Hey everyone seeking sand recommendations for purely a decorative sand. I'll be using 2hr aquarist feast for my main substrate but would like to have decorative sand in the foreground. As far as color I'm pretty open to anything ranging from a light tan to darker tones. Heavier grains would be preferred just to keep things from easily getting blown around. And also something easy to clean (prior to adding to tank) that won't alter water chemistry. I've been looking at some of the options from UNS contro sand, but wanted to float this out here and see what other options are out there, and hear some feed back on other sand options. Thanks!
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Seeking sand recommendations
- Thread starter filmpunk
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Interested myself to know as well. Heard good things about ADA La Plata and also pool filter sand. How do you plan to separate the sand and aqua soil ?
I, too, am in search of decorative sand to complement these stones. Looking for the sand to appear, it has eroded from these stones. I have a variety of sizes, all the way down to 3-5 mm pebbles. Just need some sand to tie the room together. Not adverse to blends to reach the desired effect.
I’ve used uns controsand, the Bora in a few tanks and the Pacifica in one. I will say it’s pretty quality sand. I’ve never rinsed it and it has never made a mess. The grains size is heavy enough to not get blown around.
You might check out UNS Controsand Kona. It looks like a pretty good match. WIO probably has something but they can be a little hard to find in the States.
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I've read mixed review about pool filter sand, and it'll be kinda hard to judge the color until the bag is opened. Trying to avoid lighter colors just to help with algae and reflected light for the lower light plants. I'll be using hardscape with filter floss to keep everything separated. I'm using darker colored stones as well @gnaster, I considered even using black sand for similar reasons (erosion) but here is why i've decided against it. In most places, including places with lots or naturally occuring rock..... the soil is made up of far more than just eroded rock, its composed of wood, leaves, and other organic materials that have been decomposed. The soil around most of these rocks is not usually as dark (or light) as the rock itself and I'm trying to create a aquascape that looks like it could have been created by nature. I'll be using smaller stones and decorative gravel to create the appearance of erosion from the rock. I've seen WIO before and I actually just looked it up within the past hour to see what they are offering and I'm really leaning toward that Canyon sand at the moment. Looks like a great "dirt" color, with varying grain sizes that I think would help contribute to the natural look I'm going for.
Thanks for the recommendation, that's what I'm using for the 3-5 mm pebbles. The trouble is finding a sand or blend of sands to match.
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- #8
Found a supplier out of New Jersey (AqauticMotiv) that only had 2 bags left which I think will probably be all I need so I pulled the trigger on it. Hopefully I won't need anymore than that or it'll be search.... 
ADA's sands are very nice; La Plata is super bright whereas Colorado is much warmer. Colorado is my preference there. I'm looking at picking up some of the WIO sands to try out. The mixed grains/shells/etc in their mixes looks supernatural, at least in the promo photos.
I've had bags of pool filter sands that are perfect looking and others are were horrible so while it's definitely affordable (like 20 odd kilos for 15$), it can be hit or miss.
I've had bags of pool filter sands that are perfect looking and others are were horrible so while it's definitely affordable (like 20 odd kilos for 15$), it can be hit or miss.
Ohhh my bad, I was confused. I thought you were looking for the pebbles. The Maui might work or if you are trying to accentuate the reds in your stone the Pacifica might work too. WIO has one called the El Dorado sand for a lighter color option.
After placing damp stones next to images of more sand than I'd like to admit on an iPad, I've circled back around to my original choice of UNS Maui. Order has been placed.
Correct. I once had a bag of AquaQuartz that looked like it was something out of ADA. Just beautiful coarse sand. Second bag, trash. I have, however, found good consistency with HTH brand of pool sand. I’ve only found it at Ace Hardware FWIW
Haha! No shame in that! I think that will be a nice match.
Only thing I hate about uns products is how long they take to get to me. I’ve ordered UNS from buceplant, glass aqua, Amazon and had my LFS order directly from them. Always takes forever.
Except when you don't want it to. Placed the order with Buce Plant for a few items at 11:37 AM Eastern, sent them an email at 4:51 asking to add something I forgot. At 5:08 received an email from FedEx that my package is in their possession, with a Thursday delivery date. Did not get to add the item I forgot. Normally, it's 2-3 days before it's shipped.
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