# King play sand from HD?



## SKurj (Oct 26, 2011)

Anyone used this in a FW tank? Home Depot web site lists it as a tan coloured sand which is what I am looking for. Good? Bad? Terrible?


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## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

I dont know if i have the same kind as you but i did pick up some play sand. I cant remember if it was lowes or HD but it was tan lol. Its not bad, the issue was i didnt like the tan LOL. It play sand so you gotta clean it up good


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## GAT (Oct 8, 2011)

I used to the play sand from Home depot. First of all, you have to clean it a lot otherwise, you will have cloudy water. I rinsed the sand like 10+ times to clean it. Its not pure sand you will fine small pebbles in there as well.Are you going to use it as a cap? if not, look into pool filter sand or something similar. I didn't find the sand very appealing in the tank


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## SKurj (Oct 26, 2011)

Not a big fan of the real light coloured sand which I hear is what pool filter sand is like very 'white'

Want something more natural, more tan coloured.

Will go PFS if it sounds like the safer bet..

I have always used 'aquarium' sand but this time around I need a lot so looking to save a few $


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## Ischemia (Dec 19, 2012)

Ive used that play sand in 4 tanks with no problem. I never rinsed it and had no issues with cloudy water.


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## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

WHOA! you've never rinsed it either??? Wow, maybe i didnt get the same play sand lol. the one i had clouded up my water like crazy.


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

I've used the king play sand from HD as a cap for 3 tanks. It won't give your tank a 'beach' look, but more of a 'river bed' look 

I would definitely recommend rinsing it. Its a personal preference, but I did not want to take a chance with the really fine particles being sucked into the filter and doing a number on the shaft. Some are as fine as dust, and would readily go through a sponge pre-filter. 

I found that the best way of rinsing it was in small batches. I used one of those dollar store big 'salad' bowls..let the water run in the kitchen sink, and then just sort of 'pitchfork' my hand into the sand to agitate a bit. It brings the light particles to the top, and the running water takes it from there. Loss was about 2-3%. If you use lukewarm water, then u can actually tell if u missed agitating some areas, as your hand will feel colder than the water when you dig into the sand 


Al.


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## FONE (May 21, 2013)

I've seen some sand cleaning recently.


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## SKurj (Oct 26, 2011)

I've got 200+ lbs to do.. it might be different if I lived in florida, but I don't relish spending a whole weekend outside with a hose rinsing sand when its below freezing.. 

hoping for a warm spell coming...


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

SKurj said:


> I've got 200+ lbs to do..


Then you might want to pour the base layer straight, and clean just the top layer. That would save you a ton of cleaning, and the fine particles wouldn't have a chance to surface, as the top layer would be free of fine sediments and burying the 'unwashed' layer beneath. As long as you don't stir up the sediment, should be fine.

Al.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I wash it in my laundry sink in a bucket, fill bucket 1/3 and start running water and moving it around and the fine stuff floats out and over flows


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## SKurj (Oct 26, 2011)

Yeah I'd do the same but its not my laundry tub...


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## Kurare (Oct 8, 2010)

Play sand is fine, you have to stirred it up every few weeks to get out the pockets of bad air bubbles. btw dont wash it in the sink... ANY sink. You dont want that shit as sediment in your pipes. derp.
Winter isn't the best time to wash it, if you can wait til spring that'd be best. 
Sit outside, crack open a beer and rinse it in a 5gal bucket til it clears.
Chuck it into your tank and let it settle, run the stuff through a floss filter for about 24hrs, and the thing should be crystal clear FOREVER.


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## SKurj (Oct 26, 2011)

Kurare said:


> Play sand is fine, you have to stirred it up every few weeks to get out the pockets of bad air bubbles. btw dont wash it in the sink... ANY sink. You dont want that shit as sediment in your pipes. derp.
> Winter isn't the best time to wash it, if you can wait til spring that'd be best.
> Sit outside, crack open a beer and rinse it in a 5gal bucket til it clears.
> Chuck it into your tank and let it settle, run the stuff through a floss filter for about 24hrs, and the thing should be crystal clear FOREVER.


Yeah I am thinking that's what I will do. PFS looks too white for what I am going for I want that tan sorta riverbed look, and play sand can be a b#tch to clean I hear. I will be washing maybe as much as 200-250lbs and of course we happen to be having an early cold spell.. barebottom til spring it looks like!


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I have used a sandblasting sand from TSC that is a dark grey and very nice. There is a thread on it somewhere. It's a little sharp so I wouldn't recommend it for a tank with smaller bottom fish like cories but I have it in my main semi aggressive tank with many larger bottom fish with no problems, 5 to 6 inch fish


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## TorontoBoy (Mar 14, 2013)

I do recall that King Play sand at HD was offered in a variety of colours. I used it not for aquaria but a sand box. HD probably do not offer much during the winter.


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## SKurj (Oct 26, 2011)

Lowes has the quikrete play sand in stock which I saw today (Lowes on taunton in Whitby)


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## Ischemia (Dec 19, 2012)

HD keeps it in the area with all the concrete mixes. They also have it outside just ask


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