Does anyone use pool filter sand in their tanks? I have it in almost every one of my tanks and I'm removing blasting sand from one tank and wanted to replace it with the pool filter sand, but both of the places that I bought from before have gone out of business.

I'd like to find another source if anyone knows of one.

This is the brand I've been using, but any brand available would be fine.


What it looks like in the tank.


I like the tan color of it better than the whiter sand and I like the pool filter sand because it's so much cleaner out of the bag than play sand and the other sands that I've tried from Home Depot, etc. It's also a fairly large grain which makes it easy to vacuum without sucking it up during water changes.

wow... I really like it! Never seen it around at any place near me.... My two tanks that have sand have either expensive pet store african black and white stuff.... (which I love, except the price).... and home depot sylicon (sp) sand (the light, white one)

I really like your filter sand...whats the price on a big bag like that?

I've always wanted to try pool sand but I just don't like the color. But the color on this sand really looks good

Oh and betty you take really good pics

Thanks, sidekicking.

Sandnuka, that's a 50 lb bag and I paid $12 at one place and $14 at the other. Both places were pool/spa supply stores.

i use the silica i think it look great i pay about $8 for not quite as defined as yours but i still like the look and love the price 100#

Icer, you can't beat that price and I do like the look of that sand. I still have some, I think from Lowe's or Home Depot, but I like the larger grain size of the pool filter sand. Is that pretty easy for you to clean poop off of?

Here's another picture of the pool filter sand under brighter light.

Ugh, I used play sand from home depot to start my 90 (when it was going to be a reef...) WORST MISTAKE EVER. The sand wouldn't settle and it left this gunky gooey residue along the tank. DISGUSTING. I had to sit there and freaking scrub it.

Good to hear pool filter sand works better. I've read about it quite a lot, when I go to set up a new tank I'll definitely go that route.

sorry my lighting in that tank sucks and i have a h*ll of a time to uploading picts theses days, it takes some patients with the gravel vac you gotta hold it about 1" above the sand and it comes up easily but i have some high turnover rates in my tanks so most of the pooo is flicked up by the fish and sucked into the filters but there are some dead spots it collects and yes i get it from home depot and no need to rinse it its 99% clean out of the bag.. spryal has 200# in his tank and all we did was dump it in and fill the tank....
there are a few pool place out this way but i have never stooped to check prices or stock also the wet spot sell a large grain sand for about .50c a pound don't have picts my buddy's got it in his tank and love it... there also is a place out here that sell what they call oatmeal sand (really rocks) but small grain i like it to you can actual gravel vac it very easily i think i was like .43cents a # last time i got some (i dont have a good pict u can see it in the bottom left corner though)

Nice looking fish in that picture. Is that the same fish as your avatar?

yessim it is that would be my fulu

Honestly I didnt know much about them until after I met up with icer711.... christmas fulu is one of my fav cichlids now... thanks tj!

What other fish do you keep with him icer?

i have him with 3 other fulu's and just a couple odd balls that i just havent moved yet there about about 7 fish in the tank they seem to all get along but its his tank

Wish I had the tank space to keep some Vics. They sure have beautiful colors on the males!
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I went out to a pool/spa supply store in Puyallup today and found that same brand of pool filter sand. I'm happy now.

i know i have fell in love with them starting slowly switching over from Malawi to them ...
nice to hear you found some i need to check these around here one day like the color of yours, heck maybe ill just mix them best of both worlds

oh and sorry i think i kinda jacked your thread didn't mean to

I don't mind the jacking -- I started it by asking about the fish anyway.

And about mixing the sands, I have done that with that white "Home Depot" sand and this pool filter sand to lighten the color up a little in one of my tanks. It looks good that way too.

wont the light home depot sand just work its way to the top and the thicker sand fall the to bottom?? so then you end up with like a layering thing?

really now im going to have to go hunt some down im not a super fan of the white but for the price its great so now im going to try it out thanks

I don't have any layering with mine. I don't have a very thick sand bed and I only mixed a little of the white in. Also I keep it mixed up with weekly water changes and vacuuming, so I don't know how it would look over time if it were undisturbed.

This is from the mixed sand tank. There's not a whole lot of difference; it just lightened the color up a bit. It's hard to tell with pictures.


The 50 lb bag that I bought today was $13.99.

Here's a picture of the two sands side by side. Shows color and grain size differences.