[GoinSalt]

Was at Lowes today and I found an "Oldcastle" form of "paver" sand -- the stuff you can use under bricks and such.

It said it was dryed and sterilized. Can I use this or should I just stick with what they call "playsand" which is made by quikcrete.

Does it matter which sand I get as long as its been sterilized?

the paver sand is actually a little bit cheaper and both granules are sugar sized.

Any suggestions?

Nate

[Reefer769]

you shouldnt get any of those unless the say "TROPICAL playsand" or tropical playsand from the carribean. if it does not say tropical then DONT use it.

[Reefland]

That is correct. The problem is we have no idea what the "sand" is. We know the bags labeled "Tropical Playsand from the Carribean" is pure aragonite sand.

Scott Z.

[patsfan1130]

Originally Posted by Reefland

That is correct. The problem is we have no idea what the "sand" is. We know the bags labeled "Tropical Playsand from the Carribean" is pure aragonite sand.

Scott Z.

For what it's worth.... I have used play sand for years (including non tropical/yardright/old castle) and never had any problems at all.

[GoinSalt]

So Patsfan, you think anything labeled "playsand" would be good to go?

Nate

[GoinSalt]

Also,

Any other suggestions on where I can find aragonite sand? I see nothing like that at HD or Lowes or any other hardware stores for that matter.

Nate

[patsfan1130]

Originally Posted by GoinSalt

Also,

Any other suggestions on where I can find aragonite sand? I see nothing like that at HD or Lowes or any other hardware stores for that matter.

Nate

I only use arogonite play sand (pre washed) and again, have never had any adverse effects from using it. There is an ongoing debate over using silica sand. I have used this in the past as well and never had a problem. A lot of aquarium keepers use and refer Southdown because it is a known fact it is a safe substrate to use & is perfect for creating a DSB. I am by no means an expert and can only speak of my own personal experiences.

Scott and the rest of the crew are extremely knowledgable and you certainly cannot go wrong taking their advice.

Mark

[GoinSalt]

Darnit.

I was hoping you'd say, "Sure, go ahead. It works great!"

The problem is, I live in Cali and they dont sell Southdown here. I've looked at the LFS and they sell aragonite sand for $2-$3 for 20 lb sack.

I thought I've read in various places that people use just ordinary play sand with no adverse affects.

Oh well, my search continues for a suitable substrate.

As soon as my carpenter buddy shows up, I can start building my stand. Until then, just soaking up as much info as possible.

Nate

[patsfan1130]

Originally Posted by GoinSalt

Darnit.

I was hoping you'd say, "Sure, go ahead. It works great!"

The problem is, I live in Cali and they dont sell Southdown here. I've looked at the LFS and they sell aragonite sand for $2-$3 for 20 lb sack.

I thought I've read in various places that people use just ordinary play sand with no adverse affects.

Oh well, my search continues for a suitable substrate.

As soon as my carpenter buddy shows up, I can start building my stand. Until then, just soaking up as much info as possible.

Nate

I am using "playsand" I bought from HD made by quickcrete in my 110g fishtank and using Southdown in my 75g. The only difference I can see thus far is the Southdown is much "finer". Other than that, all is good in both tanks

[Ninong]

None of the calcareous sand is available at Home Depot in California. Sometimes it is available from private parties, hobbyists who pooled their resources to have several pallets of the stuff trucked over from the East Coast. When you can find it, it is usually about $15-$18 per 50-lb bag. Most of that represents the freight cost to get it to California.

Pure quartz (silica) sand (SiO2) is acceptable for use in a marine aquarium but it has none of the buffering potential of calcium carbonate (aragonite) sand. However, there is a little Catch 22 involved here. The silica sand that is sold as either play sand or paver sand or building sand or whatever is rarely pure. It may be contaminated with a certain amount of feldspar and other impurities that will dissolve in saltwater. I think that is why you will see reports from some people that they have used silica sand without any algae problems and yet others seem to have algae problems. If the silica sand is pure, it shouldn't cause any problems. Just don't inhale any silica dust, it's carcinogenic.

As a point of information, play sand can be either silica sand or aragonite sand. In fact, the same SKU# is used for either. It just has to be sterilized and meet the requirements for use in kiddy play sand boxes and public playground sand boxes. It just so happens that several years back some enterprising hobbyists discovered that "Southdown Tropical Play Sand from the Caribbean" happens to be aragonite sand. All aragonite sand comes from the same source in the Bahamas and is mined by the same company, Marcona Ocean Industries. Some of it is marketed as aquarium sand and priced accordingly and some of it is marketed as play sand. This is sort of like discovering that Mrs. Wages' Pickling Lime at $1.29/lb is pure food-grade calcium hydroxide (Kalkwasser).

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by GoinSalt

I've looked at the LFS and they sell aragonite sand for $2-$3 for 20 lb sack.

Nate

I think you have a typo here. You can't buy aragonite sand in a California LFS for $2-$3 per 20-lb sack. Try $20-$30 per 20-lb sack.

[RayPollett]

Originally Posted by GoinSalt

Darnit.

I was hoping you'd say, "Sure, go ahead. It works great!"

The problem is, I live in Cali and they dont sell Southdown here. I've looked at the LFS and they sell aragonite sand for $2-$3 for 20 lb sack.

I thought I've read in various places that people use just ordinary play sand with no adverse affects.

Oh well, my search continues for a suitable substrate.

As soon as my carpenter buddy shows up, I can start building my stand. Until then, just soaking up as much info as possible.

Nate

I use the play sand in all my customer tanks. It works fine. It is the size if the sand that is most important. You will be happy with the playsand if you do not mind the color.

Ray

[Brock Fluharty]

I have that sand in my 20 gallon capensis seahorse tank, and it is not at all an ugly color. It is very white, and a very fine grain.