have a sand issue.

[Chris&Amber]

Does anywhere know what kind of commerical sand is ok for aquarium's? I got told be a expert that silica sand is not allowed any more. what other types of sand will work> I guess that's a better way of asking it. Anything would be a great help..


Chris & Amber

 

[Fruitbat]

Chris&Amber...

Pretty much ALL sand is 'silica sand' because the primary component of sand is Silicon dioxide. That being said....many people I know who use sand as a substrate simply use 'Play Sand' that they buy at their local hardware store. Keep in mind that it must be washed THOROUGHLY before you even think about putting it in your aquarium. Even then you're probably going to suffer from some seriously cloudy water for a while until all the remaining fine particles settle to the bottom. Oh....silica dust DOES cause respiratory problems so be sure to do the washing outside!

I guess my follow-on question is why you want to use sand in the first place?? There are a lot of potential problems with using such fine-grained stuff in the aquarium, though many people do it.

 

[Chris&Amber]

well let me add some info. we have a 10 gallon what a Aquaclear mine ( The Hagen starter kit ). now we have a pleco and 2 fancy guppies and an angel fish and a disabled fruit tetra. we want to get rid of the gravel it's gross and well we want to put sand in. Now is there anything from somewhere like Home Depot that I could get to do this project or Is there an inexpensive way of doing this?

 

[Chris&Amber]

Thanks fruit bat. we had a massive algea problem we have tried all the different algea eater's available through the 4 different local pet stores. so we go told that sand would be nice and easier. and also at a later date we are thinking of adding live plant's into this tank. Sand would look nicer with the layout of the tank. You said there were a few potental problem's what are they ?

Thanks Chris & Amber

 

[Fruitbat]

Fine-grained sand can, over time, pack so densely that water cannot circulate into it. This cuts down on the oxygen level in the substrate so that the beneficial bacteria (all oxygen users) die off and are replaced by anaerobic bacteria which, among other things, release small quantities of hydrogen sulfide gas. Have you ever gone wading in a pond or lake with a muddy bottom and smelled a foul 'rotten egg' aroma?? That's hydrogen sulfide being released as your feet stir up the muck on the bottom.

Plant roots can also have a difficult time penetrating easily through densely packed sand. In addition....bottom-feeding fish will often stir up the sand as they swim around and fish like Dojo Loaches can create their own mini-sandstorms when they go into one of their frantic 'mad minute' binges (swimming like they had a Great White Shark after them).

Some Home Depots carry a product called 'Tropical Play Sand' that apparently is much in vogue with some planted tank enthusiasts. I don't know a whole lot about it, however.

 

[Chris&Amber]

How can I avoid the tight packing of the sand, would every now and then move it around, and mix it up? what if i placed a air bubble hose throught the entire tank giving several bubbles all over. like a water for your lawn . A long piece of hose clamped at one end and holes pierced all over it? would that help?

 

[Allivymar]

I use sand in my planted tank; the roots from the plants permeate the sand and prevent hydrogen sulfide pockets. Snails have also been suggested to aerate the sand. You could grab one of those "fro picks" and poke holes in the sand on a regular basis to let oxygen in there. Lastly, you can mix the sand around every gravel vac (weekly is suggested).

Having a bubble hose would't be a good idea tho; it will continually send sand into the water column which will get picked up by the filter. Sand does a job on the impellers, and can destroy em.

Some fish will also move the sand around. I discovered my rams like to dig in it.

 

[Chris&Amber]

What kind of sand is best for this purpose? and what step's should I take to wash it and should it be dried. What name of sand can I get from a local sand shop or is there? Earlier i was told Tropical Play Sand. What other options do I have?

 

[fearlessfisch]

Hi, Chris and Amber,

I asked this same question a while back. I got mixed reviews on playground sand, pool filter sand, and silica sand as the best cheap options. I didn't like the look of playground sand, but actually bought a bag each of pool filter sand and silica to experiment with. Both were really cheap--under $10 for a huge bag.

