Is color play sand safe?

[Lisa67]

I'm setting up a tank for my frontosas who are currently in mbuna tank. I want to use the same sand that is in the mbuna tank (I forgot the name but it is a black and white cichlid sand that buffers the water). However, at $28/bag I definately need to mix it with something. I was thinking that maybe I could mix it with black playsand but I don't if what they use to dye it is safe for the fish. Does anyone have any idea?

 

[spoonman]

Plain sand I wouldnt worry about, but colored play sand would scare me. The only colored sand I would put in my tank would be made especially for aquariums. JMO.

 

[HUKIT]

I agree, without knowing what chemicals they use to dye the sand would be my concern. The second thing would be if they were to leach dyes into the tank, what effect would that have on the fish. I use black sand in 90% of my tanks which is made by Caribsea called Tahitian Moon sand. Cost is $19 per 20lbs from Foster and Smith.

 

[needmorecowbell]

I would definitely Not do playsand. The main ingredient is silica which is what algae feeds off of. I have heard stories of walls covered with diatoms because of it. I really would spend the money on a different sand. Black tahition moonsand is a nice one if you like black. Make sure the sand says "contains no inert materials". That means it is good for freshwater use. Good luck!

 

[Lisa67]

Maybe I will mix the Tihitian moon sand with the cichlid sand. I need the buffering ability. Or maybe fine black gravel. I used regular play sand under the cichlid sand in the other tank but and it does kind of show through. The fish love to move the sand around. Not sure if they would do the same with a gravel/sand mix.

 

[needmorecowbell]

That would be a good mixture. I had tahition sand and it was hard to clean..