Zodiac007

Ok, so I've already washed and put the sand in the aquarium so I guess I should've asked this before I did that....

But I'm getting a bit curious as to what kind of sand it is and if it'll be safe for a freshwater tank.

I read around and decided to use Pool Filter Sand. I went to a pool maintenance shop nearby and asked for them. The guy said yea, they're outside, no one is buying them so you can take as much as you for free. So I was like woah, really? So I brought home like 3 bucket full of the sand. I'm ASSUMING it was pool filter sand. It was all on the floor outside. I know I should've asked if it really was pool filter sand. There was a little smell, but I thought it suppose to have a bit of smell. It was all wet/moist too.

When I started washing it, I noticed some bits of wood I think they were. Like little chips, not sharp, pieces of tiny wood. And there were also some white stuff. I first that the white stuff was sea shells, but then I pinched it and it was soft. So it seemed like styrofoam maybe. I'm not sure. But I did wash all the wood and white stuff out.

The colour of the sand is a normal sand colour. But there's also some black, white, and peach coloured sand in it too if you look closely. But it mainly looks like the sand you see at rivers. the sand is round too, not sharp.

I don't think it was sea sand because there wasn't a strong salt smell.

Does anyone know what kind of sand it is?

I'm thinking that it should be pool filter sand because what other kinds of sand would a pool shop carry anyways, right?

thank you

oh yea, and I haven't put water in yet.

CHoffman

HMMM..I don't know what to tell on this..I use pool filter sand in some of my tanks but I bought it bagged..If it was outside it's bound to have other stuff in it...You could still use it but it should be throughly rinsed and boiled first...My pool filter sand has other colors too..just as your describing...I think you can use it but it should be boiled and rinsed first for sure.

CWO4GUNNER

You had better call the place and make sure its not used discarded pool sand from the display pools. If it is you can bet it has chemicals in it that cannot be boiled out. This is why I use construction sand derived from desert riverbeds, never boiled only rinsed as the untreated tap water would have killed everything anyway. I wouldn't put any fish in that tank until you find out why that sand was on the ground wet, sound like that white stuff is remnants of depleted pool chlorine.