What kind of White Sand does everyone use?

[mattsoccer20]

Hey everyone. So i have been looking at allot of nice planted discus tanks and allot of them use white sand. I have been wanting to use white sand but i dont know which kinds will harm the plants (because some sands dont let enought Oxygen and stuff down to the plants killing its roots) and which kind is no good for discus. So if you guys could list some good types of sand that are good for plants and discus that would help me out :)

[discuspaul]

As you may know, there are all kinds of different sands, of various grades, densities, and more or less cleaner properties, available out there, and they vary a great deal depending on location & sources, not to mention coming in a spectrum of colors.
I've been very satisfied with clean, dust & grit-free, white quartz-based silica pool filter sand of # 20 grade, normally available only at pool or spa supply stores. There are a number of 'brands' out there, as well as many no-name products, the latter which is what I use, quarried and available locally in my area, so I can't comment on naming specific named, or 'brand' products.

Quartz-based silica PFS does not compact heavily, as play sands will generally do, so will not have an adverse effect on root systems, as a rule.
Silica sands are inert - no leaching, and harmless to plants, but root tab ferts must be used with them for reasonable growth in a planted discus tank.
Hope this helps.

[mattsoccer20]

As you may know, there are all kinds of different sands, of various grades, densities, and more or less cleaner properties, available out there, and they vary a great deal depending on location & sources, not to mention coming in a spectrum of colors.
I've been very satisfied with clean, dust & grit-free, white quartz-based silica pool filter sand of # 20 grade, normally available only at pool or spa supply stores. There are a number of 'brands' out there, as well as many no-name products, the latter which is what I use, quarried and available locally in my area, so I can't comment on naming specific named, or 'brand' products.

Quartz-based silica PFS does not compact heavily, as play sands will generally do, so will not have an adverse effect on root systems, as a rule.
Silica sands are inert - no leaching, and harmless to plants, but root tab ferts must be used with them for reasonable growth in a planted discus tank.
Hope this helps.

Wow thanks for all the info. So is your tank with the poolfilter sand have plants in it? And did you say that using root tabs would be good to use with pool filter sand? Thanks again for the help :)

[David Rose]

I'm too cheap to go the extra for "white" sand and have been happy with good ole "play" sand from Home Depot. With my 50/50 lighting Coral Life it looks pretty white to me.

Just my two cents. Good luck!
David

[discuspaul]

Wow thanks for all the info. So is your tank with the poolfilter sand have plants in it? And did you say that using root tabs would be good to use with pool filter sand? Thanks again for the help :)

Well Matt, if you haven't seen it before, here are some fairly recent pics of my planted discus tank, using white quartz-based silica PFS, in which I use root tab ferts, replenished/renewed about every 6 months or so:
http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Sept2011

[mattsoccer20]

Well Matt, if you haven't seen it before, here are some fairly recent pics of my planted discus tank, using white quartz-based silica PFS, in which I use root tab ferts, replenished/renewed about every 6 months or so:
http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Sept2011
Wow! Thats very nice. I think im going to go with PFS with roots tabs and maybe Co2. Oh and what kind of plant is that between the 2 red tiger lotus? Thanks for the help :)

[mattsoccer20]

Well Matt, if you haven't seen it before, here are some fairly recent pics of my planted discus tank, using white quartz-based silica PFS, in which I use root tab ferts, replenished/renewed about every 6 months or so:
http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Sept2011
Also what kind of discus are those really nice orange ones you got in there?

[discuspaul]

That plant is just a 'weed' -lol - it's Hygrophila Polysperma.
The orange discus are Flamingos.

[mattsoccer20]

That plant is just a 'weed' -lol - it's Hygrophila Polysperma.
The orange discus are Flamingos.
Wow very nice flamingos. I thought flamingos were red? Did get them from kenny?

[discuspaul]

No, but they're Forrest discus - I got them here in Vancouver from April's Aquarium.
The camera doesn't catch their true colors - they're actually more red than orange.

