Sand? Any not safe for aquariums?

[Wiggles24]

So I am reading about a lot of people buying sand from places other than pet stores, seems like a good idea to me if it will save money but my question is that is there any sand you would come across they WOULDN'T be safe to put in an aquarium?

 

[shellieca]

So I am reading about a lot of people buying sand from places other than pet stores, seems like a good idea to me if it will save money but my question is that is there any sand you would come across they WOULDN'T be safe to put in an aquarium?

The majority of people who do that buy play sand or pool filter sand. The only bad thing, no variety of colors that I'm aware of.

 

[Maximus13]

there's different grades of sand that can feel almost like powder instead of the traditional sand. I would just use pool filter sand because it's a bit more coarse and bottom dwellers seem to enjoy it. If you get finer sand you run the risk of getting it in your filter depending on which one you used.

 

[jlk]

Also watch the ingredients the sand is made of. The 100% silica sands are non-reactive, aquarium-safe and wont affect your ph. Some sands (and some playsands) are carbonate-based and will affect your ph. I would avoid sand mixes used for making concrete because they may contain other ingredients

 

[Wiggles24]

Thank you guys