# White sand?



## tao (Jun 15, 2005)

I was trying to set my aquascape up to look like a river and I wanted to use white sand for the water part. So can anybody tell me what's the best one for this? I know ADA sells something that might do, but I wanted to shop around a little more for something whiter.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Just to highlight that white sand is rather hard to maintain. They are likely to turn into brown/black/green sand (you know what I mean). I would prefer something dark that nobody will spot the dirt.

In South East Asia region, we have something called Holland sand. There are various colours - one of them is white. The sand is rougher than the one at the beach or the one used in building construction.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Depends on where in the world you are. Each location will have its own sand. 

In the USA the 2 main sands talked about for aquarium use are:
Play Sand, sold as filler for a child's sand box, and not very good for aquarium use. 
Pool Filter Sand: A product that is graded so all the particles are the same size. This is pretty good in an aquarium.

Other places to find sand:
Fish stores may sell sand for tanks. Ask to make sure if it may or will not alter the pH and mineral levels of the water. This sort of sand is not good for soft water aquariums. You would have to go see what they are selling. Ask if it really is pool filter sand or play sand. (It is cheaper to get PFS at pool supply places). Fish stores sell coral sand, aragonite and other materials that are not pure sand, but are sand-sized particles. These 2 will add minerals to the water. 

Masonry, brick, stone, landscape stores may sell bagged sand. One product name is Lapis Lustre. This is a line of products that include sand that has been graded into any of several size ranges. Again, check to see if they are going to be neutral in the water or if they are limestone based. You could bring a zip-lock baggie and ask for a sample. Even bagged products may have a broken bag, and you can take some home. A handful is enough. 

Pet stores sell oyster shell grit for caged birds (like Budgies). This looks like sand, but will add minerals to the water. 

Pool contractors might be a source of a product called Pebbletek. This is a quartz material, neutral in the water, that is added to swimming pool plaster to make the pool colorful. Many colors. Very dense, so cleaning is easy. It does not get sucked up into the gravel vac very easily. Careful: The Pebbletek product has several types of material, and some of them have shells added. Nice in the swimming pool, but these can add minerals to the aquarium. 

Whichever products you are looking into, get a sample and run this simple test:
Put a handful in a glass of water and test GH, KH, pH and TDS every few days for a week or more. If the water shows no change in levels, then the product you are testing is likely to not alter the aquarium water.


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## Hillbilly Homer (Sep 25, 2012)

Would silica sand (for sandblasting) work? You can get it at about any hardware store cheep at $7.50 for 100lb.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Yes, sand for sand blasting is usually graded for size. Sometimes there is a question about if it has sharp edges, and if this might be bad for bottom dwellers like Cories.


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## tao (Jun 15, 2005)

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll look at my local pool supply place, if I can find one. Is there any particularly easy way of doing it? Should I leave aquasoil on very bottom pour sand over it, or line the stream area with something, maybe plastic, and put the sand on top? Or use dividers so that the sand goes all the way to the bottom? Is there a best way of doing it?


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## sharkl11 (Jun 3, 2012)

Black diamond black sand


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Substrates will mix unless they are separated by something that does not allow them to mix. 
For a natural river effect I would use rocks and the black expanding foam that is sold for water falls. The very top layer of rocks could be stones with Riccia tied on if you want that look. 
Use rocks of whatever size you want, and that suit the tank. Usually rounded rocks look like they have been tumbled in the river for many years. Sharper rocks might make a nice cliff for the river to come out from around. But I would not use a sharp edged rock to line the banks of the river.

Rocks that are large, such as 4-6" diameter cobbles or river rock will be OK for tanks about 4' long or larger.

You could make a completely miniature river that _looks_ big, but the edges are made of pebbles mostly about 1/2" to 2".

1) Lay out the pebbles first to be sure that is really where you want them. 
2) Draw a line on the glass that marks where the sand will be. 
3) Remove the pebbles. 
4) Put down a line of expanding foam. 
5) Set pebbles in the foam. 
6) When the first layer has set up pretty well add another layer of foam, feeding it into gaps in the first course. Do not apply too much. 
7) Add the top row of pebbles.

Remember that a natural river will have rocks of different sizes, and the rocks along the shore will be pretty well sunken in the bank, or else they would have washed away long ago. 
Any rock that looks really tall is actually a large boulder well sunken in the bank of the river. 
A river may get wider and narrower. 
Use these ideas in setting up your aquarium river, and keep laying out the pebbles until it looks really good. Use larger and smaller pebbles, but try to stick to the same color range. Not all the same color, but related colors.


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