Will Sakrete "Premium Grade Play Sand" Work as alternative to Southdown?

20galsw

20galsw

Member
Hi,
I went to Home Depot today to get some Southdown sand, and apparently it's seasonal. They did have some Sakrete "Premium Grade Play Sand" as well as Sakrete all purpose sand. I bought a 50lb bag of the Play sand, and would like to know if this would be an acceptable alternative to Southdown Tropical Play Sand?
The bag says that this sand "has been screened, washed, dried, and sanitized for childrens sandboxes, cat litter, gardens, and traction sand for ice and snow."
I haven't opened it yet, so please let me now if it's usable or not, so that I may return it.
Thanks,
-David-
 
whywe

whywe

Member
It should be perfectly fine. I used a 100 lbs of similar play sand from the local hardware store and seeded it with 20 lbs of LS and it worked just fine with me.
HTH:)
 
20galsw

20galsw

Member
whywe,
Thanks for the reply...I'll be using it to replace Florida Crushed Coral after the recommendations from many on this forum, at $2.69 for 50lb, I couldnt pass it up! :)
There is also 5lb of oolite sand hiding underneath all the Crushed Coral, I'll try to salvage some of that when I replace the sand.
Thanks,
-David-
 
justinx

justinx

Active Member
WAIT!!! The major concern here is if the sand has a silicate base to it. If it does, which it very well may, you will be battling diatoms and other algaes for as long as you own the tank! The reason southdown is so desirable is that it does not contain silicates. Check the label, as well as with the mfg. if needed. Personally though, i wouldnt risk it.
 
20galsw

20galsw

Member
JustinX,
Would silicates be eliminated if the sand was sterilized? Wouldnt all Play sand be silicate free? You wouldnt want kids eating silicates, and most children sandbox age are still putting things in their mouths. Also, I've read that the state of california requires the following warning on play sands containing silica:
California Proposition 65 Warning:
This product contains crystalline silica which is "known to the State of California to cause cancer and other substances which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and reproductive harm".
I am unsure if this warning would be displayed in all states, but I would think so.
But to answer your question, the bag does not specifically say that it does or does not contain silicates, but it has gone though the process that i mentioned in my original post.
Is there a way to look at sand and tell whether it's silicate based?
Yellow color as opposed to white?
UPDATE: for those of you out there that are monitoring this thread :)
The following two URLS compare the safety precautions of sakrete silica sand, and play sand. As you can see, the Safety Precautions for the Silica sand say that it contains silica(first URL), and also says specifically not to use in childrens sandboxes. The precautions for the play sand(second URL) are nonexistent, and it is said to be safe for childrens sandboxes.
http://www.oceandrymix.com/products/...licaSandps.pdf
http://www.oceandrymix.com/products/...yUtilityps.pdf
I think we've found another SouthDown here! Spread the word! :)
Also with the name of the site being oceandrymix, I think we can be sure where it comes from.
Thanks,
-David-
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
quickrete is a quartz silica based sand
southdown is an aragonite
southdown is better, but quickrete will be fine
 
20galsw

20galsw

Member
fshhub,
The sand I speak of is not "Quickrete" It is Sakrete Brand Premium Grade Play Sand, which is actually made by W.C. Bonsai Corp. This sand is totally white, and doesen't have the yellow color that silica sand would have.
The point I was trying to make in my last post was that on the Ocean Dry Mix site, any sand that contains silica says so in the Product Info .pdf for that product. The sand I purchased says nothing in the Safety Precautions, which would indicate that it is silicate free. The second link in my last post is the sand I am now using(play sand)
Accidentally cut the hole too big :) and I now have 50lb sand in my 20 gallon long, hope thats not too much. Still only made for about a 4" sandbed, but my tank is only 12" high. :rolleyes:
Thanks,
-David-
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
silica or silicate free??silica sand does not create silicates. I believe in fact, siica does not break down in water. It jsut does not offer some of the added benefits of aragonite. South Down is aragonite
SD more than likely will not be available in fla anyhow.
If you want to find out if it is aragonite, take some and pour some vinegar on it, it should fizz, if it is aragonite.
 
20galsw

20galsw

Member
fshhub,
Are you saying there are two different types of sand, silicate, and silica? As far as I could tell the Sakrete was free of both of these.
This sand does, however, seem to have the consistency of the oolite aragonite sand I have previously used., it is very very fine.
Is it possible for sand to not be aragonite, but to also be silica/silicate free?
I've always heard using silica/silicate sand would cause bad algae blooms and other problems that I'd never be able to get rid of. I had this problem in my last tank, a 50 gallon, due to originally using tap water. Phosphate pellets in a media bag finally did the trick, however.
Thanks,
-David-
 
robb

robb

Member
I use Quickrete sand. It is very white and very fine. I have had it in my tank for 3 years with no problems. I don't battle diatoms constantly. I had one not too long ago because I added about 35lb of new sand. But I got it under control and it is fine again.
Here is a picture to see how white it is.
 
wrassecal

wrassecal

Active Member
From Ron Shimek deep sand beds
"The organisms do not care about the sediment mineral composition, only the particle sizes and shapes. Most aquarists use the commonly available aragonitic sands to "provide a calcium reservoir." Additionally their bright white color is often aesthetically pleasing. However, if the system's pH and calcium concentrations get low enough to dissolve significant amounts of the sediment there are some very severe problems and all the sand in the world won't help. Very successful tanks may be set up utilizing black lava sand, or fine siliceous sand, as long as the grains are of the appropriate size. There is some concern that siliceous sand will fuel diatom blooms, but such blooms may be controlled by the appropriate grazers. There is absolutely no need for any subsurface sand structure such as a "plenum" or shelf. In fact such structures will reduce the sediment volume that is available for the bacteria."
 
20galsw

20galsw

Member
BigMac,
What Magnifaction, or with what camera were those pics taken :) I don't think I could ever get close enough to my sand to see the individual grains. I will see how close(macro) I can get with my Minolta Dimage 7(not likely). Although my sand has only been in there a day, I haven't seen it pack up at all.
Robb,
Well it's good to know I shouldnt have much trouble with it even if it is silica sand. But I still say it's different than Quickrete. :D I will try the vinegar test fshhub described earlier in this thread to tell for sure.
Robb, and Wrassecal,
Thanks for the articles, they were both very helpful. :)
TrueHeart,
I will definately keep you posted. I just got my lighting hooked up, so I should know the results within a few weeks.
I think that covers everybody :)
Thanks a lot for the advice,
-David-
 
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