Intrepidcub

I went by the pool place and was checking out the sand and he had one bag of filter sand made by quickrete. ITs a lil more coarse and it natural rock color He had one bag so i asked if he had anymore he said no that it was a one time thing cause his distributor had a delay in his shipment. we left and turns out the quickrete factory/packaging actually i dont know what they do LOL is across the street i went in and they have the sand and its 6.95 a 50 pound bag. I like it cause it looks more stream like and would go with my shubunkins better , and not beach like sand which tropical fish would look right with . my question is since its not as fine as typical sand and its coarser will it still function the same as regular sand? I assume it would let more particles in than regular sand that seems denser.

sirdarksol

As long as you don't have tender bottom feeders in the tank, it should work well. Make sure it doesn't have lime in it, though.

Shawnie

goldies are ok with sand being bottom feeders?

sirdarksol

I think so. They tend to roam around the tank because most keepers don't feed them on the bottom. They also tend to pick rather than vacuum. Lastly, they've got some pretty thick scales. I think the bottom feeders that have problems with them either have long barbels or are scaleless.
Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'm basing this largely on my knowledge of carp.

Shawnie

its not a matter of feeding on the bottom , at least here in my tanks...its a matter of they eat off the top, then when its gone, they scavage the bottom and gravel goes in and out of their mouths as they clean off the leftovers...I could be wrong also...but not sure they can handle the sand..if they can, id love sand subtrate!

sirdarksol

Okay, I found something else that suggests, whether or not its good for the fish, it's probably not good for the tank. Goldfish, when they root around in the substrate, can kick up clouds of sand, which can get caught in the filter and kill the blades.

Shawnie

but what about deep tanks? im still curious if goldies can be ok with a sand subtrate

sirdarksol

I think they would be okay, but I'm not positive. Carp live in sandy waters around here, and do just fine.

Intrepidcub

LOL everytime i think i have it figured out LOL

griffin

it should be fine if you put a sponge or somethign over your intake to prevent the sand from going in

sirdarksol

An excellent idea. Just be sure to rinse the sponge out periodically, or it might get clogged up.

Butterfly

It has been my experience that Pool Filter sand tends to be a little more coarse. Thats a good thing because it doesn't compact. It's not bad to kick up into the water column either. If it did it would be bad for Pool Filters. My Corys and Kuhlis love it
Just make sure it's truly Pool Filter Sand.
Carol

sirdarksol

Heh. I missed that this was filter sand. I saw "quickcrete" and I was thinking concrete additive (I have a few bags in my garage that go in the trunk during the winter). The stuff has really sharp edges (unlike what I've heard about filter sand), which was the concern I was having.

Butterfly

Carol