play sand

[Caesar Gdi]

I thought it was not ok to use play sand in a reef tank, is this true?

[512148048]

it jsut depends on what kind of sand you get.

there is a play sand that is the same as south down and that is fine to use but most have a silicate base and other things that are bad

im sure some one will chime inand let you know waht sand brand is ok.

[Hop]

Recent test and suggestions by chemists and hobbyist suggest that silica based sand is fine and does not lead to elevated silica levels that result in diatom outbreaks. I can tell you that I had silica based play sand in my first two tanks for over two years each and suffered no ill effects. My suggestion though is to see what color the sand is when it's wet. Some is very yellow/brown and others are a nice white color. It's up to you...

[icebear]

they all say "not for aquarium use" and i think thats just a liability thing


silica sand is not bad


just rinse it wll well whatever you get.


white castle is what southdown was

you can still get southdown at the portland HD in maine...lol (last time i checked)

[hng]

Silica sand is fine, but aragonite or calcium based sand is "probably" better. Silica can lead to diatom outbreaks if not rinsed thouroughly. The sand itself probably won't dissolve over time and lead to future outbreaks of brown algae. Calcium based sand has the benefit of dissolving over time and adding some calcium and trace elements back into the water. It is also very fine and has little holes which may give it more surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow on. Long story short, it probably doesn't make a huge deal but I would recommend using aragonite for one main reason: If you have trouble with the tank, at least you can say it's not from using sand that was not intended to be used in a reef aquarium.

[Hop]

To tell the difference, place a drop of vinegar on the sand. If it bubbles it's aragonite, if it doesn't, it's silica based

[superwizbang]

Search these forums (link at the top) for the words "play sand" "southdown" "aragonite" and "bacon". That should give you a great amount of reading for the day (and plenty of old/new findings). Good luck!

Personally, I switched away from a quartz based DSB with about 2" of arag/CC on the top after two years. I am not exactly sure, but I suspect that the continued leaking of silicate into my water column allowed me to never really get rid of my algae matter. Never a problem, but never gone. I wanted to give something different a try so I used a thin base of crushed limestone in my 260g. I guess in two years I will be able to judge this as well. $40 for a 10lb bag of aragonite is robbery compared to $4 for 50lb bag of crushed limestone at HD. 8(

-Ken

[Caesar Gdi]

I cannot get the search to search phases. if I put "play sand" it will seach for play, sand in stead of play sand, the quotes do nothing... am I doing something wrong?

[Glockafella]

its not good...you'll get a brown slime all over everything...

I know from exp. doing freshwater cichlids with playsand

[Wiskey]

I have a 6" DSB of cillica sand in my 125, and a 4" DSB of Cillica sand in my 50G,.. both tanks are doing great. I agree the araginite sand has some benifits, and looks a little better; however it's also FAR more expensive so I went with Cilica for the sake of my pocketbook.

Whiskey

[512148048]

iguess i have old knowledge good luck with your choice