Pool filter sand

[Brianne3826]

Anyone out there use pool filter sand? I'm curious to what others experiences have been with this.
The cost is so tempting to use. I can get a 50LB bag of HTH pool filter sand for around 20 dollars.

But... I don't like the fact that since it is not geared towards aquariums, that it will probably take tons of washing to clear it.
I'd like to try some white(ish) colored sand for my new tank project without breaking the bank.

Some people swear by this stuff.

 

[coralbandit]

I have pool filter sand and gravel mixed in my 180g. Never had a problem with it. Probably been over 10 years now.

 

[Brianne3826]

How was the cleaning process? Do you recall which brand you used?

 

[coralbandit]

I think it was no big deal but it was some time ago. I don't remember the brand but I got it at our local pool supply store where they sell pools and such. My understanding is pool filter sand is much cleaner and of uniform size than play sand. A lot of people using blasting sand [ used for sand blasting] but I believe the clean up is a little more work. The blasting sand comes in black also. There are a couple threads here if you search pool filter sand or ' sand comparison' .

 

[Brianne3826]

Yeah, I've used sand blasting substrate before. I'd never use it again.
Perhaps I'll give the HTH a try.

 

[ProudPapa]

I've used two different brands of pool filter sand that I bought at swimming pool supply stores and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. I didn't rinse either one. One of them had a little cloudiness that had cleared up by the next day, and I didn't notice any with the other one.

I have read reports here and on other similar forums from people who said they bought some at the big box home improvement stores that did need rinsing.

 

[FishDin]

Pool filter sand is quite clean compared to other sand sources, and requires minimal cleaning. I like HTH because I like the color compared to some other brands. It looks more natural to me.

 

[kallililly1973]

That’s all I e ever used… aside from one tank at the beginning had gravel but was soon changed to PFS… any pool supply place will carry 40-50# bags for cheap. You could even put some organic soil and cap it with PFS if your looking to do some live plants although the soil is t 100% necessary… sorry coralbandit I wasn’t trying to tag you in my post I just couldn’t figure out how to delete that part hahahaha

 

[ruud]

I use finer sand. It probably took about an hour to rinse it all, but that’s not much compared to 30+ years of use and counting.

 

[Brianne3826]

What is considered "finer sand"?

I've used Caribsea naturals in the past a lot. In particular, Sunset gold. How much different is pool filter sand from this? I mean, obviously, besides the color.

 

[ruud]

pool filter is "Medium sand"

 

[Brianne3826]

Isn't finer sand better for plants?

 

[kallililly1973]

From my limited knowledge of plants they get their nutrients from everywhere their roots stems leaves so any substrate will work depending on the water chemistry of the plants prefer it softer neutral or harder.just my .02
Edit: out of the 8-10 bags of PFS I’ve ever used I only rinsed the first one all the rest were just dumped in the tank and stirred around with the filter off then fire up the filter with some polyfill and the next day or so the tanks were crystal clear

 

[tinylostwine]

I use hth pool filter sand for my dwarf cichild and large geo aquarium. It comes in clean so no washing required and grain size is around 0.5mm - you can get similar caribesea substrate somewhere between torpedo beach and crystal river but the caribsea version is 2x to 3x the price and requires a lot of washing.

The only problem with hth pool filter sand is newer pools are being made with not requiring it - also the bag frequently leaks and sometime it gets contaminated if a compromised bag is store with or near liquid solvent of some sort (remember it is usually kept with hardware supplies).

Still best bang for the buck and i like the look as for plants - this aquarium has hth pool filter sand and you can see how the plants react over 19 or so months:

 

[DaveKS]

How was the cleaning process? Do you recall which brand you used?

HTH pool filter sand is a perfect grain size to build up a 1.5-2.5” substrate layer. Perfect plant substrate once it builds up a little bio-gunk in it.

If you want to tone down the off whiteness of it a bit get a small bag of Caribsea Peace River sand and scratch it in across top layer. Then scatter some pea -.5” stones around top to finish the decor.

 

[Brianne3826]

Interesting. Tanks look good.
That said, it does appear to get pretty dirty over time.

In my previous short term experience with white(ish) sand, it got extremely filthy.
But, this could also be due to specific factors as well. I think filtration and flow also play a part.

