psacobie

I was just wondering if river sand was safe for my tank? I took some from the river in my back yard and checked it with vinegar (no fizzing) i also took some and put it in some water over night and there wasn't bad smells or oil slicks . Any help would be nice . the river the shuswap in endeby BC Canada

Shawnie

Hi psacobie!!..IMO no its not good...because you will be bringing in everything from the river also...play sand, pool sand etc is pretty cheap so why not go for the stuff thats all sterilized instead?

Lucy

I agree with Shawnie, there are microscopic things that live in the sand.
I wouldn't take the chance.

psacobie

I was thinking of boiling the sand to kill any microrganisms

Shawnie

as cheap as pool sand is, why bother going through all that trouble?? and again, who knows whats in that river bed

Lucy

There is another thread asking about using sand. andy65 said his mom and brother used pool sand and it was $8.00 for 50 pounds.

Shawnie

just as great as play sand....I just couldnt use pool sand as my oscars eat the lil pebbles LOL ...

sirdarksol

I would suggest against it not so much because of micro-organisms (as you said, you can boil it), but because of the potential of other stuff being in the sand. If the river is polluted, or if the sand has copper, calcium, or iron in it, it could seriously affect the water quality in the tank.

shortcut mary

I wish I had a river in my back yard