Play sand for sale at Home Depot?

i went to home depot the other i was thinking hmm...my cichlids would really like sand instead of gravel..they are saling a 50 pound for $4.00..
heres what i nned to know?
1.should i get it
2.how do i wash it
3.how should i add it
4.does it affect the water in anyway
5.could i add it while having fish in the tank?
thanks in advance ppl.
Answers:
I had good results using SILICA SAND instead, which is basically the same thing but without the metallic elements that make "play"sand brown. Silica sand is callibrated for size of particles, I remember # 32, that size or slightly larger is good. Still, you should rinse it thoughly in a big pail and stirring it constantly under overflowing running water, until the water is no longer cloudy. That way you're left with the particles that will stay on the tank bottom, without the suspendable dust. It might be wise to boil and then cool and rinse any sand or any stone you plan to put into your tank.
Changing the type of gravel or sand in your tank might best be done when you clean your tank, otherwise, keep in mind, removing your fish is very stressfull for them, they don't know whats going on, all they think is they might be getting caught to be eaten, so they'll be scared for their lives.

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!st of all, I personally wouldn't put that kind of sand in there but if you do the fish have to be removed while you do it.

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Hi, I've never kept them, but this link says sand is best for cichlids and shows you how. They look like beautiful fish, congratulations!
You should take the fish out before cIeaning. If you feed them first, it's less stressful for them.

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Get 2 bags of sand, take it home, put it in a large bucket, swirl it around to loosen up all the dust. Continue this until all the sand is clean. The fish have to be removed to add the sand. Turn off your filter as well. Dump the sand into the water. Wait for it to settle before turning the filter on again and before adding fish. This sand will not affect the water in any way. If it was made out of coral, it would increase the pH, but it is made out of a material that has no effect on pH.
Nosoop4u
If you have any more questions, email me and I will help you out.

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The problem with play sand is it packs too tight and does not allow any water or air thru this causes the growth of anarobic bacteria.(This is the bad kind ) IT will after time with the build up of fish waste start releasing sulphur dioxide which will deplete the water of oxygen and kill your fish. If you are committed to using it you need to stir up the sand about every 3 days or so to keep it from forming these bacteria . A sign that the anarobic bacteria have taken hold is that the sand will be black on the bottom of the tank where there is no air of water movement and it will have a foul odor

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Sand box sand is sterilized, but it may contain additives that will either effect your water parameters or hurt your fish. You should always make sure that you know what's in the sand.
Other people have given tips on cleaning and adding it, but I will add that if you get some Malaysian Burrowing snails (Melanoides tuberculata) also called Trumpet snails, they will dig into the sand and eat any food there, also aerating the sand. They won't eat plants unless there is no other food, but they are asexual and will reproduce a lot in a very short time.