Loaches Online Forum

Someone said they used pool filter sand, which I have found some on this site:

http://www.lesliespool.com/shopping/pro ... yword=sand

Is that really okay sand to use? Or is there another type I should be using?

Pool filter sand is fine, a lot of people prefer it over playsand, although (not being sure of US prices) it's a lot more expensive.

That sand should be fine for aquarium use. Ideally, you should have a look at some before you buy it. You want the grains to be rounded, not rough. I use pool filter sand in both my tanks and it's fine enough to be gill filtered by the horsefaced loaches. The kuhlis will burrow in it.

You cannot wash it carefully enough, though, IMO. Do it in batches, in several changes of water until the water runs totally clear. It takes a bit of work, but you need to get rid of 90% of the dust or more.

All right, thanks for that info. That Leslie's pool supply is near enough to me to drive to it, so I can get a look at the sand before I buy it. How do you wash it? In your hands under a faucet? Might be a silly thing to ask, but obviously I've never used sand before (but I'm excited to do so).

And I was worried about the sand being filtered through my clown loaches' gills because the biggest one filters the gravel through his gills(!) and I wondered if the sand might get swallowed? But it sounds like sand is actually better for loaches that filter.

I use the biggest plastic bucket I can find and run the water at a temperature so that my hands don't go numb... Lukewarm water. Mix the sand and water with your hands and lots of gunk will rise to the surface. You can pour it off and fill the bowl again. In my experience, it takes 4 or 5 full bowls of water to wash out several cups of sand at a time.

I was amazed when I first saw the Acanthocobitis filter feeding. Even when they are quite small fish, it seems very strange when you see it. But it seems to do the trick for them.

The pool filter sand I buy is already clean and doesn't need to be rinsed. It's slightly cloudy at first, but it clears up in a couple of hours after I run the filters.

Doing a big water change helps also.

Definitely is a job to rinse the stuff! I do pretty much what Mark does, only I use one of those really LARGE silver mixing/salad bowls. Dump some sand in. Fill up most of the way with water, stir with my hands, pour out the cloudy stuff, and do it again...and again...and (well, you get the idea ). Once I clean a batch I dump the wet stuff in a clean bucket and do another.

Put the wet clean sand into the tank and fill part way with water. Stir it about with your fingers a bit to remove any air bubbles. Let the sediment settle for a while, then gravel vac the silt up by gently holding the vac just above the surface. Plant (if you're using live plants) with the water at mid height, and let settle and vac again. Put a plate in on top of the sand when you fill the rest of the way to keep the water from disturbing the sand too much (pour somewhat slowly) then let it settle, shake any silt off of the plants gently, let it settle again, and vac again before you turn on the filters.

Sounds like a PITA, but once it's set up cleaning is easy. Most detritus stays above the sand and will congregate in a couple of areas based on your water movement. The fish and plants will love it.

Wow sounds like I have my work cut out for me! But I do so love my loaches, and they deserve the best I can offer them. I will try and show pictures of that take when it's set up, and hopefully I can get some planting advice!

Mark and Shari- are you talking about pool filter sand or play sand. Pool filter sand is a processed sand where the grain size is consistent with little or no sediment.

Icewall- I followed that link and what they have posted is not pool filter sand, it is zeolite. Zeolite is a filter media, much like activated carbon. You don't want to use that as a substrate.

Well mine was sold as pool filter sand, but it had quite a bit of dust and debris in it. 50 kilo sacks of it. Could be a difference in brand/quality?

Nevermind Shari and Mark. Pool filter sands differ. Many of them are graded for consistency, but some are not. I guess you need to check the packaging.

An example- here's the kind of pool filter sand I used, cost $10 per 50 lb bag-
http://www.u-s-silica.com/silurian.htm

here's a cheaper one only $6 per 50 lb bag-

http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/Pr ... ryID=34#83