Sand

[andygar]

Has anyone ever used sand from the beach for a FO tank? What about play sand? The cost of Arraganite is outrageous (about $1 per pound)

 

[tucker3940]

Using sand from the beach could (quite possibly) introduce toxic substances into your tank. If you want to go the playsand route you can search the forum for 'southdown'. It is the most widely accepted playsand to use, but a lot of people can't find it at their local home depot. In these same posts you will find alternatives such as quickrete playsand, etc, and the subsequent arguments about which is better or safer. Search the forum and decide which route you want to take, which will most likely be dependent on whether or not you can find southdown.

 

[aot220]

hey I can't even find arragonite sand! where can I buy it?

 

[slick]

First I wouldn't use sand from the ocean.
Second. I'm sure you have looked at your lfs but check other pet shops as well. If all else fails you can order it from a lot of places on the web. But then you have to pay shipping.