# whats the cheapest sand for freshwater substrate?



## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

my friend is looking for a cheap sand substrate either as the whole substate of just partial. i have heard alot of differnet things and people using pool sand like thats sold at lowes. does thesand need to be silica sand? thanks


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

You can also use the playsand that they sell for kids sandboxes at Toys R Us or Home Depot.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

If you want a good compromise between price and quality, go with SoilMaster Select. This is a high-quality substrate that will greatly aid root-zone nutrient exchange. It's manufactured for baseball fields and is only a few $$ for a very large bag. It is a bit difficult to find but works great. It's sold at Lesco distributors. The charcoal color is usually perferred.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

i searched for soilmaster select for some time and found only lesco sold it so far, i know i cheap id loe to find some here in sc but no luck yet.i have read the playsand will clog up your filter or mess it up somehow but ive never used it! i heard something about poolsand before but not 100%


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## cah925 (Jun 23, 2007)

Try Turface, it's basically the same as SMS. You can also try looking for John Deere Landscaping stores.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

im looking for a cheap solution for sand, i know what sms and turface is but im looking for sand


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

customdrumfinishes said:


> im looking for a cheap solution for sand, i know what sms and turface is but im looking for sand


The cheapest sand with a very good grain size for maintenance is pool filter sand (used for sand-based pool filters) found at almost all pool stores. It's about $7-$8 for 50lbs.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

houseofcards said:


> The cheapest sand with a very good grain size for maintenance is pool filter sand (used for sand-based pool filters) found at almost all pool stores. It's about $7-$8 for 50lbs.


hi, have you used this sand with success? i have heard of this pool sand before but i hear alot of crazy things, thanks


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

customdrumfinishes said:


> hi, have you used this sand with success? i have heard of this pool sand before but i hear alot of crazy things, thanks


I haven't used pool filter sand, but the requirements for that sand are about the same as for aquarium sand. Filter sand needs to be clean, to allow good flow through it, without packing down hard. And, it shouldn't alter the water properties. This is a much more restrictive set of requirements than for play sand. The next closest in properties should be sand intended for making concrete.

Another sand that people use with success is 3M Color Quartz, which can be obtained in black. And, I haven't used it myself either.


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## doug105 (Oct 28, 2005)

Pool filter sand is a little coarser than the "play" sand I can get from Home Depot around

here. I have used both with success. The "play" sand can have the tendency to clump a bit.

But it is a joy to see a pack of cory's plowing thru the stuff and blowing it out their gills as they 

go. And Weather Loaches love to burrow in it and frequently hang out with just their heads

sticking out of the play sand.

Obviously, the sand doesn't provide any nutrient support so fertilization of the substrate with tabs

or fertilization of the water column is a must.


Doug


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

yunno whats cheaper than everything mentioned and will work great . Sand/mud collected at your local waterway, lake, river etc. River slit, depending on where you collected the stuff it usually contains way more beneficial nutrients than sms, pool filter sand, flourite or any of the cheaper alternatives. it also contains already established wild anaerobic bacteria so there is little to no cycling time


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

jazzlvr123 said:


> yunno whats cheaper than everything mentioned and will work great . Sand/mud collected at your local waterway, lake, river etc. River slit, depending on where you collected usually contains way more beneficial nutrients than sms, pool filter sand, flourite or any of the cheaper alternatives. it also contains already established wild anaerobic bacteria so there is little to no cycling time


there is some nice looking freshwater sand here in small brooks/streams that go to ponds and creeks. i thought of that the other day but wasnt sure, i might go get some and put it in a bucket to see if it will sink or cloud for days. thanks


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

My river silt stunk very bad! Until the tank settled in and the filter ran for a couple of days, and the plants started to grow, the smell was like a swamp. But, it works great. I capped it with 2 inches of SMS charcoal.


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## starsunmoon (Apr 1, 2008)

hI ! well I wanna buy this sand, I was thinking the pool filter sand would be the best . I do wanna get lots of corys, and I also want plants in thier too !! So I was thinking of doing a half and half, like the sand in the middle to the right corner, and then a mix of my fine black gravel, with some eco-complete mixed in.. how do you guys think this would work??? I am picking up my 90 gallon tomorrow, and even thow I cant afford the canister filter yet ... I want to go ahead and start the bottom layout. what is the best item to use as a divider..??? and I want it to be in the middle and cut over to the right corner, so it couldent be staright across from side to side, I do have some rocks I could use to hold it in place.. what do you all think would work well?? I thought about plexiglass, or even the plastic canvas I bought for my diy dividers, they do have holes, but tiny, so I think they might work >?? sorry to hijack this thread...............LOL but since it was about me, (friend) haha, I figured I would ask stuff I wanna know as well, I will make a journal of my 90 in progress, so keep watching , i have many tanks I could poat and put pics up soon!!! all replys will be appreciated !!!!!


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