durascape white play sand

mulsco4201 · 01/28/2006, 11:22 AM

is this sand ok for aquariums couldn't find the preferred sand at home depot

ipiniowa · 01/28/2006, 11:30 AM

Make sure it doesn't have any silica in it.

kau_cinta_ku · 01/28/2006, 11:44 AM

silica is harmless . more is the size of the sand you want to watch out for.

Black Phantom · 01/28/2006, 12:17 PM

Find a really good magnet and dig it in to this sand. Chances are your going to come out with some very small pieces of iron stuck to the magnet.
This is natural in a lot of "play sands"
You do not want any iron in your tank. It will promote all sorts of nice algae growths that will have you wondering why you didn't spend the extra money for the good stuff.

crazyfingersmike · 01/28/2006, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kau_cinta_ku
silica is harmless.

You couldn't be farther from the truth.

Make sure the sand does not have silica in it.

NCreefwannabe · 01/28/2006, 01:10 PM

silica is harmless if you know what your doing. If its your first tank, and dont know much, then yea stay away from the silica. Alot of people use silica sand, but it does take extra effort and knowledge.

bertoni · 01/28/2006, 01:24 PM

Most silica sand is fine. Some silica sand can leach silicates into the water. I don't think that's necessarily a problem, and I actually dose silica into my tank to help with water quality. This article has more:

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm

rkehockey16 · 01/28/2006, 01:30 PM

i dont think that that sand will help you PH levels.

01/28/2006, 11:22 AM	#1
mulsco4201 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6	durascape white play sand is this sand ok for aquariums couldn't find the preferred sand at home depot

01/28/2006, 12:17 PM	#4
Black Phantom Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Calgary, Canada Posts: 241	Find a really good magnet and dig it in to this sand. Chances are your going to come out with some very small pieces of iron stuck to the magnet. This is natural in a lot of "play sands" You do not want any iron in your tank. It will promote all sorts of nice algae growths that will have you wondering why you didn't spend the extra money for the good stuff. __________________ Mama always said "Go big or stay home" Current Tank Info: 230 gal salt tank, 50 gal sump, 50 gal refugium, Two 20 gallon frag tanks, Bullet skimmer, 300 lbs live rock. 3x250 MH lights and a 45 gallon fresh water tank

01/28/2006, 01:24 PM	#7
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Most silica sand is fine. Some silica sand can leach silicates into the water. I don't think that's necessarily a problem, and I actually dose silica into my tank to help with water quality. This article has more: http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/28/2006, 11:30 AM	#2
ipiniowa Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Pleasant Hill, IA Posts: 701	Make sure it doesn't have any silica in it.

01/28/2006, 11:44 AM	#3
kau_cinta_ku Moved On Join Date: May 2005 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,669	silica is harmless . more is the size of the sand you want to watch out for.

01/28/2006, 01:10 PM	#6
NCreefwannabe Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 953	silica is harmless if you know what your doing. If its your first tank, and dont know much, then yea stay away from the silica. Alot of people use silica sand, but it does take extra effort and knowledge.

01/28/2006, 01:30 PM	#8
rkehockey16 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Va Posts: 476	i dont think that that sand will help you PH levels.