southdown play sand

[hogooo]

I see everyone suggesting this play sand but i have a question .I am reading a book now called the new tropical marine aquarium and it says this: playsand has no place in a tank
it is composed of silica which feeds brown diatom film growth and will tend to compact and form anaerobic areas leading to the production of hydrogen sulfide gas.Is there something different with southdown that will prevent these problems? thanks

 

[mark-24]

Southdown tropical play sand is the exact same as some type of sand that is marketed by CaribSea. It is not silica based. It is harvested off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas, half goes to Southdown/ Cemex for playsand, and the other half goes to CaribSea for aquarium sand. It works. I use it and the only problem is that it does cloud up, but within a few days the water is clear. It's great stuff if you can get a hold of it. No problems with diatoms besides the usual diatoms with a new tank.
-Mark

 

[su_ry]

I used Southdown sand on my tank and I have never had any problems.