Cheap sand bed?????
- Thread starter texmexbigspring
- Start date
buffalo123
New member
Crushed oyster shell tend to pack together and may not be good for a reef , it would be great for making rock or coral plugs.
I never used crushed oyster shells for a reef tank but many uears ago i used it in my cichlid aquarium.
If the oyster shell are mixed with other sand it might be ok depending on how fine the oyster shells are crush to.
DaveGG99
Thats a relly good price compare to what we pay here. $30-$50 a bag
I never used crushed oyster shells for a reef tank but many uears ago i used it in my cichlid aquarium.
If the oyster shell are mixed with other sand it might be ok depending on how fine the oyster shells are crush to.
DaveGG99
Thats a relly good price compare to what we pay here. $30-$50 a bag
ckoral
Premium Member
Anyone using this:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/...041963&cp=&kw=play+sand&origkw=play+sand&sr=1
I just broke a big part of my equipment room down. Why stop there, I should replace my DSB why I am at it.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/...041963&cp=&kw=play+sand&origkw=play+sand&sr=1
I just broke a big part of my equipment room down. Why stop there, I should replace my DSB why I am at it.
GlaringToast
New member
I can catch my aragonite sand in my magnet and use it to get off really tough algae or whatever gets stuck on the inside, without scratching.
GlaringToast
New member
I don't make a general practice of it, I just noticed that it doesn't scratch the tank. I didn't know they had that large of a scraper for such a cheap price, i'll have to pick one up. Sure beats paying 14.99 for the ones they sell at the LFS.
texmexbigspring
New member
I was thinking of using that sand also but it has silica in it so decited not to. Some say silica dont bother anything so its one of those things you have to determin on your own good luck.
GlaringToast
New member
Silica just worries me... not because I have anything personally against it. But because SO many people say not to use it and like everything else in this hobby I would buy it then they would come up with new reasons why I made a bad decision hahaha.
crsaz
New member
any body ever use this stuff coral sand mined straight from hawaii, contains only .005% silica. It is only available in hawaii but I can maybe get it special order but I will need to order 50 bags(3000 lbs)
link:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=169625-14221-1-04-2005
link:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=169625-14221-1-04-2005
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14532922#post14532922 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rysam
dolomite is fine for a substrate. i also use it for my diy rocks. there are several locals that have dsb's, and displays full of it. 5.99 for 50 lbs at my local ACE hardware
I found something very close to what you have from Home Depot. IT was $2.99 for 40lbs. I placed some in vinegar and it reacted with it. It's called Doctorx Pulverized Lime and it is very very fine. The only drawback I can see is that there are tiny black specks in it. There is maybe a 5000 white particle to 1 black particle.
uncleof6
Active member
silica sand is not harmful in an aquarium. It leaches nothing into the water. The decision to use it or not should be based on whether you need the "buffering" capability of aragonite, and to a lesser degree the calcite, (and neither is as efficient at that, as people think) not on the myth that it leaches silicates into the water. Some do not use it as it might scratch the tank, but that is not a good reason, as if the sand bed is properly functioning, there is no reason to disturb it to the point that it would scratch the glass. Remember that glass is silica based and so is silicone. (fed up with silicone thing
)Jim
One Dumm Hikk
In Memoriam
Buffering capacity of the sandbed? In order for the Ca to dissolve into the water the pH has to drop somewhere around 6.5 and if your tank gets that low, it won't be your Calcium levels you worry about 
