Sand question...

[havefun]

I've done some research and have decided to go against the grain and just use white silica play sand (toys r us). I know I will be missing some of the bennifits of argonite but sometimes I just have to learn the hard way
Anyway one thing I am not clear on is will this sand become ls as well and will I bennifit from a dsb of it? Or, should I just use 1-2 inches of it on bottom?
And kind of related - when I start my cycle I plan to use raw shrimp. Does it matter where I put the shrimp? Should I put it on the base rock (hirocks.com) or on the sand (i.e. will the bacteria colonize faster on the base rock than the silica sand)?

 

[indy]

Sand is sand, playsand will work as well as aragonite. "Live sand" is just sand that has been cycled. NOthing magic about it. I've been using it since I started and have not had any problem maintaining PH. IT stays the same with no additives or supplements. If you have extremely low PH water then it may be an issue. The bacteria that developes during your cycle will colonize everywhere the water touches, including your glass and any other items in the tank. Just put it where there is water flow. Getting a cup or two of sand from an established tank will give you a small bump in your cycle, but in reality will only knock a day or two off of the time needed in a larger tank.

 

[badfish]

so why does everyone say not to use silica sand. I am going through the same thing, i want to start my tank but Home Depot doesnt have any tropical play sand in and they dont know when they will. What are the benefits to using the tropical sand. Why do people say silica is not good? i plan on having sand sifters, will white silica sand be alright for them? I also ordered base rock from hirocks.com, and will be buying LR from liverocks.com. Should i put the LR on the sand, or on top of the base rock, or Both?

TIA

 

[midiman]

Sand is sand, playsand will work as well as aragonite

Well....

aragonite sand can act as a helpful buffer and don't have the risk of silicates, which are believed to encourage or at least facilitate the growth of diatoms. But purely with respect to live sand, the bacteria don't care. They'll colonize every surface in your tank.

 

[Felf]

i was wondering that myself but then i read a few articles that said that silica sand doesnt really elevate the amount of diluted silica in your water but other things commonly found in aquariums will.

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen9.html

 

[midiman]

was wondering that myself but then i read a few articles that said that silica sand doesnt really elevate the amount of diluted silica in your water but other things commonly found in aquariums will.

I know what you mean. There is a lot of contradictory info in this hobby. For me, the idea of the sand acting as a buffer and the desire to use a fine grain sand for a DSB in my sump were was the most important factors, so I went with aragonite.

 

[ASpec]

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen9.html

Excellent reading!

 

[Felf]

you're welcome just dont do what i did and buy sand blasting sand because it's pretty coarse and has tons of dust although the one i got is pretty fine so i dont see it being too much of a problem

 

[badfish]

would there be any benefit to mixing some aragonite sand with silica sand? The thing is that i only budgeted myself for $20 in sand, b/c i thought home depot would carry the tropical sand. I was thinking 2/3 silica and 1/3 caribsea. Or would there be no benefit to this.

 

[boardsurfer]

I believe that one of the reasons you may not want silica based sand is because when you look at it in a microscope, you can see that it has sharp edges and the sand sifters that some of us have in our tanks don't care too much for that.

 

[ASpec]

See if you can find a local aquarium club or forum in your area. Many times these folks have South Down/Old Castle sand. I know a club in my area purchased 3 pallets of this stuff. I paid $5 for a 50# bag of it about 3 months ago.

Also, according to Home Depot this sand has been discontinued at all locations. Take that for what's it worth, but I heard this several times.

One other idea, try Pet Smart or Petco. I got 2 20# bags of CaribSea white moon sand from Pet Smart for $8 each (clearance item) but they still stock it in store?

 

[havefun]

Thanks, just what I wanted to hear

I just put 150# of the white toys r us play sand in my 75g. Now I just have to wait for my rock.

 

[ASpec]

I assume you read the linked post? I like what it had to say, but I can't say I am willing to take the risks. Before you fill up think long and hard about this. Sure, you can swap/change substrate later, but it's a HUGE PITA.

 

[BillyZ]

The article you linked to (although I did not read the entire thing) is correct that silica based sands will not CAUSE harm to your system. I will argue that they are less benificial, but nothing more. If an argonite sand is that out of reach there is nothing wrong with using a silica based sand, just be SURE it is sterilized play sand. You don't want to just grab a bag of quick-crete sand... who knows what you'll be getting mixed in with it.

Argonite sand has multiple benifits to an aquarium. As mentioned already, the calcium acts as a Ph buffer for the system. The grains vary greatly in size which helps foster an active and diversive fauna population in your sand bed as well as the "softer edges" that argonite sand offers. Look at this microscopic comparison of different sands.

HTH

 

[BDAWG]

Wow, that quickcrete playsand looks like some bad stuff. Good link though!

 

[RLG2182]

I personally wouldn't risk a $4-10k investment on $100-300 worth of sand. Unless the quick-rete sand is sterilized (and even if it is), I would rather just invest a bit more money on getting stuff that is proven, will help with my setup, and won't hurt inverts & sand sifting critters.

Who would risk a $30,000 sports car on cheap wheels that were made for a playground tricycle? It could work... but IMO, I'd just stay away from it. 8)