Playsand Question

[fishman]

I was at Home Depot last night and happen to see that they had "quickrete". I read on the back and heres what is said...."Washed, dried, sanitized" sand for all general purposes and even safe for playboxes....
DO you think this would be ok to use mixed with LS?? I have a 100 gallon tank that i want eventually to be a reef.
Thanks

 

[jackdp]

Quickcrete playsand is different from aragonite reef sand in that it is silica based rather than calcium carbonate. 2 main impacts of using silica sand are the sharp edges of the silica crystals may harm sandbed detrivores and the tank will not benefit from the slight buffering properties of the aragonite. To directly answer your question, yes it would be okay to mix the quickcrete with the LS, it would be better to use aragonite. I've heard testimony from many who have used the silica sand with no problems except a temporary diatom bloom. You could look for Southdown or Old castle tropical playsand from the Caribbean, it is the best stuff to use, but it can be hard to come by in your area. HTH