silicate based sand

javajoe

Member
From my understanding, the problem with silicates, is that they tend to produce diatoms-- if you do a search on diatoms, you'll see that they are most troublesome in tanks with higher contents of silicates in the water, so i am assuming that using sand that is silicate based would be just as bad, if not worse-- but i might be wrong-- i am sure someone else will comment on this....
 
seems like i heard someone say the same thing on another thread.but i also heard an arguement that if this was so your glass would have the same effect because it is composed of silicate. i,m not sure,just trying to get a little more info.
 

javajoe

Member
I dont think that the silicate can actually come off of the glass, unless something was scraping, or grinding particles off- the sand is already in particles, and will be suspeneded in that water. I have heard that argument, though... hopefully people will see that there are 4 posts already in this thread, look at it, and add thier input!
:D
 
i know there are more of you out there with opinions on this subject,and alot of you probably have some scientific theory to back it up. come on guys lend us some info.thanx to all!
 

wally

Member
Very, very little if any silicates will come leech out of silicate sand. It is the same exact compound that the glass in your tanks is made from. Also the sand is more correctly called quartz not silicate. Silicates get into water when its atoms react with other elements to make compounds. When these compounds enter water the compounds often break up leaving the silicates behind.
However quartz is one of the hardest substances known to man. Geologists consider quartz to be a final stop for silicates until it gets melted down due to volcanic activity.
Here is a good link http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen9.html
with a very good scientific article about using it in reef tanks.
 
thanx a million. i hope everyone reads the info provided by wally. i bought a 50lb bag of playsand at my local lowe's today for $2.76. i used it to make a dsb in my refugium and seeded it with ls from the main tank. it may be a risky experiment but 50lbs for 2.76 , it may pay off in the end. i'll let you guys know if anything blows up
 

ironreef

Member
I seen tanks with silica and other ppl on the net have been using silica for years no probs. There really isn't much benifit using aragonite what to buffer your tank? It has to dissolve to up the cal and alk it shouldn't if your tank has a ph8+ it needs to be under 7 to dissolve. With that being said i use aragonite cuz i could find southdown or I would have to save alot of$$figure@ 400lbs i would have saved alot
 

wally

Member
Hey lettheirberock,
Did you get the quickcrete brand of Play Sand? I am using it and it is working out well for me.
 
no, they didnt have quickqrete. the only sand they had was what i got.it just says,premium play sand and has a pic of 2 kids playing in the sand.
 

ironreef

Member
the thing about playsand =dirty the only one I would use is southdown. it comes from the same place as alot of aquarium sands or at least from the water and not a quarry.
 

wally

Member
I agree the quickcrete play sand is prewashed I did rinse it like I would any substrate even stuff from my LFS and found it to be quite clean. I found it even cleaner than substrates I have gotten from fish stores.
I couldn't be happier with it and at 2.50 for 50# the price is right as well. I also like the color of it. It is bright white and looks great! I wonder why "aquarium sands" think they need to charge 20 bucks or more for a bag of sand when other sources can still make a profit at $2.50 a bag? Sounds like a rip off to me.
 

ironreef

Member
any thing that sell aquarium goods is maked up because they don't sell enough volumne to have a profit and/or the yare buying 3rd hand not like alot of other manufatures. $$ is an issue you need to show a profit. This is why most online are cheaper than lfs= dropshipped/volumne. Ever what QVC they can sell a product cheaper (sometimes) but they will sell 8,000 in 1 hr =volumne =$$$$$$$$$
[ November 25, 2001: Message edited by: Ironreef ]
 

wally

Member
I understand that but that still doesn't mean that it needs to cost 10X the price.
I used to be a buyer for a large retail chain. Most products get what is called "keystone" that means that you double the price everytime it goes through another company. Or to put it another way if I buy it for $1.00 I sell it for $2.00 and so on. So I am betting that the $2.50 bag of sand at HD costs them $1.25 which means that southdown, quickcrete or whoever has a cost of less than 75 cents to produce and ship it to them. I realize that Caribsea is much smaller than southdown or quickcrete but even if their costs are 2x as much that bag of sand would wholesale at 2.50 which means that a dist. would charge a petshop $5.00 a bag which means that the petshop should charge $10.00 not $20-$25 Somebody somewhere is taking a HUGE, HUGE markup of sevral 100% if not 1000% and that is just crazy and it is out of touch with the rest of the retailing world.
Its not just sand however its everything that has "aquarium" on the label. Lights, waterpumps, you name it. If you put "aquarium" on the label you jack the price up 1000% or higher. If petshops would sell sand that was close to reality I would buy it from them. Even if it was 2x the cost of what HD sand costs I would get it from them. I would gladly pay $5.00 a bag for sand from my lfs. But I won't pay $25.00 for a bag when I can get it for 1000% less at HD.
 

ironreef

Member
understand HD sand still doesn't come from the same place. I belive not. But Homedepot is a big reataler . i know ppl in business retail and there mark up isn't much but still is alot greater than big business. it all about inventory and profit. most LFS hardy make $$ . inever seen them driving new cars have bigh houses. I know 2 of them who have degrees in marine bioogy and have store because thay like being self employeed and love it. But they make far from a huge profit. I tried getting deals but still get better deals off the net= volumn is the key. So i understand not paying top $$ but they aren't getting rich either. i won't pay top $$ if i can get cheaper also
 

wally

Member
I don't think its the people at the local level who are the problem. I think it starts higher up the food chain with the people who make and distribute the products.
 
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