb the sand every once in awhile to prevent dangerous gas pockets from building up under the sand and killing all your fish. The deeper the sand layer, the more often you have to do it.


A good way to avoid this is to have a sand layer no deeper than an inch or so in depth. Anything deeper than 2" has the capacity to go anoxic and cause pockets of hydrogen sulfide to develop. It's simply a matter of raking your fingers through the sand during your weekly water change, and waiting a few minutes for the detritus to settle, then siphoning it off. In a way, sand is easier to maintain than gravel, and offers as much biological filtration capacity as gravel as well.

Stirring the gravel weekly also abrades the sand granules and keeps the bacterial population healthy, and prevents scale from forming on the granules and diminishing the biological filtration capacity of the sand bed. You accomplish the same thing with gravel when you vacuum it.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Check around with your local pool supply stores. I picked up a couple bags from them. One white as cotton and another that looks natural. These were from two different places BTW.


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## AquaLizzie (Jan 17, 2011)

NeonShark666 said:


> Your white sand, from a saltwater tank, probably contains seashells. It will make yor water very hard with a high ph. You can buy gravel that is white that won't do this. Many FW fish won't feel secure with white gravel and will have very washed out colors. You will see that esecially on Cardinal and Neon Tetras. A lot of fish try to adaopt to the color of the gravel in their tank and will lighten up in color in a white gravel tank.


Wow...now that is a very interesting observation. Animals, especially animals that are "prey" type will try to blend into their enviroment...so this would be an interesting experiment to try


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## AquaLizzie (Jan 17, 2011)

Mark1988 said:


> +1
> 
> Also, you gotta disturb the sand every once in awhile to prevent dangerous gas pockets from building up under the sand and killing all your fish. The deeper the sand layer, the more often you have to do it.


Oh no!! Gas pockets!! *J/D*


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

One if the "problems" IME and with my setups is that pure sand does have a kh and gh rise over time. But with a layer of peat moss both gh and kh stayed constant for years.


Be careful of the white reef type sand. It is usually calcium carbonate as opposed to silica based and will therefore increase hardness and pH to some extent.

I put a layer of peat moss wet that layer, and then add sand on top to "trap" the peat. Then water that layer and add the plants. Then finally fill that tank with the water being poured over a dish. I have found that method results in an almost clear tank right from the start. And you can leave an inch or two around the outside of the tank so that area is sand to the bottom so the layering is hidden.

Whatever you do don't expect the sand to stay pristine white forever. There will be some curd, algae and so on. plus after a few years simply planting new plants will have the peat moss stirred up to the surface.

You can fight all that but it takes a lot of work.


my .02


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