Pavestone Sand In Axolotl Tank??

[mikeg]

Hey everyone! So iv heard it okay to put playsand and pool sand into your axolotl tank but what about if the package says "Pavestone pool filter sand" is the pavestone pool filter sand good with axolotl is does pavestone have something that will be toxic to axolotls or other fish? If it is safe to use do i just wash the sand like i would with play sand, until not cloudy anymore or is there a chemical that needs to be washed out in pool sand?

The sand i am thinking about getting is from home depot, reason for getting it is because i want more white sand which is not available in play sand here and LFS is way to expensive
Pavestone 50 lb. Pool Filter Sand-54201 at The Home Depot

Thanks! :happy:

 

[pookiewn]

Pool filter sand is fine in axie tanks, that particular one says its just silica sand so will be great

 

[mikeg]

Is there any type of sand that would not be okay with Axolotls?

 

[pookiewn]

There are lots of sands that are not good for axie tanks, Tahitian moon sand has found to contain very sharp shards, coral/marine sands have a ph buffer to lower the ph, reptile sand is not meant to be submersed so is not suitable either. Aquaria brands also call small gravel sand, if its over 2-3 ml grain size this can also be dangerous.

Its best to stick to an inert silica sand, such as the one you had chosen or play sand. Silver sand sold in hardware shops is also suitable as its exactly the same as the branded aquarium sand.

 

[mikeg]

Okay thanks
And the "small gravel sand" i don't even classify as sand lol, i think il go to homedepot today to pick up a few bags for all my tanks.

 

[mikeg]

Hey, i just found this colored play sand... is this a big NO or possible okay?

Play Sand | Canadian Tire

 

[pookiewn]

It seems so, in the q&a section it says that it's non toxic silica sand. Sounds like its same as the purple play sand I have in mine

If you get it, you might want to soak a little bit for a couple of days just to make sure that the colour doesn't instantly come off. Love the colour, all colour axies will stand out on that

 

[mikeg]

I know it would look great! i was just looking again on Google because only the home depot in the USA carries white sand making it impossible for me to find white sand other than the pet store and i came across this, i did read non-toxic silica sand but what threw me off is how they said it was"painted" and another review on another site said something along the lines of the color barley comes off, so i wasn't sure if even though its not toxic if it would possibly release something in the water that is toxic to axolotls.

 

[pookiewn]

A lot of the unipac and other pet store sands are just coated in some sort of paint and some have been known to come off in time.

I bought my purple sand in a 99p shop, it's still as purple now 3 years on! You could buy a small bag first and give it a soak and a bit of a rub just to make sure its not about to make your axies blue It might be worth asking the manufacturer for a small sample? The FAQs state that it is suitable for crazy sand which I think needs to be wet to make the patterns. So I'm guessing the colour wont shift that easily. Just a thought.

 

[mikeg]

Okat thanks!

I am going to contact them and see what they say about it being safe for pets because it says pet friendly as well as if i can get a small sample, il just put it into my small 5 gallon betta tank ad see if it discolored or messes around with the water parameters. il keep everyone updated when i do so.:happy: