what kind of sand

[stangbabe1993]

could i use regular play sand from home depot its not the castle one but it says its premium play sand washed and screened and all that. there's nothing on there that says it has silica. the other kinds of sand they have say there could be silica in it. but this one doesn't. i would be putting it in a fish only tank and maybe some live rock but not alot.

 

[gwen_o_lyn]

I think its called southdown sand. Yes, what you are talking about is fine to use. Plain ole sand with nothing added.

 

[thomas712]

What you want is calcium carbonate sand. Not silica but it will work and not most any other type. For a successful aquarium use the calcium carbonate sand.
Take a sample of your sand and test some of the sand with vinegar. If it bubbles/dissolves, it is calcium carbonate sand and should be safe to use.
Take some sand and pass a magnet over it or in it, it might come out with little metal shavings from processing, if it does I would not use it. Though I have heard of some who have with little poor effects. Iron can actually be a fertilizer for macro algae.
Thomas

 

[stangbabe1993]

i'm changing my 20 gal to a 37 gal so i'm using the water from the 20 and adding new. should i use sand instead of crushed coral. i'm only going to have fish and a small amount of live rock and a filter on the back and i also have a protien skimmer. i want a dwarf lion fish and some other aggresive fish. i'm not going to do a sump. and i'll probablly get snails and crabs i guess. any recommendations?

 

[stangbabe1993]

would 1 or 2 inches of sand be ok