[mattsoccer20]

No, but they're Forrest discus - I got them here in Vancouver from April's Aquarium.
The camera doesn't catch their true colors - they're actually more red than orange.
Oh ok. Cool. I really like your tank :). How much did you get your PFS for?

[discuspaul]

It's a little pricier here than in the U.S. We pay $12.95 + tax here, for a 50 lb. bag. Should be around $10. out your way.

[David Rose]

Estes has some white sand that I use in my 125G. It floats when you first put it in for a couple of days then settles. Looks like small Styrofoam pellets or BBies. Once it settles, it looks like snow and is very easy to move about to clean.

[mattsoccer20]

It's a little pricier here than in the U.S. We pay $12.95 + tax here, for a 50 lb. bag. Should be around $10. out your way.
Ok cool. Thanks for all the help :)



Estes has some white sand that I use in my 125G. It floats when you first put it in for a couple of days then settles. Looks like small Styrofoam pellets or BBies. Once it settles, it looks like snow and is very easy to move about to clean.

Cool. I dont think i could do that because i already have the discus in there, so if it floats it wont be very good, because it would get all in their gills and stuff whent they breath it in

[Apistomaster]

I used 20/30 grit quartz sand in my 125 gal but I would have preferred #8 to 16 grit but that was hard to find and the 20/30 grit cost me only $7.00/100# bag. I am happy with the results i obtained by using a single 100# bag of this sand.
I use about a 2-1/2 inch thick layer. Quartz sand is chemically inert in fresh water aquariums and befreft of plant nutirents so I use SeaChem's Flourish Tabs at about one per 6 X 6 inch area and may double that next to heavy feeding larger Sword plants. You can use the sand straight from the bags without a rinse. Any inital turbidity will disappear within a few hours but if you feel ike rinsing the sand first that is fine but unnecessary extra work.
I pot most of my primary show plants in Gladware food storage containers and use Coralife FloraBase as my potting material and place one or two Flourish Tabs in the potting substrate.
I add new Flourish Tabs every six to eight months and.good plant growth for a simple set up. I'm not using any CO2 but fairly strong HO T-5 dual lamp Current fixtures and three connected. ~22", 6400K, T2 fluorescent light fixtures to fill in the back third.

[mattsoccer20]

I used 20/30 grit quartz sand in my 125 gal but I would have preferred #8 to 16 grit but that was hard to find and the 20/30 grit cost me only $7.00/100# bag. I am happy with the results i obtained by using a single 100# bag of this sand.
I use about a 2-1/2 inch thick layer. Quartz sand is chemically inert in fresh water aquariums and befreft of plant nutirents so I use SeaChem's Flourish Tabs at about one per 6 X 6 inch area and may double that next to heavy feeding larger Sword plants. You can use the sand straight from the bags without a rinse. Any inital turbidity will disappear within a few hours but if you feel ike rinsing the sand first that is fine but unnecessary extra work.
I pot most of my primary show plants in Gladware food storage containers and use Coralife FloraBase as my potting material and place one or two Flourish Tabs in the potting substrate.
I add new Flourish Tabs every six to eight months and.good plant growth for a simple set up. I'm not using any CO2 but fairly strong HO T-5 dual lamp Current fixtures and three connected. ~22", 6400K, T2 fluorescent light fixtures to fill in the back third.
Wow thanks for the long paragraph lol. Sounds like it must look good. I dont know if my LFS's sell that kind of sand but i can look into it :). Thanks for the help

[David Rose]

I pre-soak mine in five gallon buckets after rinsing.

[mattsoccer20]

I pre-soak mine in five gallon buckets after rinsing.
I always put my substrate in a 5 gallon bucket as well, and fill it with water and let it sit for like 3-5 minutes then drain and re fill the bucket and then after another like 3 minutes and it looks pretty clear i put it in :)

[strawberryblonde]

I take the easy way out. I purchase CaribSea Instant Aquarium sand. I LOVE the Crystal River sand because it looks very white and the grain size is large enough for plants and also heavy enough that I don't end up vacuuming very much of it out during deep cleanings.

