Help with substrate...

[discusluvr818]

I purchased a 50 lb. bag of pool filter sand. First off it has a brownish tint to most of the grains, not white like I had expected. Second I have rinsed it quite a few rounds now and the water is still brownish.

It is pool filter sand from a pool store, their name brand which was all that they had available. It is silica sand. Did I purchase the wrong silica sand or is brownish silica sand ok?

I got it at the local Leslie's pool supply. Home depot or OSH had none. I can go to Lowe's and try if I need to or will what I have be ok?

[Eddie]

I purchased a 50 lb. bag of pool filter sand. First off it has a brownish tint to most of the grains, not white like I had expected. Second I have rinsed it quite a few rounds now and the water is still brownish.

It is pool filter sand from a pool store, their name brand which was all that they had available. It is silica sand. Did I purchase the wrong silica sand or is brownish silica sand ok?

I got it at the local Leslie's pool supply. Home depot or OSH had none. I can go to Lowe's and try if I need to or will what I have be ok?

Yes, the sand will settle. It typically has a beige tint to it since there are darker grains mixed in.

Eddie

[AquatiCreations]

You see the thing with sand is,you wash, you wash it again,you wash it once more,then you wash it 10 more times,and when it's finaly clear in the bucket,you put it in the tank,and you find out you didn't wash it enough!

The color is all variable, I've had some sand that was super white,and some that is beige,like eddie mentioned.

[discusluvr818]

Yes, the sand will settle. It typically has a beige tint to it since there are darker grains mixed in.

Eddie

Thanks so much for responding!! I am in mid fish tank surgery as we speak. Should I rinse the pool filter sand until the water is clear (after 10 refills and drains in an 18 gallon bucket it is still cloudy) or do you think it is ready to go after so many times rinsing? Thanks so much again!!

I am just so eager to brighten up my tank. The black substrate and extremely dark Malaysian driftwood made my fish look dark and really absorbed a lot of the light I think. 260 watts in 100 gallons but the tank is 25.5 inches tall. 63X14X25.5 to be precise. I am hoping it is brighter after this.

[AquatiCreations]

Are there fish in the tank? What I do is run a siphon hose out of the tank, while putting water in with the water hose, it clears up pretty quickly.

[discusluvr818]

Are there fish in the tank? What I do is run a siphon hose out of the tank, while putting water in with the water hose, it clears up pretty quickly.

Tank is 100% empty and fish are in another holding tank. I have cleaned it spic and span from top to bottom. Looks brand new again. I have eight 4-5" discus now in a 40 gallon breeder and now and I have three 3.5" in a 25 gallon cleaned QT. Going to put them in the main tank when they get a touch bigger.

Pool filter sand is in another of my many 18 gallon buckets. I have rinsed like twelve times still a little cloudy. Hmmmmmm :D:confused:

[discusluvr818]

OK, I rinsed it once more, let it sit for aboit f minutes and it was pretty clear. I am going to put it in my tank and get the ball rolling. I want to get my fish back into their main home asap. Thanks for all the help everyone!! I'm on a mission.

[adamsite]

I bought the same 50 pound bag of sand from Leslie's Pool Supply and I too had the same rinsing problem. I finally just put it in my tank, no fish of course, and it settled over time. I wouldn't worry too much about the color, mine looked a bit darker than I wanted as well. However, once I got it dispersed it in the tank, let it settle for a few days, and turned on the lights it looked a whole lot lighter. I have since had no problems with the sand, in fact I love it! If I ever do a deep clean away from my plants, I still get a little dust but it is not a problem what so ever. Good luck with the sand!

[rickztahone]

hey, what part of the 818 are you in? im in reseda, come on over if you are close. i would like to see how that sand would look in my main tank

[discusluvr818]

I bought the same 50 pound bag of sand from Leslie's Pool Supply and I too had the same rinsing problem. I finally just put it in my tank, no fish of course, and it settled over time. I wouldn't worry too much about the color, mine looked a bit darker than I wanted as well. However, once I got it dispersed it in the tank, let it settle for a few days, and turned on the lights it looked a whole lot lighter. I have since had no problems with the sand, in fact I love it! If I ever do a deep clean away from my plants, I still get a little dust but it is not a problem what so ever. Good luck with the sand!

Thanks for the info. I put it in and it settled. The water still has a little bit of a bluish tone to it still so I am not going to put my fish back in until tomorrow morning after I test the water. I updated an after pic of the tank and the new substrate, sans fish until tomorrow :p



hey, what part of the 818 are you in? im in reseda, come on over if you are close. i would like to see how that sand would look in my main tank


I live in Sherman Oaks, near Studio City. You can come and get it if you want it. I also have some large pieces of driftwood that I no longer need. I'd like to get a a little reimbursement for the driftwood. I'd accept a trade...anything interesting?? Some small fry's perhaps, I have more than 60 pounds of driftwood. Flourite mix is free, It is now mixed with the red sea flora base. Approximately 80-100 lbs of substrate available.

[rickztahone]

i'm interested in the driftwood but not the substrate. i stay away from darker colors at all costs. i'll keep you posted about going to your house or vice-versa

[discusluvr818]

i'm interested in the driftwood but not the substrate. i stay away from darker colors at all costs. i'll keep you posted about going to your house or vice-versa


Cool, let me know. I am usually home on the weekends. Heck, I am home all the time as I work from home lol.