silica sand - is it ok?

[malkore]

So one forum tells me not to waste cash on argonite sand...that if I'm going LR I can just get playsand, even if it's silica.

So i spend $3 on 50lbs of silica playsand at Home Depot.

Now i read in my New Marine Aquarium book that silica has no place in the marine tank, and that it'll only feed diatom algae.

Is it a problem? This is a 40gallon breeder which will start with 1x96watt PC, and a second added when I'm ready to add some corals and fish.

 

[sumphead]

I wish there could be a final word on silica sand, but unfortunatly that isn't possible. I personally have never used silica sand but here is my understanding:

Silica is different from silicates so it should not increase diatom algea, it is a common misconception. Silica sand is safe as long as it is sterilized and from a pure source. Occasionally it is found to have trace metals in it, but if deemed sterilized and safe for kids it is probably safe for your tank. Silica sand will not have any buffering effect as aragonite would. It is said that the shape (sharp egdes) of silica will/can irritate your livestock. Yet I have not known anyone to report this other than when doing as I am doing now. There are endless discussions on this topic and many use it without issues at all.

I think it is all preference. Just my thoughts on it. Good luck with your decision and keep us posted.

HTH,
R-

 

[malkore]

yeah, what I bought is playsand, which from my understanding means it's safe for kids, so it should be safe for fish.

however I only have 50 lbs, and this is a 40gallon breeder (the original tank size was 30gallons).
I think I'm gonna need more substrate...I want several inches correct? (i'm still confused since i see references to DSB but then my book says 1" in the front, 2" in the back of the tank)

I didn't realize this would be so much more difficult than freshwater

 

[wahoo_drew]

I bought my sand from HD too paid I think about $3 for 50# I bought 2 bags and that gave me about 3.5 to 4in in my 55 youll prob want one more bag even if you only use half of it. Youll also want about 4 or 5 inches in the tank to get a good DSB

 

[malkore]

Ok, so the general consensus is that you do indeed want a deep sand substrate...a little shallower in the front, so the detris collects there (same as a FW tank)

 

[wahoo_drew]

I didnt make it different levels just leveled it out a bit. When you put your rock in youll want to make sure you wiggle the rock down so it touches the bottom or is close to it so nothing digs under it and makes the fall over but thats what cheaper base rock is for

 

[malkore]

I'm gonna cure my live rock in the tank, to cycle it, so at the end, I guess I'll wash my sand in some aged SW and then add it to the tank (which is what my book recommends), so that the rock gets 'planted' securely.

Does silica sand need to be rinsed, or could I add it, then do a water change after it settles?

 

[Sparky]

I would rinse it good first. Get some of the "lighter" stuff out of the mix early. This way it won't cloud up as bad. Been there, done that. Learned the hard way...LOL

Mike

 

[wahoo_drew]

Well its up to you about rinsing I didnt rinse it because the small stuff is good because you can grow more bacteria. It will cloud up bad but it wont matter because all you will have in there is a bunch of rocks so your not missing anything.

Ok about curing your rock in your tank are you going to have the sand in first before the rock? Thats what you should do because thats the whole purpose to cycleing the tank so once its in there and you add your rock then wait about a month to cycle then your good to go you wont need to rinse the sand or anything you might want to do a water change(about 50%) to lower nutrients in the water to help block an algea bloom but thats all youll need to do.

I just reread your post you wont need to do a water change till after it cycles and if you have a HOB youll want to run it with out any media in it so it doesnt build up bacteria.

 

[jmc]

My lfs recommended that I do not add sand at the beginning of tank cycle with lr as I should expect an algae bloom about 2 weeks into the cycle and that it would be very difficult to clean the algae off the sand. So, that's what I've done - lr 1st, no sand yet. I have no algae yet and parameters are close to completed cycle. I'm adding more lr today to bring my lr content to maximum desired... thus starts the cycle over to some extent.

Question - should I go ahead and add sand with the new LR, or should I wait until algae blooms and had a run at cleaning it up and changing some water [then add sand]? Planning on using play sand.

Any benefits to mixing play sand with argonite?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[malkore]

the reason i'm not adding sand during the curing process is because the stuff that's dead and falls off will be much easier to vaccum if I have a bare bottom tank.

 

[wahoo_drew]

Well from what Ive learned the whole puropse to letting your tank cycle is to build up a bacteria bed in the sand. Thats your filtration. Also the stuff thats on the rock that is going to die isnt much in the first place and what does die is not going to be a problem on your sand. You dont need a vaccum in a SW tank so keep that for your FW stuff.

JMC I dont know why your LFS told you to do that. You must have some bio balls or a HOB filter with media in it. That must be where your bacteria is liveing. But yeah if you havent added sand yet and are almost done with your cycle youll want to add it when you add your next rock or before then add your rock and start weining off your filters what ever your useing.

 

[BillyZ]

I'm just going to add a couple comments.

When folks say not to "waste money on argonite sand" they are refering to wasting money on the $25 for a 10 pound bag of CarbiSea argonite sand. It is GROSLY overpriced, it's just sand. Argonite sand, if you can get it, is IMO the best substrate you can have in a SW aquarium. It is what you find on the ocean floor. It provides Ph buffering for you aquarium. It's soft edged and varied size grains provide a haven for substrate fauna (which you want and need), and it just looks good to boot you can get cheap argonite sand from many walmart and Home Depot Stores. You looking for a 50 pound bag of "Old Castle", "Yard Right" or "Southdown" Play Sand. (See This thread for much of the discussion, microscopic comparisons of the sand, and locations of stores that folks have found the sand in)

IMO, you should have sand in the tank for the cycle. The LR and the LS are what become your tanks biological filtration. You might as well build them both at the same time, otherwise you're simply prolonging your wait before the system is ready. An algae bloom is going to happen regardless. You typical clean-up crew of snails/starfish should handle most of it. No need for vacuming.

 

[malkore]

Ok. I'll keep these things in mind. Keep in mind all my info has been coming from "The New Marine Aquarium: Step by Step Setup and Stocking Guide", and assumes I'm getting un-cured LR.

I'll look around for argonite sand. I paid $3 for 50lbs of silica sand...should argonite playsand be the same price range?
I can always put the playsand to use elsewhere

 

[indy]

Add the sand. The algae bloom won't really affect anything with the sand. Once the tank has cycled and is in check, the algae will slowly die off by itself. You shouldn't need to clean anything in the tank besides the front glass.