Attn: Southdown Users!!!

[aarone]

I was ust wondering what the texture of southdown is. I purchased some fine white sand from my local masonry shop here in fort worth. It is ultra fine. If you have ever seen sand ash cans, it is the substance in those. Really fine sugar sand. Anyways at 482 a bag i had to get 70#'s it is great. Iclouded up for maybe 30 mintues the went back down. Fastest i have ever seen sand calm.
Any ways i was just wondering if that was how fine southdown was.
thanx for help.
aaron

 

[buzz]

Pretty much. SD is a very fine grain sand, which is (besides price) what makes it desirable.
This other sand - what kind of sand is it?

 

[aarone]

silica sand. ultra fine, almost like powder but still grainy. Its the kind used in ash trays at restaraunts and what not.

 

[buzz]

If it is pure, then it should be OK. I know people do use silica sand. My question would be on any additives in the sand.

 

[moopiespoo]

I use this too, silica used for various masonry stuff. I seeded it with live and it works good. I washed it first and wear a dust mask because it says it has cancer causing agents in it. Oh I just read you already put it in your tank. You'll be fine, everything causes cancert these days anyway.

 

[thomas712]

Draged this up from one of my old posts
Many hobbyists have found that Southdown, Yard right or its apparent new name of castle sand ( or something like that) works very well for reef aquariums. This is due to it being calcium carbonate based, and with an excellent grain sizes makes for a good functioning sand bed. 1/8mm is very fine> 1/256mm to 1/16mm is considered silt, and less that> 1/256mm is considered clay.
Southdown seems to mostly contains very fine to silt size particles, and maybe a few larger than 1/8mm.
Thomas

 

[doodle1800]

I agree with Kip. I tried the same sand you just did and it was ok. I was so fickle about it that I changed to aggragate, soon after. I would think silica promotes algae greatly.

 

[aileena]

I can tell you that I wish I had never gone to a sand bed...I always have a brown sand bed...not to mention the fact that I think the silicates in it are constantly contributing to my algae problems....
if I had to do all over again I would go with the c.c. It is much better...you can clean it and make it white again...you can also keep things like jawfish which you cannot keep in a sand bed...
I honestly think that using southdown was the worst thing in the world...my c.c. tank looked much better IMO...
BUT it has kept the nitrates down, but at what expense? an ugly brown bottom? I'd rather have the c.c. and am seriouly thinking about switching back to it!

 

[doodle1800]

Interesting post aileena.
"you can also keep things like jawfish which you cannot keep in a sand bed...
Is this true guys?

 

[buzz]

No. I'm sorry Aileena, but you don't need CC for a jawfish. You do need a coarser grade sand, but they sell coarse aragonite that works quite well for a jaw. A friend of mine has one that does very well in this substrate. You just need to plan on what you intend to keep when setting up the tank.
What kind of a cleanup crew do you have? If you have something to stir the top layer of sand, it will not stay brown.
No substrate will stay the pristine white it was when first introduced, but my SD bed remained light in color and was sifted regularly.

 

[aileena]

That sand that has bigger grains, which you are referring to, will not perform the same function of a DSB will it?
I am interested in this because if larger grains of sand can function as a DSB then why the southdown small sand trend?
I have had my tank set up since the beginning of July and its almost October. I am entirely disappointed with it. For a cleaner crew I have...
10 scarlets...
6 cerith....
1 brittle star...
2 mexican turbos...
3 banded trochus....
2 cleaner shrimp...
2 peppermint....
I had 3 green emeralds but they died? I have no idea why...no food is my guess...
I have no idea what other types of clean up crew will clean my sand bed...any suggestions...
I think that the southdown sand and oldcastle sand have tons of silicates...for the problems that you have with algae its well worth having some higher nitrates with the c.c.

 

[aarone]

southdown and old castle dont have silicates. They are aagonite or calcium carbonate based sands. cc sucks anyways. id rather have a snail clean up for me than use a vaccuum.

 

[aarone]

thanx melody!
Its too late now, i have the silica sand with my old LS from my 30.
Maybe for my next tank i will use the aragonite.