I had it in my 40 long/33 long and it turned filthy. Long tanks are harder to filter/add flow, at least from my experience. This will be going in a 20 long, which is, obviously, quite a bit smaller of a tank than a 33/40 long.

My Dad had the same substrate in a 10 gallon and it never got dirty. Smaller tank, easier to filter and add adequate flow. So, who knows?

 

[tinylostwine]

HTH pool filter sand is a perfect grain size to build up a 1.5-2.5” substrate layer. Perfect plant substrate once it builds up a little bio-gunk in it.

If you want to tone down the off whiteness of it a bit get a small bag of Caribsea Peace River sand and scratch it in across top layer. Then scatter some pea -.5” stones around top to finish the decor.

I have peace river with my b. cupido and in terms of grain size rather disappointed - despite the describtion on their website it leans quite a bit larger than pool filter sand in average size. However i have one aquarium with the two mixed together and that combo actually worked pretty well.

 

[Gnop1950]

I used pool filter sand in my 90-Gallon tank. I picked it up at the local Home Depot. It was very inexpensive. I put it in a large Home Depot bucket and washed it until the water ran clear, then put it in the tank.

 

[Mudminnow]

I use/have used pool filter sand in some of my tanks. It works great. I make little circles over the sand with the syphon to make little "tornadoes" to remove debris. A little sand gets sucked out too, but that's no big deal. Given it's so cheap, I just occasionally sprinkle a little more.

In tanks with cory cats, I do practically nothing. The cory cats constantly sift the sand, which keeps it looking nice.

 

[ruud]

Isn't finer sand better for plants?

No, not necessarily. A waterlogged, 2 - 5 inch substrate layer confined by a glass plate isn't much of a dealbreaker, regardless of grain size. Gravel works just fine also.

Hence, I'd choose a substrate you prefer personally.

I like the natural look, having a variety in grain sizes and color, mixed with leaf litter, twigs, botanicals. Others prefer a clean, freshly raked beach look.

 

[DaveKS]

I have peace river with my b. cupido and in terms of grain size rather disappointed - despite the describtion on their website it leans quite a bit larger than pool filter sand in average size. However i have one aquarium with the two mixed together and that combo actually worked pretty well.

Don’t confuse just any “pool filter sand” brand with the HTH brand or Peace River. HTH and Peace River are almost identical in grain size. 1-2mm. Whereas some other brands of pool filter sands can easily have 50% of the substrates grain size smaller than .3-.5mm and inappropriate for substrate beds deeper than 1” because they will tend to go anaerobic.

 

[tinylostwine]

Don’t confuse just any “pool filter sand” brand with the HTH brand or Peace River. HTH and Peace River are almost identical in grain size. 1-2mm. Whereas some other brands of pool filter sands can easily have 50% of the substrates grain size smaller than .3-.5mm and inappropriate for substrate beds deeper than 1” because they will tend to go anaerobic.

I only use hth pool filter sand and i can assure you it has smaller grain size i believe around 0.5 mm

Not right now but maybe in a few days i'll grab a hand full and take picture side by side.

I did make a mistake the substrate i'm using is the rather new jungle river which is smaller than peace river as peace river is way too large for my dwarf cichild.

On caribsea website they state jungle river sand is 0.5 to 1.5mm but i find it more corase than hth pool filter sand. I'm pretty sure i read on hth site that their pool fitler sand is around 0.5 mm but i find it perhaps slightly less. Jungle river does have some smaller 0.5mm grains but a lot of it is in the 1mm range with a little close to 1.5mm so hth pool fitler sand tends to be noticeably smaller.

For most fishes this doesn't matter and both work well with plants but for dwarf cichild and geo i keep i definitely want the finer less sharp hth pool fitler sand. Mixing the two where it is heavy on the hth and light on the jungle river works really well if you wnat to give it more of a sandy look.

I would never use peace river with the fishes i keep just too coarse. carbsea state 1 to 2 mm but it leans larger.

I found the super fine moonlight sand create problems if more than 1/2 inch or so thick and i was able to reproduce these issues in a 10 gallon multiple times as control tests.

crystal river and torpedo beach work well (i prefer crystal river); they look the same just different grain size and of course 2x to 3x more expensive than hth pool filter sand. Doesnt' really matter for a 10 but for a 600 can make a huge difference.

 

[DaveKS]

I only use hth pool filter sand and i can assure you it has smaller grain size i believe around 0.5 mm.