Specifications
Crystal River
Average Small Grain Size: 0.2 mm
Average Large Grain Size: 0.5 mm
Suitable for Planted Aquariums: Yes

I put it straight into the tank, no rinsing needed and I've done it with all my fish in the tank at the time. In fact, I just added a 20 pound bag 3 days ago when I rescaped my tank. To do it with minimal cloudiness I drain the tank to about 6 inches of water (this makes my 9 inch discus very unhappy, but I tell them to suck it up and take one for the team). Once the tank is drained, I rinse the outside of the bag, cut off the top, place it directly on the bottom of the tank and slowly let the sand slide out. Once that's done I smush it into all the corners with my long handled scrubbie brush, then fill the tank to 1/3, let it sit for 15 minutes, drain it down to 6" again and then refill to the top.

The water is only slightly cloudy when it's completely refilled and is totally clear again within 30 minutes. =)

It's a more expensive sand than PFS, but the ease of being able to use it without rinsing and the great look, plus the heaviness of the grains just makes it worth the extra money for me. Oh, I should mention that I originally used 2 20 pound bags in my 115g tank last June and didn't need to add more until just this week. Total cost for the first year in the tank - $40. Total cost for this coming year - $20.

[mattsoccer20]

I take the easy way out. I purchase CaribSea Instant Aquarium sand. I LOVE the Crystal River sand because it looks very white and the grain size is large enough for plants and also heavy enough that I don't end up vacuuming very much of it out during deep cleanings.

Specifications
Crystal River
Average Small Grain Size: 0.2 mm
Average Large Grain Size: 0.5 mm
Suitable for Planted Aquariums: Yes

I put it straight into the tank, no rinsing needed and I've done it with all my fish in the tank at the time. In fact, I just added a 20 pound bag 3 days ago when I rescaped my tank. To do it with minimal cloudiness I drain the tank to about 6 inches of water (this makes my 9 inch discus very unhappy, but I tell them to suck it up and take one for the team). Once the tank is drained, I rinse the outside of the bag, cut off the top, place it directly on the bottom of the tank and slowly let the sand slide out. Once that's done I smush it into all the corners with my long handled scrubbie brush, then fill the tank to 1/3, let it sit for 15 minutes, drain it down to 6" again and then refill to the top.

The water is only slightly cloudy when it's completely refilled and is totally clear again within 30 minutes. =)

It's a more expensive sand than PFS, but the ease of being able to use it without rinsing and the great look, plus the heaviness of the grains just makes it worth the extra money for me. Oh, I should mention that I originally used 2 20 pound bags in my 115g tank last June and didn't need to add more until just this week. Total cost for the first year in the tank - $40. Total cost for this coming year - $20.

I dont think i want to do that kind of sand because its allot more money near me. I looked at it at petsmart and it was allot. And i dont really have the extra $$$ to go out and spend because im only 14 and i dont have a job or anything, just work of birthday/X-mas money lol

[Bud]

Matt you better get a job to support this "habit"!!!!!!:) you can get PFS at some hardwares and most poll and spa dealers(litehouse).and personally I put my PFS on a window screen and hose the crap out of it,even gets the smaller grains out.NEVER clouds water at all.

[mattsoccer20]

Matt you better get a job to support this "habit"!!!!!!:) you can get PFS at some hardwares and most poll and spa dealers(litehouse).and personally I put my PFS on a window screen and hose the crap out of it,even gets the smaller grains out.NEVER clouds water at all.
Lol ya i know :). I had a pair lay eggs and i was planning on setting up a breeding tank but they have not shown any signs of laying more eggs. And ill have to go take a look around at my local pool stores :)

[Apistomaster]

Many hardware stores sell 20/30 grit silica sand. That is where I buy it for $7.00/100#'s.
It is also sold at sand blasting materials suppliers. Also used as pool sand filter media.
If dumped in dry some particles briefly float but soon sink.This will not harm Discus.

