WalMart playsand

hillbillyreefer · 03-25-2003, 11:29 PM

Has anyone checked out the play sand at Walmart. It looks very much like my southdown sand, nothing like the stuff at home depot. I saw it at the walmart on the east west con. today. Anyone looking for sand may want to check it out. If anyone else has seen itor tried it please chime in. Sorry I didn't see a price.

JennM · 03-26-2003, 08:03 AM

Please be careful using non aquarium grade sand -- it could contain bits of metal, and there's no guarantee that it wasn't stored with pesticides or other toxic chemicals...

Jenn

Darkfrog · 03-26-2003, 08:19 AM

Sort of like Southdown sand..."Not recommended for aquarium use" right on the bag.

ckreef · 03-26-2003, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Darkfrog
Sort of like Southdown sand..."Not recommended for aquarium use" right on the bag.

Well I just slightly agree. In reality there are thousands of tanks that have the "not for aquarium" southdown in them (including mine). And of course when SD signed a contract w/ ???? (carib sea I think) that is when they started putting that statement on their bags of sand.

I think the real issue of WalMart sand is that it's silicate bassed sand. There are many debates on using a silicate based sand and most end w/ the conclussion that it's OK to use.

Charles

Darkfrog · 03-26-2003, 07:47 PM

It's sort of like how all of my power strips say the same thing, "Not for aquarium use", in that case I'm sure it is a liability issue, but you are correct, it is Caribsea that gets their sand from the same heap that SD comes from. It is my understanding that they are contractually exclusive, so the sand cannot be sold to any company in the fish biz.
I guess I just think its funny considering how many of us have SD in their tank (now I am just waiting for the cloud to subside)

Ron

ckreef · 03-26-2003, 08:04 PM

Supposedly CaribSea does some extra washing and what not in order to make it aquarium safe. But I would want to see that before I believed it.

Before they signed that contract the bags didn't have that disclaimer on them.

Charles

P.S. Add some LR the cloud goes away much faster.

JennM · 03-27-2003, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by c_k_kuehne
Supposedly CaribSea does some extra washing and what not in order to make it aquarium safe. But I would want to see that before I believed it.

Before they signed that contract the bags didn't have that disclaimer on them.

Well Carib Sea also runs the stuff through magnets to remove chunks of any iron that might be present -- the sandbox sand does not get that treatment. Also, the sandbox sand could be stored around herbicides, insecticides, fertilizers and other things TOXIC to our tanks - we don't know where it goes between the "heap" and your tank... Home Depot usually keeps all that outdoorsy type stuff all together.

Southdown gets its sand from four different points of origin, one of them being the "heap" that Carib Sea comes from -- there is no guarantee that you will get SD sand that is the same stuff as what is packaged "for aquarium use".

And finally, when they originally packaged up the play sand, I'm sure it didn't occur to anybody that somebody might stick it in their aquarium. At some point they caught on, perhaps people who can't find it at their local HD, who were ordering it by the pallet was a dead giveaway -- and in this day and age where people sue restaurant chains because they don't know how to stop eating, or that the coffee in the cup is hot, it's only good common sense to label a product that is not intended for a given use, with a disclaimer. That way if (when) some unfortunate hobbyist gets a bag laced with pesticide, or with some stray bits of metal, the company will have some legal legs to stand on, if the buyer put it in their tank even though it's labelled "not recommended for aquarium use".

I entertained thoughts of stocking Southdown, I even had agreed to buy a pallet of it from an ARC attendee -- he never did show up with the stuff. Meanwhile I did some research into just what made this stuff so sought after, and other than the price, I can't figure out why everybody wants it -- after all I learned in discussions with folks about the stuff, I don't recommend it, and I won't stock it -- and I acknowledge that many here have used it without incident, and more power to you for that, but I wouldn't take the chance with it, and I don't recommend anyone should.

JMHO, for what it's worth.

Jenn

Darkfrog · 03-27-2003, 10:37 PM

Jenn, I don't know what you have read, but I would bet the liability issue for making play sand to go in children's sandboxes is a bit higher the any liability for aquariums. I am sure SD is quite aware that kids put everything, including sand in their mouths, in fact Cemex STERILIZES the sand, probably through heat sterilization. I can't speak for the issue of pesticides or other baddies, but I go by thousands of hobbiests that have used SD with no problems. I'm sure if you talked to CaribSea or Pure Aragonite, they would give you spin on how their sand is treated and wased, and how many alleged problems with SD, and that is why you can sell our sand for 10 times the cost of SD.
Sorry I don't buy it. In my day-to-day dealings with drug sales reps, I have learned to be very skeptical of a lot of claims like this.
Ron

rbmead · 03-30-2003, 10:39 AM

bump!

wasabi · 03-30-2003, 05:02 PM

i have over a ton of southdown in my tanks and sumps.even with the southdown disclaimer i sleep pretty good at night.

coralkeeper · 03-30-2003, 07:06 PM

Wasabi you probably DO HAVE A TON, lol

how much did you end up putting in that thing

wouldn't be surprised if it was 2000lbs.

Ross

coralkeeper · 03-30-2003, 07:07 PM

thats alot o sand, how long has it been in there

wasabi · 03-31-2003, 06:30 PM

let me see i have 200 pounds in my 55 to give me 6 inches. i have 350 pounds in my 75 gallon refugium to give me 8 inches.i have 850 pounds in my 335 to give me 4 inches and i have 250 in two other sumps and a fish only tank. oh sorry 1650 pounds its been in one system for 3 years and another for 14 months.