Playsand base for live sand

[dinki]

I've read a good many threads saying that folks had success using play sand from Lowes/Home Depot as a 'dead' sand and seeded it with a bit of live sand.
I went to Lowes and Home Depot today and took a sample of what they had (busted bags) and tried the vinegar test on both. Neither sand fizzed. The sand from Lowes didn't have a memorable name, but it was white. It did say something about silica product on the bag as well. The sand from Home Depot was made by Quikrete. This sand was far from white.
I've seen some other postings questioning whether the vinegar test is absolutely necessary. I'm wanting to get a 3-4" bed going on my new 55 gal and would like to use some the playsand and then some live sand to seed it. Does anyone have any advice on using these types of 'dead' sand?

 

[alfieferenzo84]

well if it aint down south play sand it has silica in it witch is said to cause alage problems!
There is millions of post about this online and from what i read about 4yrs ago it goes both way some say its okay and other say no dont use it!
When i had silica play sand it was always brown from alage, i changed out my sand when i restarted the tank and i dont have that problem anymore? Who knows maybe it was the sand or the setup?
As far as live sand i was always told dont waste your money on live sand, just add a little ls on top of the sand bed! I found it to be cheaper to get all live sand thou!
Also about your sand bed they say go 1-2inches or 4-6 or it will be a problem! I had 3inches of play sand and about 1 1/2 inch of live sand and it crashed after a yr so i will say no to that but maybe i did it wrong?
Good luck and i am sure others will tear this up as post about sand and dsb are lol!

 

[teresaq]

do a search of this Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand 2 bags would give you a 3 inch sand bed. for 31 bucks a bag. its a lot better the play sand.

 

[lucin]

Walmart sells the sand you are looking for but it is a seasonal thing they only sell it in the spring and summer time it is a very white sand i used it in my tank and my tank has been up for 6 years with no problems and it only cost around $2.00 and some change for a 40# bag i will check on the name if that will help.

 

[gbfan41649]

post the name of sand

 

[michaeltx]

Dont use that sand I had nothing but prolems when I used it. I went to lowes and got premium playsand and it worked out well. if you arent sure of what sand is best then I would go ahead and get sand specificly for aquarium use.
Mike

 

[kynekke]

Do you live by a desert? I ran out into the desert, grabbed a bucket of sand, washed it for hours and hours and hours and never had a problem using it.

 

[maeistero]

you're looking for southdown sand from home dep. it was available in the northeast us a couple years back and being phased out. the supplier company switched their sand for some reason. there are two different sands out with the same upc number, and pallets are mixed. southdown is just a problem to find and verify. research silica levels, decide on what fish/corals you want and if they will nibble sand/rock.
i'd personally recommend you just pony up for good sand. it's a pain in the rear to change out in six months if you make the wrong decision. i'd also steer away from really fine white, it's messed up some of my pumps.
-former home dep mgr

 

[dinki]

Originally Posted by maeistero
i'd personally recommend you just pony up for good sand. it's a pain in the rear to change out in six months if you make the wrong decision.
Thanks for the advice guys. I decided against getting my sand from the home improvement stores. Oh well, it's only money right??

 

[mmm33732]

agreed. i used play sand. scratched my tank up pretty bas as well as added to algae. after switching to so real quality sand, its amazing the diff it made.