[zoozoo]

pool filter sand for me!

[zoozoo]

but i also heard that play sand is fine as well although its a bit darker

[krislewis3]

would Super-Natural sand be ok?

[Etek]

I take the easy way out. I purchase CaribSea Instant Aquarium sand. I LOVE the Crystal River sand because it looks very white and the grain size is large enough for plants and also heavy enough that I don't end up vacuuming very much of it out during deep cleanings.

I put it straight into the tank, no rinsing needed and I've done it with all my fish in the tank at the time. In fact, I just added a 20 pound bag 3 days ago when I rescaped my tank. To do it with minimal cloudiness I drain the tank to about 6 inches of water (this makes my 9 inch discus very unhappy, but I tell them to suck it up and take one for the team). Once the tank is drained, I rinse the outside of the bag, cut off the top, place it directly on the bottom of the tank and slowly let the sand slide out. Once that's done I smush it into all the corners with my long handled scrubbie brush, then fill the tank to 1/3, let it sit for 15 minutes, drain it down to 6" again and then refill to the top.

The water is only slightly cloudy when it's completely refilled and is totally clear again within 30 minutes. =)

This is really good to know as I wanna take my gravel out completely and switch to sand as my pbs have some peppering. But I'm wondering if its from my dark malaysian wood. But also worry about stuff trapped in between gravel and messing my water quality. I wonder if using the carib instant and pool filter sand mix would be a costs effective solution.

[Cameronv]

I just bought the carib sea crystal river sand after reading this thread. Its really nice it comes with beneficial bacteria, great grain size, and is plant friendly - everything I was looking for. I really like the sand and professionals use it. However, when it came to my house today I did find that the sand IS NOT WHITE... It's more of a natural gold/tan color. Talk about IRRITATING especially after spending 40 dollars and another 30 on shipping. I'm pretty pissed, but the sand has very good quality. I'm looking for nice white sand and its just not white. They do have "moonlight" sand, its extremely fine/VERY WHITE (which I love), but is meant for salt. It deteriorates with time and raises PH. It's also expensive and costly to ship, the bag weighs a SH*T ton. It comes with water in it, most likely the beneficial bacteria or to preserve it. The main point.. I'm sad about the sand and waste of money. Tomorrow I'll be going to buy some PFS.

[Vee]

Pool filter sand from Fleetfarm.

[strawberryblonde]

I just bought the carib sea crystal river sand after reading this thread. Its really nice it comes with beneficial bacteria, great grain size, and is plant friendly - everything I was looking for. I really like the sand and professionals use it. However, when it came to my house today I did find that the sand IS NOT WHITE... It's more of a natural gold/tan color. Talk about IRRITATING especially after spending 40 dollars and another 30 on shipping. I'm pretty pissed, but the sand has very good quality. I'm looking for nice white sand and its just not white. They do have "moonlight" sand, its extremely fine/VERY WHITE (which I love), but is meant for salt. It deteriorates with time and raises PH. It's also expensive and costly to ship, the bag weighs a SH*T ton. It comes with water in it, most likely the beneficial bacteria or to preserve it. The main point.. I'm sad about the sand and waste of money. Tomorrow I'll be going to buy some PFS.

Hi Cameron,

I'm really REALLY surprised that your sand isn't white!

Here's a pic of the same sand in my tank:

73410

Not a great pic, but the first one I could find that was the right size to upload on here.

Oh wait, found another pic of the entire tank. It's not going to look nearly as white in the pic as it really is because of the type of lighting I use. Trust me, it's VERY white.

73411

[discus6628]

Hi All,

I have being call around local pool supplier within my area and have no luck getting the white PFS. Does anyone live in Los Angeles CA that know any local pool place would sell white PFS? The city close to me are Alhambra/Monterey Park/San Gabriel/Temple City/Arcadia/Monorvia/Pasadena/Long Beach. I do find some white sand for fish tank and they cost about $1 per pound and I need about 100 lb.

