another sand question

[buddy381]

So i know there have been countless threads regarding whether or not play sand is ok........i took all of the opinions gathered and determined that the price difference was worth the attempt and i got some play sand from walmart....it seems to be ok so far in my 29. i am getting ready to fill my 75 with sand as i am transfering everything to it and i have a couple of questions.....

i have heard of a couple people using pulverized limestone from lowes or home depot (stuff by the retaining wall blocks.......anyone use this stuff? I am thinking about getting some and mixing it with the sand i already have....i just want to see if it is ok to use..... someone told me that it was basically the same as argonite. i don't really want to hear people tell me to get argonite, because i have heard the pros and cons and am sticking with the cheap stuff......

 

[zooloo]

well the cheap stuff has silicates and it will give you problems from the start.

 

[Swanwillow]

no, it won't. There is no way that silica sand will release silicates into the water column without a high ph (think in the 10+ range, not our 8.2 range) and/or high amounts of heat-think around 200*F

That is just un-factual,and has been drug out as 'fact' for WAY too long.

 

[Largo50]

Limestone is mostly calcite. Calcite and aragonite are both calcium carbonate.

That being said, anything you buy that you don't know the trace elements can be a major problem. Maybe everything seems fine for a few months.

It's easy to test the limestone to see how much is really limestone just dump a small sample in vinegar, anything left in 24 hours is not limestone, it's something else. Who knows good or bad.

If you want cheap go to a feed store and buy food grade calcium carbonate used as suppliments for cows and chickens(for eggshells). 35 mesh is a good size and its 50 lbs for $6-$7.