# Pool Filter Sand Question



## Shanna (Aug 28, 2011)

I just purchased 
Mystic White Silica II Filter Sand 50lbs for use in my 55 gallon, does anyone know of a reason I should not use this? 

I will have mostly smaller livebearers, cories, a small bristlenose pleco and a Rhino Pleco about 10 inches in size. 

Filtration will consist of the Amazon.com: SunSun HW-304B 5-Stage External Canister Filter with 9-watt UV Sterilizer, 525 GPH: Pet Supplies loaded with polyfill/sponges and bio materials. 
and one Aquaclear 70 HOB for Carbon. 
Currently I do not have any live plants ~
I want to make sure that the sand will not harm my fish, or the tank itself. 
***

*c/p*


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I'll leave the sand issue alone because I don't and thus have no experience/w it. I have heard "pool filter sand" being used on here
but what kind I don't know. Others who use it should answer that one.
But you will get other people also who will tell you that they don't recommend using carbon except to remove medications from
the water after using it. It's only effective for a short time to begin/w and if left in for long periods of time, it is believed to
be capable of leaking bad chemicals back into the water.


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## Shanna (Aug 28, 2011)

Thank you for the advise and I agree on the carbon issue, 
However, I have a husband that is highly sensitive to the smell of even the fish food itself that I use... If I did not use carbon I might get divorced to be quite honest, even though I can't see or I should say smell a difference if I try and go without it "being sneaky" he is on to me in a few days ... This is why I only use the carbon in the HOB so that I don't have to take apart my Canister Filter every 2 weeks to change the Carbon.... I breed live bearers (mostly mollies, swordtails and guppies) also albino plecos and have had up to 8-10 tanks up and running at one time, right now I only have 3. I have my 55 gallon that I am revamping and I had gravel in it at first then switched to aquarium sand about a year or so ago but it was extremely fine and was my first attempt at sand I ended up killing 2 of my HOB filters that is why I really like what I am seeing in the bag of this Pool Filter Sand I purchased, I was just hoping that someone had used it or had some knowledge of it as I am working setting up that tank now, I have a 30 gallon 1/2 moon by Marineland, and then I have a 10 gallon fry tank for my 6 year old daughter, she loves taking care of the babies, I breed only as a hobby and use the "strong survive method" so she gets the babies as I find them until they are old enough for me to tell if they are male or female ... the males I house in the 30 gal 1/2 moon and the females are kept in the 55 gallon, never fails I end up with more females than males and as they say "life will find a way" I can easily spot a male from a female and never move a fish until I am 100% sure of the sex however I have watched what was a female in my female only take become a male in a matter of weeks, it is CRAZY but neverless fun .. I have gotten my mother, my older daughter who lives out on her own and my little one addicted to this crazy hobby! Here is a very old picture before we moved, I will take more pictures soon, just have not done that since we moved... I am sure I will have more tanks up again before I know it even if I had promised myself I was not going to do it! *r2


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Great...
Take into consideration the time of day for after 5P.M. you will get replies to the sand type you have. I'm up at odd hours
due to night shift work and so I could be here any of the 24 hrs depending on days off etc. Most however keep more
regular hrs than I.
Kind of an afterthought...have you tried substituting Purigen for the carbon ? It's the ammonia which causes the water
to give off an odor. I believe you would get others to agree that Purigen works better than carbon on ammonia and
other harmful chemicals. I just three years ago started back into fish keeping but did when in my teens. Had undergravel
filters then but now make my own built in bio-filters that use none of the regular components common to most filters
as I do Daphnia (colonies) in my tanks for the fish to eat and like a free flow type filter which has no pads/sponges but
rather passes water through bio media only so that shrimp/fish fry/scuds/Daphnia can pass through at will. Only to say
that I'm not actually familiar/w filter media other than the bio only kind so others can answer that part better than I
because I'm only able to re state what I heard here but they can say by experience.
Seachem Purigen for Freshwater & Saltwater at PETCO

Since you did pictures I'll show you one of the built in bio-filters.

The tank when water first put in it.


Side view of filter


One of the places I "collect" from.


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## vicdad999999 (Aug 27, 2013)

I use that exact same sand in my catfish tank since january, but only used half the bag for a 55 gallon and havent had an issue with it. Rinsed it in a 5 gallon bucket half filled with sand and ran water thru it with the python hose outside. I liked it so much I bought 3 more bags just 2 weeks ago before winter sets in over here and itll be hard to find.









junky vid from cell phone with the sand in it. 





edited, sorry, dont know why it showed up twice.


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