silica free playsand location

[jr5018]

found this on the net just thought you all would like to know where to get the silica free playsand it is cheaper than sand specifically for aquariums and the same thing too.

http://www.yardright.com/sand.htm#playsand

 

[malkore]

One question tho...it clearly states: "Not suitable for aquarium systems and traction purposes."

I don't doubt that this is simply argonite sand...but what's with that statement? Do you suppose they also sell it under a different company name, at 3x the price, as 'suitable' for aquariums?

 

[dralarms]

Do you suppose they also sell it under a different company name, at 3x the price, as 'suitable' for aquariums?

Yes that's exactly what they do.

 

[indy]

"Not suitable for aquarium systems and traction purposes."

then

"Provides traction on icy surfaces"



If its kid safe I'd say its probably fish safe. But thats just a guess.

 

[Atari]

Indy, that's the multipurpose play sand as opposed to the tropical play sand.. LOL.. it's all the same sand just packaged and priced differently.

 

[jr5018]

This is the famous southdown playsand everybody is talking about made by the same manufacture just packaged different and 5$ more per 50 lb bag now yardright also has aquarium sand which is the tropical playsand repackaged and 30$ more per bag the sand is silica free and that is what alot of people are looking for now days I am not sure why because silica sand will not make or break an aquarium it just has fewer buffering properties then aragonite. But rest assured I have done a thorough investigation and operational check of this sand and IT WORKS GREAT i have it in my tank right now. I will post a pic as soon as i get batteries for my digital camera

 

[jmc]

I know this topic is a bit tired... but it intrigued me (mostly due to price) enough to go to the HD and buy some however, I still have a couple of questions for those in the know:

1. I found the brand Amstone "Playsand" $2.98/50 lbs. - says its "for childrens sand boxes", "pet boxes", and a couple other uses for patio joints, etc... did not say 'silica free' anywhere on the bag.

- Is this the stuff that's silica free? The color of the sand is kind of dark (not light like argonite).

2. I also found a lighter colored bag of sand (not sugar white, but lighter than other bag mentioned above) but did not say "play sand".

Is the sand mentioned in #1 the stuff??

Thanks... and sorry to those folks who have had enough of this topic!

JMC

 

[dralarms]

Nope that's sicila sand. The sand we want is about 7 bux a bag.

 

[jmc]

I think the other bag - the lighter colored stuff was about $5/bag.... so maybe that's the stuff.

 

[BillyZ]

Prices will vary by area (and often vary greatly, I paid $3/50# bag of South Down)

The long and short of it all:

A company goes into the pacific ocean, scoops up a few tons of seafloor, brigns it back and sells it to two companies. One of those buyers, CaribSea, has a "No Compete" agreement with the company. Because of that agreement, the other buyer, Oldcastle Stone Products (formerly SouthDown), must state on their product that the sand is "not suitable for aquarium use". There is absolutely no difference in the sand other than price.

This argonite sand (disolves and fizes when vineger is added to it) is from the ocean floor and is exactly what you want for your aquarium substrate.

This site does a microscopic comparison of the sands.

And this thread in the general discussion forum is where folks list where they've found the sand this season (its sold as playsand so it is seasonal) at the hardware stores.

HTH

 

[jr5018]

OK try this if you want oldcastle you can get it off the net
http://www.oldcastlecementmixes.com/products/category.asp?prodid=16&id=2&subid=4&gensubid=2#16

 

[BillyZ]

be careful, I think those bags are their silica sand. I would call first and get a confirmation that the sand is argonite and not silica.