What kind of sand?

[tjara03]

ok i am planning on setting up a 20gal and i was wondering what kind of sand i need to buy.. any suggestion would be awesome!!! TIA!!!!!!

 

[melosu58]

araginite

 

[tjara03]

what kind if i go to like home depot or something??

 

[Brenden]

The way you can tell if sand at HD is araginite or not is to take you a small bottle of vinegar along. Put some of the sand in a small cup and pour some vinegar on it. If it fuzzes like alka-seltzer it is araginite. Otherwise it is standard silica.
Might want to check this thread.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=22188

 

[tjara03]

Thanks Brenden!!!!

 

[degbowl]

Does anyone know if this sand is good for saltwater tank?
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=10392-286-14104&detail=cr&lpage=none

Edit!
I just looked into it and it is silica sand. Not what I am looking for.

 

[Brenden]

Does anyone know if this sand is good for saltwater tank?
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=10392-286-14104&detail=cr&lpage=none

It is Silica. Avoid. In my experience you can mark all the quikrete sands off.

 

[degbowl]

Thanks for your reply. I will look for a HD for it.

 

[cmor1701d]

There is nothing wrong with the silica sand if you can't find tropical playsand (aragonite). Any playsand would be suitable for a marine tank. Arogonite supposedly will buffer your pH. I have not found that to be the case.

From http://www.garf.org/news4p3.html
"Several chemical properties make aragonite the ideal material from which to manufacture a high performance substrate:

1) Aragonite is metastable at a pH of 8.2 i.e. it begins to dissolve into its
constituent ions of Ca++ and CO3-- while calcite (typical "crushed coral")
begins to dissolve somewhere in the mid 7's.
2) Aragonite contains substantial amounts of the larger ionic radius +2 cations
such as strontium (up to 10,000 ppm) which are released into the system as the substrate dissolves. Under laboratory conditions the presence of strontium in
solution appears to facilitate the inorganic precipitation of aragonite when
those solutions also contain sodium and magnesium (like sea water). This would
seem to confirm the observations of hobbyists who note an acceleration of coral
growth with the addition of strontium to a closed system.
3) Unlike calcite, aragonite continues to react chemically with sea water after
acquiring a bacterial biofilm coating. There are further ways to boost the
performance of aragonite. The physical properties of the material can be enhanced
by close grading which allows for more interstitial water per volume, and by
manipulating the surface area to volume ratio which states that if grain size is
uniform, the surface area as a function of volume increases as the grain size
diminishes. Finally, performance can also be increased by technological means
such as by a calcium reactor or the Eco-Sand plenum system. This combination of a
superior raw material boosted by mechanical and technical means is simple and
effective and lasts for the life of the system

 

[tjara03]

Cmor, so you are saying if i used silica sand it would be ok?? will i need to add PH buffer every once in a while? Thanks!!

 

[cmor1701d]

Yes, the silica sand will be fine as a substrate. If I could not get aragonite sand I would get any playsand form HD or Lowes that is meant for a child's sandbox. That will insure that the particle size is correct and that it won't cause any health problems.

 

[tjara03]

great thanks!!!!