Sand and Vinagar

fchidsey · 10-09-2009, 12:09 AM

I was reading the other day some place and remeber seeing that is someone took a few grains of calcium based sand that it would bubble in vinagar. is this true and is this the type of sand one should use for there shallow based sand bottom?

Hop · 10-09-2009, 12:13 AM

It is true... And it is debatable. I've had a few decent tanks through the years with silica based sand, but I prefer the araganite based sand and just buy a 30lb bag a year to add to the tank.

fchidsey · 10-09-2009, 12:18 AM

cool and the bubbles in the vinagar prove its calcium based??

jenglish · 10-09-2009, 12:19 AM

What you are seeing is the vinegar dissolving the sand, vinegar won't dissolve sillica based sand.

Hop · 10-09-2009, 12:20 AM

Yeah, I would call it fizzling over bubbling. You can still get a few bubbles putting vinegar on silica based sand, but in that case it is dissolving stuff on the sand. You will know when you put a drop on araganite based sand. It fizzles!