# Cheap Sand Substrate



## fish_addiction (Sep 29, 2009)

I am wanting to swith my 110 gallon African tank from gravel to sand  . I have read all of the numerous posts about this topic, but I cannot find the sand at a reasonable price. Local (Arllington, TX) hardware stores have play sand, but it's kind of a red / gold color. I really want white, but I'm not excited about paying $100 bucks at the LFS of online :-? . Anybody found something cheaper in TX? Thanks!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Check local pool supply house for pool filter sand color. It is pretty cheap if it is what you like. Pure white is a little much for me. I like a bit more variety so use all purpose sand from home centers cut with other gravel and such. You will likely find sand varies place to place and time to time as they change suppliers.


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## fish_addiction (Sep 29, 2009)

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

:thumb: Good luck!


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## Gerry Binczik (Jan 30, 2005)

You can still get Colorquartz (ceramic-coated quartz crystals in various colors, in the opinion of some superior to plain old sand in a number of ways) locally, if you want, for under $20/50lb bag:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... 50#1386150

Just white would be awfully white, though...


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## sisonek (Sep 8, 2009)

here is what I use Granusil Silica Sand only $5 a 50lb bag it is from a company called Unimin here is there website http://www.unimin.com/ (u cannot buy it there) I get mine at the local hardware store. it is an off-white so it is not too much white , I really like it but you have to be careful that your filter intake is not to close to the sand it is very light weight and will get sucked up if you are not carful


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## fish_addiction (Sep 29, 2009)

sisonek said:


> here is what I use Granusil Silica Sand only $5 a 50lb bag it is from a company called Unimin here is there website (u cannot buy it there) I get mine at the local hardware store. it is an off-white so it is not too much white , I really like it but you have to be careful that your filter intake is not to close to the sand it is very light weight and will get sucked up if you are not carful.


Thanks. Your tank looks really nice. I like the white look because of my black background and the way it really makes the fish stand out. I am concerned about my cannister filter intake as it is located at the bottom of the tank, although it has a pretty good prefilter. Do you think that color quartz is a better option?


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## fish_addiction (Sep 29, 2009)

Gerry Binczik said:


> You can still get Colorquartz (ceramic-coated quartz crystals in various colors, in the opinion of some superior to plain old sand in a number of ways) locally, if you want, for under $20/50lb bag:
> 
> Just white would be awfully white, though...


Thanks Gerry. I think your probably right about too much white. I have a lot of rock work in the tank though, so I'm going to experiment a little. Where in Arlington did you find the colorquartz? Is it pretty easy to maintain? Does it settle quickly instead of leaving a cloud when you stir it up?


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Here is another vote for Pool Filter Sand.


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## fish_addiction (Sep 29, 2009)

fmueller said:


> Here is another vote for Pool Filter Sand.


Thanks, this was very helpful. I'm headed to find some pool filter sand. :thumb:


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## Gerry Binczik (Jan 30, 2005)

> ... I'm going to experiment a little...


Well, yeah - that's part of the fun of designing a tank! :wink:



> Where in Arlington did you find the colorquartz?...


National Pool and Tile in Dallas has it. It's no longer being manufactured by 3M, but this vendor recently suggested to me that they still have a fair bit in stock.



> ... Is it pretty easy to maintain? Does it settle quickly instead of leaving a cloud when you stir it up?


It needs to be washed before being used as is the case with a lot of sands, but thereafter it's quite easy to work with. Two of its main advantages over most sands (beyond the incredible color palette) are its high density - causing it to settle very quickly after disturbance - and its not only inert but also smooth exterior - making it especially nice for use with sand-sifters and soft-bellied bottom dwellers, and less likely in general to scratch up aquarium glass/acrylic. And it's available in two sizes, with plenty of advocates for each. I know some people object to paying around $20 for a 50lb bag (while others think that's cheap, considering other substrates commonly in use), but I don't really think that's so much money even for a large tank, and obviously you get a whole lot of use out of it after you buy it - unless your experiment ends up taking you in another direction right away, of course.

No, I don't have any stake in people using the product. I'm just a big fan of it!


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## morfeus077 (May 9, 2009)

Another vote for pool filter sand... it's heavy compared to other types of sand. I buy mine from home depot and it's about $5/~20lb bag or so... you can do 2-3 bags for your tank.


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## fish_addiction (Sep 29, 2009)

Well, I picked up the pool filter sand at Leslie's Pool Supply for $15.49 / 50 lb bag. This stuff is amazing! It took a liitle over an hour to remove all of the gravel and rockwork and put the sand in. I did rinse it, but it only took a couple of minutes. I have used finer grade live sand in my saltwater tank in the past, and in my opinion, the pool filter sand is much easier to work with. My tank was cloudy for about 20 minutes, then crystal clear, and I really like the color. I would post some pics, but apparently I'm not allowed since I just joined the forum :-? . Thanks everyone for all of the good advice! :thumb:


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## fish_addiction (Sep 29, 2009)

Ok,

Here are the before and after pics. The right side of the tank is kinda yellow looking because I broke one of my 50/50 bulbs and I'm stuck with a 6700K until the new one gets here 

Before :?










After :dancing:


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## Hawks (Feb 7, 2008)

Quikrete commercial grade medium sand is nice looking, comes out of the bag clean and it's very cheap. Here is a recent post about it-

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... highlight=

You can get it at Home Depot or Lowes, hopefully there are some close to you.


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## actionyak (Mar 16, 2004)

Good choice on the pool filter sand, it looks great!


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