[Apistomaster]

I use pure quartz sand, snow white before it has been used for awhile. It is fine grained #20/#30 and I buy it from a hard ware store for about $8.00/100# sack. It is chemically inert and is easily washed dust free prior to use.
I would prefer #8 to #16 quartz sand like Carib Sea's "Torpedo Beach" sand but they charge at least $20/20# plus shipping.
The # stands for the numbers of mesh openings per inch in sieves used. The cheap sand passes the #20 sieve and is retained on the #30 mesh sieve. The larger the numbered(#) the finer the grain size.
The #20/#30 grain quartz is actual very close to that which is naturally found in Discus habitats.
I use a maximum thickness on the bottom of 2-1/2 inches deep. I individual pot my more valuable plant species. In those I use CoralSea FloraBase substrate. It is a soft laterite clay stone with rounded particle sizes of about 1/8 inch. Plants thrive in this substrate. I place SeaChem FloraGro fertilizer cubes in the pots. I periodically push new ones in about once every 8 months. The plants grow huge even though they become root bound. I have two enormous specimens of Echindorous uraguayensis in my 125 gal.
They spread at least 30 inches and have leaves about as long. I also have Crypt. "blassii" doing great in pots.
I usually use the bottoms of 2 liter plastic juice bottles as pots or small Gladware food storage containers as pots. I trim them when necessary so they barely extend above the cheap quartz substrate so they are not noticeable. Potting important plants also allows us to rearrange the plant placement withouth causing any shock to the plants when moved.

[Gethenet]

Well Matt, if you haven't seen it before, here are some fairly recent pics of my planted discus tank, using white quartz-based silica PFS, in which I use root tab ferts, replenished/renewed about every 6 months or so:
http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Sept2011wow your tank looks amazing, can I ask what size tank that is and what kind of filtration are you using? Also what lights your running?

[discuspaul]

Thanks.
The tank is just under 75 gals. For filtration I use 2 AquaClear HOB 110's, and my lighting is 2 X 39w T5 HO bulbs.
A few months back, I gave some of my discus to my daughter for her tank, re-scaped my tank - reducing the plantings a bit, and added some new discus. Here it is :
http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/lolliblues2

[T_om]

Home Depot or Lowes sell "Builders Sand". Cheap.

Any swimming pool supply shop sells pool filter sand... not as cheap but not too bad.

Builders sand has always worked just fine for me.

Tom

[Elliots]

I bought PFS at ACE Hardware in Manhattan, NYC. They looked at me funny as almost no one in Manhattan has a swimming pool. They never had PFS or ordered it. They had to search the internet to see if they sold it. They ordered it for me!! I also would guess that it is near impossible to find PFS in stock in the Fall. Have someone order it for you. I have HTH PFS. Another company made a white PFS but I thing they were bought out by the parent company of HTH. I did want white sand but the beige HTH is OK with me. It looks a little more natural.

[discus6628]

I am almost give up looking for white pfs around my area. May be settle with leslie sand with a little tan color
http://www.lesliespool.com/Home/Filters-and-Filter-Supplies/Filter-Supplies/14700.html

They are around $12 per 100 lb. compared to lfs has white silica sand for $1 per lb, so around $100. I think i would save the money for the fish better.

[pastry]

I am almost give up looking for white pfs around my area. May be settle with leslie sand with a little tan color
http://www.lesliespool.com/Home/Filters-and-Filter-Supplies/Filter-Supplies/14700.html

They are around $12 per 100 lb. compared to lfs has white silica sand for $1 per lb, so around $100. I think i would save the money for the fish better.

...or since you're probably not even an hour from the beach then if you like that sand then use it.

[discus6628]

you are right Elliot. the beach is also walking distance for me from work. I could drop by pick some up :)

my driftwood will be come soon from PC1 and can't wait to have all come together. I will running routing the plumbing to the back of the tank this weekend. Hopefully they all turn out fine.