Not right now but maybe in a few days i'll grab a hand full and take picture side by side.

I did make a mistake the substrate i'm using is the rather new jungle river which is smaller than peace river as peace river is way too large for my dwarf cichild.

On caribsea website they state jungle river sand is 0.5 to 1.5mm but i find it more corase than hth pool filter sand. I'm pretty sure i read on hth site that their pool fitler sand is around 0.5 mm but i find it perhaps slightly less. Jungle river does have some smaller 0.5mm grains but a lot of it is in the 1mm range with a little close to 1.5mm so hth pool fitler sand tends to be noticeably smaller.

For most fishes this doesn't matter and both work well with plants but for dwarf cichild and geo i keep i definitely want the finer less sharp hth pool fitler sand. Mixing the two where it is heavy on the hth and light on the jungle river works really well if you wnat to give it more of a sandy look.

I would never use peace river with the fishes i keep just too coarse. carbsea state 1 to 2 mm but it leans larger.

I found the super fine moonlight sand create problems if more than 1/2 inch or so thick and i was able to reproduce these issues in a 10 gallon multiple times as control tests.

crystal river and torpedo beach work well (i prefer crystal river); they look the same just different grain size and of course 2x to 3x more expensive than hth pool filter sand. Doesnt' really matter for a 10 but for a 600 can make a huge difference.

I guess I’m confused as to why grain size of substrate is a defining factor when breeding parameters are met by simply laying a terra cotta flower pot on top of substrate?

 

[ProudPapa]

This is one of the brands I used. I'm pretty sure it's the one that didn't have any cloudiness even without rinsing.

 

[kallililly1973]

I used to get mine from a pool supply store. 50# bag for $10. Brand was called Lighthouse

 

[tinylostwine]

I guess I’m confused as to why grain size of substrate is a defining factor when breeding parameters are met by simply laying a terra cotta flower pot on top of substrate?

Many dwarf cicihld and geo as will as cupido and other fishes I keep shift through the sand looking for food. This means they swallow a bit and then allow it to filter out through their gills. Large grains can caught or cause damage when they do this sort of thing.

 

[DaveKS]

Many dwarf cicihld and geo as will as cupido and other fishes I keep shift through the sand looking for food. This means they swallow a bit and then allow it to filter out through their gills. Large grains can caught or cause damage when they do this sort of thing.

Thank you for a concise explanation of the problem.

 

[Brianne3826]

I ordered a bag of HTH last night. I'm anxious to find out how it goes with it and looks.

Quite annoyed though at the fact that I had to get it from my local Ace hardware when my Meijer stores near me normally carry it, but both stores were out last night when I looked. Dunno why.

 

[DaveKS]

I ordered a bag of HTH last night. I'm anxious to find out how it goes with it and looks.

Quite annoyed though at the fact that I had to get it from my local Ace hardware when my Meijer stores near me normally carry it, but both stores were out last night when I looked. Dunno why.

HTH pool sand looks great. It’s a nice dull white base.

 

[tinylostwine]

I ordered a bag of HTH last night. I'm anxious to find out how it goes with it and looks.

Quite annoyed though at the fact that I had to get it from my local Ace hardware when my Meijer stores near me normally carry it, but both stores were out last night when I looked. Dunno why.

So did it work out ?

 

[Brianne3826]

Yes. I like the look of it. Only thing I'm not a fan of is how filthy looking it gets.

 

[DaveKS]

Yes. I like the look of it. Only thing I'm not a fan of is how filthy looking it gets.

Its grain size keeps loose detritus above substrate level. This is what you want. There either by water flow/circulation it gets carried over to filter inputs or you simply suck it up at water change time.

3mm-pea sized gravel where detritus settles in between the stones and you actually have run a gravel vacuum to get it out is not a fun maintenance routine. It’s much easier to manage on top of 1-3mm sand bed. If your getting huge swaths of detritus on top of it your either way over feeding or way overstocked.

If your growing plants in your aquarium a thin layer of detritus/mulm say 1/8-1/4” thick collecting around the base of plants is exactly what you want.

An absolutely spotlessly clean aquarium whether you have plants or not is actually a detriment to your aquarium. The AOA, AOB, fungi, yeasts and comammox bacteria found in a well managed thin detritus layer are what run and stabilize your aquarium.