The pool filter sand I got at a pool supply store. It looks like regular brown sand, but is very clean for pool filters (you still should wash it, though). You have to make sure you buy the kind without any added chemicals. I think it would work really well in a natural-decor tank. It was prettier than the playground sand, because it was more even in color and texture.

I decided to use the silica (quartz) sand from a hardware store. It's very fine quartz for sandblasting. I was hesitant to use it at first, because I'd heard that it's abrasive and could hurt corycat barbels. However, I also read in other places that it's just fine. Finally, I went to a website specializing in corycats and posted a question about it. Several people reassured me that they use it with no problem at all.

I bought a bag of it, and it's lovely stuff.....very fine, pure white sand. You can see it if you click on my gallery. I was still nervous about possible abrasiveness and spent about two days shoving my hands deep into the bag and rubbing the backs of them hard into the sand. I didn't get a single scratch. My corycats have been in the tank with silica sand for several months now, and they seem frisky and happy. I have seen absolutely no evidence of harm to any of them. I now have horseface loaches, too, and they love to dig and burrow in the sand. They spend a lot of their time with just their heads sticking out.

I think the constant burrowing of the loaches helps keep the sand stirred up in my tank, and I also stir it at water changes in order to avoid gas pockets. I spent about $8 for a 50-pound bag of silica, and it's been great.

Good luck with your tank.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Just an added thought....

I have no idea if quartz/silica sand can be ground to different degrees of abrasiveness. Apparently the kind I found is fine, but since I've seen people talk about abrasiveness as a problem, I'd still be cautious when choosing sand for your tank.

 

[shawmutt]

Few things:

First off, I am approaching this strictly in layman's terms. I understand the chemistry of the question, but an average joe and jane isn't going to know the scientific definition or difference of silica, silicate, silicon, or know what a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron is--or care. Or that the term "sand" merely refers to a specific size of particles and can be any number of elements or compounds. I am going by what is said on the bags of sand sold in the lfs or Home Depot.

That being said, sand, as it is sold in stores, comes in a few forms--I'll stick to the three most commonly used:

Silica, or quartz sand, is essentially crushed quartz rock. It is sold in many stores for many purposes (e.g. pool filter sand) and is usually a bright white color. It is by far the most common of all sand, and is the form on most beaches. It is chemically inert, meaning that it will not affect the tank's water in any way. This makes it excellent for fish requiring low or neutral pH water. One downside is that quartz is a crystal, and breaks jagged--it seems that any fish that likes to dig would essentially be sifting crushed glass through their gills. I have not heard of anyone having any problems with it, but someone here may tell you differently.

Argonite, or calcium carbonate sand, comes from coral reefs, and is essentially crushed coral. It is formed by the motion of waves breaking up reefs and then depositing the resulting sand on the beach. These particles are generally more rounded--which explains the "fluffy" sand that is so wonderful on Key West and Carribean beaches. It is sold as argonite sand in the lfs, and is sold as "Carribean Play Sand" in Home Depot (there are other names, such as Southdown). Please note, if this is the stuff you were looking for, it will say "no silica" on the bag. It can range from white to a tan, and IMO looks more natural. This sand will raise the pH of the tank, if it is low. This sand is excellent for African cichlids, and other fish that love to dig in the sand and need hard water with a high pH.

The third kind most commonly used is black lava sand. The only commercial name I found was Tahitian Moon sand. Black lava sand is black due to the presence of manganese compounds. It is formed by the motion of waves breaking down the lava rock. I don't know much more about this sand, other than some people say it is high in iron.

HTH!

 

[foxtrot1027]

Playground sand is the most thourghly strained and is actually rinsed with boiling water before being sealed in bags. Ive used it with good results. Also look for blasting sand. (I also use it for automotive sand blasting) It comes in different grades Extra fine, fine, medium coarse etc it is also silicia sand and all you have to do is boil it, it is already strained of organic matter and is actually strictly processed due to the expensive nature of blasting equiptment.