All you EVER wanted to know about Southdown

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can you put southdown sand down in your new tank first, then put live sand on top of it???And how much live sand would you put on top of it for a 55 gallon? Does the live sand spread fast? Does it take over and make the dead sand alive???
 
NoobieNemo said:
can you put southdown sand down in your new tank first, then put live sand on top of it???And how much live sand would you put on top of it for a 55 gallon? Does the live sand spread fast? Does it take over and make the dead sand alive???
Click to expand...

That's what I did. You can really just seed your sand with a few cups of somebody elses, but I got lucky and a friend of mine took his tank down. I took the top inch layer off his tank and put it on my SD sand.

--Fizz
 
anybody noticed on the newer bags Southdown is not recommended for aquarium use or traction. Dang!!! I always wanted to be in traction too!!!
 
Makes you wonder if anyone has contacted them about aquarium use. Or if someone complained to them cause it ruined their aquarium. Hell, I use it for aquarium traction, those snails drag race on the thing!!!!!!!!!
 
That warning's been on there for a while. I have bags from over a year ago and they have it. I'm SURE they know we're using it. :)

--Fizz
 
They have warnings because they cannot guarantee the sands sterility. They know and have no problems with aquarists using it; however, they will not guarantee its use without any negative effects.
 
22 pages about SAND!!! That's too damn funny. Oh by the way--just picked up 3 bags at the HD in Cary, NC ($6.88 /bag). They had just got a shipment the day before. The guy I talked to said they had 1/2 dozen "reef" people already in this morning. Maybe I should have gotten more.

Rich
 
I just put two 50# bags of Southdown in my new 75G tank. I rinsed it first in a bucket to get some of the silt off and stuck it in the tank, filled with RO/DI water and instant ocean and turned everything on. How long does it take for the water to clear up? I've been looking at a nice white tank for two days now.

-Greg
 
I rinsed 3 bags & put in a 65. Still waiting too. It cleared up alot since I fired up the skimmer & put some live rock in there. The cloudiness will dissolve leaving calcium & other good stuff in the water soon enough I guess. Fine grain size. Where does one find little shells to add to it to make it look more natural?
 
Man... I could finally start to make out the overflows in the back of my tank, and I had to go and throw in another bag....

46334Image_03.jpg


I didn't rinse this one, obviously. I'm off to go try and find one more bag. Wee ha.
 
I believe the warning about aquarium use is due to the fact that it comes from the same place as the "pure aragonite" people, who have an exclusive on the aquarium trade. Same stuff though

Don't know where I picked up this tidbit, but I am pretty sure it is accurate.:)
 
golly, I really wish I could get some cheap tropical play sand...It's not fair that all them dang'on yankees get all the sand ;-)
 
tobasdad said:
I believe the warning about aquarium use is due to the fact that it comes from the same place as the "pure aragonite" people, who have an exclusive on the aquarium trade. Same stuff though

Don't know where I picked up this tidbit, but I am pretty sure it is accurate.:)
Click to expand...

For one, there are no exclusives on the sand as far as second parties are concerned. AES/Marcona doesn't care who it is going to as long as you can purchase their minimum. AES provides to OldCastle, Carib-Sea, and probably "Pure Aragonite" as well since OC likes using them as a reference. The 50lb. bags labeled Southdown; however, are only available to chain stores because they specifically requested a larger bag and the rest receive Yardright 40lb. bags.

The warning is due to the sterility since the sand is simply dumped onto the ground/concrete before bagging.

It is amazing how little the actual reps. of the company, OldCastle, really know...pathetic.
 
I will say this for Carib Sea though, if you want a variety of grain sizes, they have them. It costs you a little bit though. I like the look of Aragamax better than the Southdown but, money is tight & I wanted a deep bed for my grow out tank, a 65 w/ a 6" depth.
 
Thomasville, PA Oldcastle Sand In Florida

Thomasville, PA Oldcastle Sand In Florida

Went to Home Depot in Panama City to see if I could get lucky and no dice. But, I went across the street to Lowe's and found two kinds of sand for setting paver stones. You can tell the difference in the two just by looking at it, but just to be sure I went and picked up some vinegar. Did the test and sure enough one passed the test. They are both from Oldcastle in Thomasville PA. The one that tested positive is called GardenPlus "Patio/Paver Base". I will post a pic shortly. I was thinking that Lowes was a national company and maybe another option for some people.
 
Since it's not being sold as "play sand", the sterility and amount of silicates may be questionable. Also, the grain sizes may not be as fine as southdown. SD feels almost "silky" underwater.
 
Possible alternative to southdown

Take a look at this url

http://maskcanada.org/bomix_southdown/

This is a vinegar test of a product available from "Bomix" a subsidiary of a company named "Daubois" up here in Canada.

I have not had time to research this but it looks promising. Their website is:

www.Daubois.com

There is a picture of the bag on their site, and it is silica free White play sand.

Let me know if anyone with some time gets a chance to research this at all.

good luck!

Cheers

This sand looks like it may be nicer than Southdown in appearance.
 
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