[pastry]

you are right Elliot. the beach is also walking distance for me from work. I could drop by pick some up :)

my driftwood will be come soon from PC1 and can't wait to have all come together. I will running routing the plumbing to the back of the tank this weekend. Hopefully they all turn out fine.

...Tony, same on the driftwood... just go out and grab what you want! Did that at a local lake with tons of driftwood... wierd how you feel like a little kid in candy store when you're at a lake looking for driftwood. A local fish shop tried to sell me a piece of driftwood that was the size of a coffee trave mug for $25 or a the size of a shoebox for $37... what a rip off. I know others will say some types of wood can change your water chem but I guess I've been fortunate for a long time now and will neve buy sand or wood. Just a thought!

[Second Hand Pat]

Guys, I would avoid the beach sand as it may contain bits of calcium based sands which will elevate your Ph plus there is a lot of nasty stuff which washes up onto the beach.

[Discus Origins]

Play sand from lowes or Home Depot works just fine and is cheap. I wouldn't use any driftwood from lakes or rivers without boiling it first. They could harbour parasites and nasties from nature.

[Curt]

I wouldn't use any driftwood from lakes or rivers without boiling it first. They could harbour parasites and nasties from nature.

+1 I wouldent trust anything from the beach, even if it is fresh water, far to much risk for a tank. I have use PFS with great sucess and dont mind if it is a little tan looks more natural. When I set up my display tank it is going to be PFS and PFG (pool filter gravel) and Just some good driftwood. You could collect your own DW but just make sure to clean the hell out of it.

Curt

[discus6628]

You are right Curt & Mark. I was just kidding on pickup from beach. I end up ordered driftwood from PC1 (sponsor) last week and in progress get white pool sand from craiglist for 0.50c per lb. Look forward to finish up my tank then leave it cycle and pickup some discus after. Does anyone know any local breeder in San Gabriel Valley? If not, Bill & Kenny is my next person in line to be order from.

[discuspaul]

Hey Tony, Glad to hear you finally found some white PFS you were wanting.

[pastry]

Guys, I would avoid the beach sand as it may contain bits of calcium based sands which will elevate your Ph plus there is a lot of nasty stuff which washes up onto the beach.

Pat, true... but I wasn't the smartest egg when I did it yet it hasn't affected my water chemistry. Given though, even on the same coast, sand is different. I did actually "cure" mine vigorously since who knows has been walking their dog on the beach, throwing who knows what garbage on the beach, and making loooooove on the beach... ;) But even though I "cured" mine I still know that that'll do nothing in regards to stuff that could change my water chemistry. Just got lucky on that one I guess. If someone wasn't in a rush then maybe they could always take a sample, put it in water, and monitor the affects? If it comes out okay then that's one hell of a cheap solution!

Of course, this all coming from someone who's group of discus is currently sick... but has nothing to do with water chem affected by sand... and more to do with "keeper" being a jacka**. hopefully I'll pull them through!

[ashtricks]

I usually use the bottoms of 2 liter plastic juice bottles as pots or small Gladware food storage containers as pots. I trim them when necessary so they barely extend above the cheap quartz substrate so they are not noticeable. Potting important plants also allows us to rearrange the plant placement withouth causing any shock to the plants when moved.

Larry,
Do you drill holes on the sides or bottoms of the containers?

[Allan8100]

I have PFS in all my aquariums, and will never go back! PFS is better than play sand too, because it's bulkier and simpler to fresh. Just create sure you wash it a lot before you put it in the tank.

[Allan8100]

I have PFS in all my aquariums, and will never go back! PFS is better than play sand too, because it's bulkier and simpler to fresh. Just create sure you wash it a lot before you put it in the tank.
Pool Covers (http://www.thepoolfactory.com/pool-supplies/pool-covers)

[jobber]

I use Estes ultra reef marine sand; aquarium safe and silica free. Next tank will be using Caribsea Super Natural.