I have been a fan of the white silica sand for pool filters, using it in aquariums. It has a nice clean look, and doesn't leave the tank all cloudy when you put it in. When I built my new pond last year, I planned on also keeping weather (dojo) loaches, which love to bury in the sand. At the time, I had a bucket of some black sand removed from an aquarium, so I just dumped that in. However this year I decided I needed a deeper layer of sand, so I went up to my pool supply store and grabbed 100 pounds of white sand to add. This gave me a great layer, adding up to around 4" of sand in the bottom. My lily which has been growing in the existing sand have been doing fantastic this year, putting up 5 flowers already (it previously only sent up one, maybe two flowers each Summer before), so I know the new lilies will do well in it.
The sand bed is kind of cool because to clean it, I just use my coarse net, run it down into the sand, then pick up any leaves. Shaking the net while still underwater sifts all of the sand out of the net, which settles back to the bottom, and I can dump out all the muck.
I've always thought that $16 per 50 pound bag was a great price for the silica sand... until today. I was browsing the local hardware store, looking for a type of cement that would cure underwater for when I rebuild my waterfall (hydraulic cement is the answer, if anyone is curious), when I noticed one of the types of sand for cement... Pure silica sand, kiln-dried and sifted... The same white sand used in pool filters. $7 for a 100-pound bag!!! I can't believe I missed it all these years, but there it was, readily available in coarse, medium, and fine grades. This is a Quikrete brand product, which I know is sold everywhere, so if anyone is looking for the best price, I think this might be it.
The sand bed is kind of cool because to clean it, I just use my coarse net, run it down into the sand, then pick up any leaves. Shaking the net while still underwater sifts all of the sand out of the net, which settles back to the bottom, and I can dump out all the muck.
I've always thought that $16 per 50 pound bag was a great price for the silica sand... until today. I was browsing the local hardware store, looking for a type of cement that would cure underwater for when I rebuild my waterfall (hydraulic cement is the answer, if anyone is curious), when I noticed one of the types of sand for cement... Pure silica sand, kiln-dried and sifted... The same white sand used in pool filters. $7 for a 100-pound bag!!! I can't believe I missed it all these years, but there it was, readily available in coarse, medium, and fine grades. This is a Quikrete brand product, which I know is sold everywhere, so if anyone is looking for the best price, I think this might be it.
