sand safe for aquarium use.

aragonite, calcium carbonate, sands are safe right?

some things i found are

oldcastle

Kolorscape

yardRite

thats about it. im gonna try and find these to save some cash. ill tell you when i find them.

 

I tried some "non'-aquarium sand in my 10 gal and found that is was too fine... powdery.

Just a thought.

M

 

some people think that silica sand is bad. i dont know why. i would try and find some thicker stuff or just get like 20lbs of aragonite to put on top of the play sand. just want to save some cash thats all

 

Gexx nobody has said don't, we're just trying to help you avoid a wreck. I totally sympathize with your desire to save money but in this area and with all the options available is it really worth the risk compared to the savings?

 

what is the potential wreck. from the people ive talked to they said that the fish stirr it up thats all. havent heard about anyone losing fish because of it though.

 

I don't think there is a "potential wreck" for a fish only tank, but more experienced folks can correct me.

The 'play sand' that I got was too fine, the fish stir it up all the time. Cover macro algae that I have in that tank, cover rocks, etc.

The "issue" with too fine is whether or not you create anerobic pockets due to the sand being so closely packed. I am NO expert by any stretch of the imagination. I am a pure beginner. In all my reading though, it became clear that too closely packed sand doesn't provide the filtration benefits that you'd want from your sand bed. In a fish only tank, I don't know that you'd care as much about that as long as your filtration system is up to par.

I would, at a minimum, cover it with a 'topping' of regular sand to minimize the stir.

Just thoughts, hope it helps.

Mark

 

I'm just saying, you won't be saving that much on going to cheap, non-aquarium specific sand. I just don't think it's worth the risk. Because we don't really seem to know what problems it could have; some say it's ok to use, some say don't use it. So I dunno. They make dry, non special marine aquarium sand. We used it in Bo's tank, and it was cheaper than any "live" or "special" sand out there. I'd find stuff like that, rather than sand meant to go in a sandbox or something.

 

where'd you find it, and what brand name?

 

If you're hell bent on using the cheapest sand you can find, then go for and report what if anything will happen. Silicate based sand has very sharp edges not suited for fish and inverts, it a result of how it is made. Silicates are also what feed diatoms, IMO, using a silicate based sand will cause continuing problems with nuisance algae. It also wont' act as a buffer as carbonate based sand will.