vlondi
Member
I went to Home Depot and got some Play Sand for cheap. Lucky it was cheap because it fails the "vinegar test". I assume that it is not aragonite.
My main question is if it is still safe to use in a reef aquarium? It looks like the beach sand that is in my area (Charleston, SC) and is labeled as sterilized, cleaned, and sanitized. A few other saltwater message boards say that this stuff is OK to use but fails to buffer the water.
I can get 20lb bags of pure aragonite for around $16.99; the problem is that I thought my big funding was over and have little money left. For a deep sand bed I think I need around 80-100lbs of sand. That is a lot of money that I no longer have. I wouldn't worry about this but my live rock has already been ordered and is due to arrive Thursday or Friday so I need a substrate to start my tank with.
Can I possibly mix the pure aragonite and other stuff I have (looks like it may be made of quartz or other materials)? Should I just try without making it deep and get a few bags of the pure stuff?
Side questions:
pH should be 8.2? Salinity should be 1.024? Other than these few questions I think I have enough "knowledge" to start my cycle.
Thanks!
quick edit question: Another site recommended soaking live rock in high salinity water to get any invertibrates out of the rock before curing it. Does anyone have experience with this? They claim that it removes unwanted hitch-hikers in a fairly easy way. Just wondering if I should try it.
My main question is if it is still safe to use in a reef aquarium? It looks like the beach sand that is in my area (Charleston, SC) and is labeled as sterilized, cleaned, and sanitized. A few other saltwater message boards say that this stuff is OK to use but fails to buffer the water.
I can get 20lb bags of pure aragonite for around $16.99; the problem is that I thought my big funding was over and have little money left. For a deep sand bed I think I need around 80-100lbs of sand. That is a lot of money that I no longer have. I wouldn't worry about this but my live rock has already been ordered and is due to arrive Thursday or Friday so I need a substrate to start my tank with.
Can I possibly mix the pure aragonite and other stuff I have (looks like it may be made of quartz or other materials)? Should I just try without making it deep and get a few bags of the pure stuff?
Side questions:
pH should be 8.2? Salinity should be 1.024? Other than these few questions I think I have enough "knowledge" to start my cycle.
Thanks!
quick edit question: Another site recommended soaking live rock in high salinity water to get any invertibrates out of the rock before curing it. Does anyone have experience with this? They claim that it removes unwanted hitch-hikers in a fairly easy way. Just wondering if I should try it.