Blasting sand, what brand?

[Niki]

Hi all,

So I was reading some of the other threads about using sand in fish tanks and decided to start my own as i did not want to high jack someone else's thread.

I would really like to get a black blasting sand for my new fish tank. I was reading and searching on the net and found this stuff called Sil Industrial minerals, is this a brand I would be looking for? I just want to ensure it is safe for my fishies?

If not what should I be looking for?

 

[Rhino]

I used black diamond from tractor supply. It was $8 for a 50lb bag. Just rinse it real well.

 

[KonvictKeeper]

I used black diamond from tractor supply. It was $8 for a 50lb bag. Just rinse it real well.

+1 Thats what I use

 

[Niki]

Thanks so much, I'm finding it really difficult to find! Play sand is easy to find but this blasting is a nightmare!

 

[Rhino]

Tractor supply was the only place in my town that carried it?

 

[KonvictKeeper]

Same here!

 

[Niki]

I think I'm going to have to use play sand as I can't find blasting sand...

Can some people give thier experience with play sand and maybe post a pic of your tank?

 

[toddnbecka]

There's a company called Opta Minerals that has branches in Canada, their product is called Black Blast. Try searching for someone selling that brand locally to you.
Sil Industrial's product is silica sand, which isn't normally black. The Black Diamond or Black Beauty brands are actually coal slag.
There's also a 3M line of black silica sand, but I have no idea about availability in Canada.
If none of those are available I'd recommend pool filter sand or a very small grade of gravel rather than play sand for aquarium use. Easier to rinse and maintain (clean/siphon) and doesn't compact tightly like play sand, which leads to anaerobic pockets and hydrogen sulfide gas bubbles in the substrate.

 

[Niki]

very much ladies and gents!

as difficult as it was with not much results I did find one place that does supply Black Blasting sand called Black Magic. He advised me that it was compareable to Black Beauty.

he sells 50lbs for 12 bucks, steal!

he is also sending me the MSDS sheet so I can do some research for it.

has anyone used this product before?

 

[toddnbecka]

At that price it's almost certainly coal slag, sand is always more expensive. Only thing to watch is the particle size, bigger is better for aquarium substrate. Smaller/finer particles aren't as easy to siphon as larger bits.

 

[severum mama]

Moved to FW and Brackish- General Discussion.

 

[Niki]

I have been doing some research on the Black Magic and have read that itis not a good idea to use it.....I might end up just dishing out the cash for some black sand in a pet store....I have called a number of places both Canada and US this week and some places said they have been getting a high number of calls for sand for fish tanks!

 

[Niki]

So upon completion of my research and many phone calls looking for black substrate I have decided to go with pfs...even my lfs didn't have any black sand in stock!

 

[kelbaker79]

I used black diamond from tractor supply. It was $8 for a 50lb bag. Just rinse it real well.

Exactly what I use too ..it looks amazing!

 

[KonvictKeeper]

Yeah I use it too.

 

[kelbaker79]

Here's a pic of my fry tank with it...

 

[Niki]

It does look fantastic, however I could only find a brownish color. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I like it. I will post a pic when it clears up.

 

[toddnbecka]

Pool filter sand is good stuff too, I use that or a similar-size fine grade of gravel in most of my tanks. If the substrate color is too light overall you can use dark-colored rocks or ornaments to cover it up a bit.

 

[Niki]

I liked that it was darker than my aragonite sand so I am happy

I still really like the black though

 

[Niki]

Here is my tank, still a little cloudy from the new sand though