Sand!
- Thread starter atlfish
- Start date
J
jdragunas
Guest
i wouldn't even bother with live sand... if you get LR, your sand will become live in no time... it's a waste of money, really.
yes, you can get sand from home depot, but you should get aragonite-based sand. They sell two types: aragonite & silica. The silica has a smooth surface that allows algae to anchor down and develop quicker, so getting aragonite will eliminate a lot of that.
yes, you can get sand from home depot, but you should get aragonite-based sand. They sell two types: aragonite & silica. The silica has a smooth surface that allows algae to anchor down and develop quicker, so getting aragonite will eliminate a lot of that.
atlfish
Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
i wouldn't even bother with live sand... if you get LR, your sand will become live in no time... it's a waste of money, really.
yes, you can get sand from home depot, but you should get aragonite-based sand. They sell two types: aragonite & silica. The silica has a smooth surface that allows algae to anchor down and develop quicker, so getting aragonite will eliminate a lot of that.
How can you tell which is which. Is it on the bag? I have live rock from my old tank that I plan to transfer into my new one.
i wouldn't even bother with live sand... if you get LR, your sand will become live in no time... it's a waste of money, really.
yes, you can get sand from home depot, but you should get aragonite-based sand. They sell two types: aragonite & silica. The silica has a smooth surface that allows algae to anchor down and develop quicker, so getting aragonite will eliminate a lot of that.
How can you tell which is which. Is it on the bag? I have live rock from my old tank that I plan to transfer into my new one.
T
thomas712
Guest
Originally Posted by jdragunas
yes, you can get sand from home depot, but you should get aragonite-based sand. They sell two types: aragonite & silica. The silica has a smooth surface that allows algae to anchor down and develop quicker, so getting aragonite will eliminate a lot of that.
Ok I have heard of Home Depot selling aragonite playsand, but this all depends on geographical location, as well as time of year. They call it Old Castle, Yardright or the old name of Southdown playsand.
You can tell its aragonite calcium based sand if it fizzes when you put some white vinegar in it. It is also ootlic style which means that it has rounded edges, or more egg shaped. I'm not sure of silica sand.
Just remember that not any old playsand will work. It needs to be calcium carbonate based.
Thomas
yes, you can get sand from home depot, but you should get aragonite-based sand. They sell two types: aragonite & silica. The silica has a smooth surface that allows algae to anchor down and develop quicker, so getting aragonite will eliminate a lot of that.
Ok I have heard of Home Depot selling aragonite playsand, but this all depends on geographical location, as well as time of year. They call it Old Castle, Yardright or the old name of Southdown playsand.
You can tell its aragonite calcium based sand if it fizzes when you put some white vinegar in it. It is also ootlic style which means that it has rounded edges, or more egg shaped. I'm not sure of silica sand.
Just remember that not any old playsand will work. It needs to be calcium carbonate based.
Thomas
atlfish
Member
I can't find aragonite-based sand! I have been to two HD and Lowes. All they have is the silica. One HD I went to had some sand but it did not say on the bag what type it was. I put the white vinigar on it and no fizz. Does that mean it silica even if it's not on the bag.
since my tank is so big I thought I could get the silica sand as a filler and put some black sand from the LFS on top. Would that be OK and safe for my fish?
since my tank is so big I thought I could get the silica sand as a filler and put some black sand from the LFS on top. Would that be OK and safe for my fish?
J
jdragunas
Guest
i personally wouldn't put silica-based sand in my aquarium. It has a lot of other minerals in it, and you would have to clean it off very well... I just read a thread not too long ago about a website that sells aragonite-based sand online, and for not too much $$$ either. I'll see if i can find it for ya.
J
jdragunas
Guest
ya know what? Come to think of it, that thread was most likely deleted... you're not supposed to post websites like that, as it competes with SWF.com... You can look online, though, for someone that sells old castle, yardright, or southdown sand. Make sure before you buy it that it's aragonite-based. If it doesn't say, don't buy it!
K
kimc
Guest
Good luck in finding the right "cheap" sand. I'm in central florida and looked from the east to the west coast and couldn't find any. I ended up getting dry reef sand from LFS for $30 /40lb bag and I need 160 lbs!! You can find the cheap sand on line but shipping cost as much as buying dry reef sand.
J
jdragunas
Guest
oh yes, i forgot. You can ask lowes or HD about ordering that particular sand in the store. Just because they don't have it doesn't mean they can't get it. If some lowes and HD's can get that kind of sand, that means all of them can.
Ask for Old Castle, Southdown, or Yardright.
Ask for Old Castle, Southdown, or Yardright.
atlfish
Member
I GOT SAND and your gona freak when i tell you were. WAL-MART! I was surfing the net to see where I could get some and found one of those salft water forums (like this one) where a guy descovered that Wal-mart brand garden basic play sand was good. vinagur test and all. I went to my local Wal-mart and there it was! I got 4 BIG bags for 10 bucks!
J
jdragunas
Guest
AWESOME!!! I'm definately going there!!!!!!!!
1journeyman
Active Member
No lie... I've got 750lbs of sand in my tank... I've GOT to find a cheap source of sand for my future projects. Also, sand has a half life of 18 months to 2 years, so you've got to add sand to your existing sand bed.
I'm hooked worse than a druggie on aragonite play sand. I curse the day my "dealer" shut down. He was selling Southdown at $8 bucks for 50lbs.
I'm hooked worse than a druggie on aragonite play sand. I curse the day my "dealer" shut down. He was selling Southdown at $8 bucks for 50lbs.
promisetbg
Active Member
Originally Posted by kimC
Good luck in finding the right "cheap" sand. I'm in central florida and looked from the east to the west coast and couldn't find any. I ended up getting dry reef sand from LFS for $30 /40lb bag and I need 160 lbs!! You can find the cheap sand on line but shipping cost as much as buying dry reef sand.
The HD in Melbourne started carrying it!
Good luck in finding the right "cheap" sand. I'm in central florida and looked from the east to the west coast and couldn't find any. I ended up getting dry reef sand from LFS for $30 /40lb bag and I need 160 lbs!! You can find the cheap sand on line but shipping cost as much as buying dry reef sand.
The HD in Melbourne started carrying it!
J
jdragunas
Guest
jhebi, you can add sand anytime you want, right on top of the stuff you already have. It won't affect anything, unless you add a WHOLE LOT of sand, but my a whole lot, i mean like 4" or so. IF you do that, you'll create an oxygen-free environment below that, and all of your aerobic (oxygen-based) bacteria will die, which can cause a re-cycle. But adding a little bit won't do anything.
jhebi
Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
jhebi, you can add sand anytime you want, right on top of the stuff you already have. It won't affect anything, unless you add a WHOLE LOT of sand, but my a whole lot, i mean like 4" or so. IF you do that, you'll create an oxygen-free environment below that, and all of your aerobic (oxygen-based) bacteria will die, which can cause a re-cycle. But adding a little bit won't do anything.
Thank you, no i dont even have 2 inch I believe.....I will add up like a inch or more...
Thank you
jhebi, you can add sand anytime you want, right on top of the stuff you already have. It won't affect anything, unless you add a WHOLE LOT of sand, but my a whole lot, i mean like 4" or so. IF you do that, you'll create an oxygen-free environment below that, and all of your aerobic (oxygen-based) bacteria will die, which can cause a re-cycle. But adding a little bit won't do anything.
Thank you, no i dont even have 2 inch I believe.....I will add up like a inch or more...
Thank you