Old Castle Sand-- the same as Southdown?

MammaDuck · 06-17-2003, 11:34 AM

I went into Home Depot to check for some Southdown, which they said they don't carry, but they do have Old Castle play sand. . . I did a quick search on the board and found a thread that said that Southdown had changed their name to Old Castle. . . is that right?

In other words. . . can I use the Old Castle play sand (well rinsed of course) in my tank? I already have about 60 lbs LS and I want to supplement it with 100 lbs or so of sand to build up the DSB. . .

Buzz_Hog · 06-17-2003, 11:35 AM

yes.... you can...

MammaDuck · 06-17-2003, 11:42 AM

Cool. . . I'm glad I bit the bullet and bought it the other day (nearest HomeDepot is about 1 1/2 hrs away!)

Now I can happily finish rinsing it and add it to the tank. . . I'm removing the UGF today/this week

Wish me luck!!

gumhead · 06-17-2003, 11:48 AM

dont rinse it!

MammaDuck · 06-17-2003, 11:49 AM

Don't rinse?? I was under the impression that rinsing the he** out of it was best. . . any other opinions?

Buzz_Hog · 06-17-2003, 12:14 PM

Don't rinse it.... It will seem like it takes forever to settle, but you want those very fine particles...

Reefer Addict · 06-17-2003, 12:16 PM

That's something I'm curious about too... why 'not' rinse sand?
I usually put any sand/gravel in a bucket and run water through it to remove the dust and other gunk that's collected in it... I just figured that anything that doesn't float goes in the tank, and in turn doesn't pollute the water.
Of course I'm learning that everything changes with reefing (I come from a fw background), but I still wonder about some things...

Junkzoo · 06-17-2003, 12:17 PM

Yup on the Old Castle,,same thang
ditto on the no rinsing,,,,,,
throw a cocktail shrimp in da tank (after it clears a bit),,,
the bacteria will bond to the "dust" particles,,and help bind the sand a bit,,,

Junkzoo · 06-17-2003, 12:19 PM

RA,,,,this is one carry over that does not apply in SW,,,
arag gravel,,,maybe a rinse,,,,sand ,nope!
the fine stuff is as important as the larger grains,,,
bacteria will bind the particles in time,,,,

gumhead · 06-17-2003, 12:21 PM

the silty stuff that you are rinsing away is good for your sand bed!
Trust me dont rinse

MammaDuck · 06-17-2003, 12:27 PM

OK. . . thanks for the tip. . . out of 100 lbs sand I only rinsed about 25 lbs. . . the rest I will out in as is. . . If I have enough, maybe I'll just leave the rinsed stuff out. . . thanks for the input!!

How long should I expect to see "muddy" waters-- are we talking a couple of days or weeks

MammaDuck · 06-17-2003, 12:30 PM

BTW. . . been meaning to ask. . . I've got a friend that is planning to set up a FO tank, but wants to use aquarium gravel (like in Finding Nemo *groan*) I know that this is a no no, but I don't know exactly WHY

Anyone know the answer?? (so I can further illuminate her

)

gumhead · 06-17-2003, 12:34 PM

it takes about a week for it to clear

Do you have water in the tank yet?

If not put the sand in first, and add water slowly. You can pour the water into a bowl in the tank and let it spill over the sides, this will cause less of a sand cloud. But there is no way around the cloudiness but it might help a little...

ReefDave · 06-17-2003, 02:07 PM

Mammaduck,
Aquarium gravel is a no-no for several reasons.
1. It provides little or nothing in the way of bio filtration...unlike live rock and live sand there just isn't as much are for bacteria to form and take care of your nitrogen cycle.
2. The gaps between the gravel are not suited for most detritus feeders like bristle worms....therefore food particles and waste that drop into the little gaps just sit there, never being processed, building up pollutants in your water.
3. Some freshwater aquarium gravel may have chemicals or materials that while fine in freshwater might leach into a system in salt water....though this might not be a problem for the fish (or it might) and the tank may seem fine for months, the first time this friend trys to put a coral or something similar in the tank it might react to the chemical or metals in the gravel.

And last but not least it looks bad...as far as a reef goes it just doesn't fit the "genre". The only advantage to the freshwater aqua gravel is cost and availability, and the risks and drawbacks far outweigh these.

JMHO

MammaDuck · 06-17-2003, 02:32 PM

ReefDave,

Thanks for the info. . . she needed more than "it looks bad" (which was what I already told her

) Armed with a better arguement I am certain I can talk her out of it