Home Depot sand?

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DragonForce

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Sep 9, 2005
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Location
Southern California
I went to Home Depot to buy sand on the cheap, i couldn't find any besides silica based. I did however find this one called Aragon, or Paragon. One or the other, but someone please tell me this is aragonite based?
 
I doubt anyone will be able to tell you for sure. The only way to really test it is to take a sand and put it in a glass with some vinnegar, if the sand fizzes then it is aragonite based if not then it is silica. :wink:



Jermz
 
Silica sand isn't really that bad, it just doesn't have the added benifits of argonite. Some people will go crazy about the chemistry of silica, but it's the same compound as the glass of your tank, and you don't worry about that disoving into the water.
 
ive gotten aragnite sand from home depot before. here it was like 7$ for 50 lbs. but some of them dont have it
 
Well, name brands of aragonite would be nice, i can't just climb up the scafoldings and pull out my vinegar and test it. It would be a pain in the ass to get someone to get it down for me then saying whoops sorry this isnt the kind, and then walk away.
 
theres usually bags there that have broken alread :).

mines called like.. "tropical playsand" it has like... err it says its gotten from the carribbean and its white. like not clear like silica but opaquely white
 
I have put silica based sand into my marine aquarium a little over a month ago and it still going great. My clown fish seems to love it. I simply got the quikrete brand from the depot. It has been washed and dried already . I put it in hoping for good luck and I have NO problem with it whats so ever. Sorry if this seems like bad advice but it worked for me folks. :p
 
i have the sme problem looking for the tropical sand in houston's home depots. but every hd has the quikrete playsand. the grain is larger than the Pavestone brand. the pavestone brand sand is much finer and if you dont have any problems with the quikete brand, the pavestone sand is what i will get. thanks
 
i decided to give in and spend 40 bucks for 40 lbs of fine grain live sand, oh well, better to just pay a little extra to know what your getting i guess, cheers!
 
I just bought 6 bags (50 lbs each) for $1.99 from Home depot in Southbend Indiana.. It was in a generic looking blue bag, said playsand on the bottom. But was labled for Landscaping at the top. I got it because at the bottom in small letters said it was made by Old Castle. Figured worse case, kid had a new sandbox :eek:) Vinger test, it Bubbled. Its white, very fine sand too!
 
Since were on the topic I live in Sarasota Florida. We have stark white award winning sugar sand beaches. I can jump in my Kayak and paddle to some very remote areas where there is sand stacked up well away from the breakers and not much chance of having come into contact with any pollutants and has baked in the sun for literally years. I was thinking of using some of this in my next tank.

Think there would be any problems with it?
 
If it's baked in the sun for years, then it won't have the advantages of live sand. As long as collecting it is legal in your area, it might make a good base sand though. Add a few cups of live sand from other reefer's tanks, and you'll be set.
 
Could this sand quikrete become live sand, or is this just going to be used for display and filtration purposes?
 
Quartz sand can be come live sand, however, it will not have the water buffering qualities of argonite sand. It would still be worth your time and dollars to get a small quantity of live sand to seed organisims into the quickcrete sand.
 
Any substrate you use will become "LIVE" once it's coated with bacteria. That's all Live means. The grains have had a chance to become coated with nitrifying bacteria.
Regular PWC will keep the pH up and the base chemistry in your tank at the proper levels (unless you have a lot of corals).
You can buy a detrivore kit or two online of get some sand from a local reefer for the LS critters that live in the sand. Adding LR will also see the sand with some pods.
 
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