Thoughts on this type of sand.

cato

cato

New England
Found a bunch of this sand today and picked up 10 bags of it. Some for my tank and some for an actual sandbox for my daughter in a couple of months. Made by a co. called Old Castle. It's pretty white stuff (at least white enough for me) and really fine too. And at only $3.97/bag the price is right.:)

Says it's not for aquarium use but, as a healthcare provider I'm sure it's non-toxic if they're marketing it for children's sandboxes.:D

108124DSC02890.jpg
 
some is very very bad for aquariums and will pretty much kill everything becauase of mineral leaching. howev er, you lucked out, i believe Old Castle is one of the few types that will work. Dont quote me on that though. Get another opinion or try the vinigar test
 
You might want to look at the Silica content. Also look at it under a microscope (look to see how jagged the edges are).
 
That stuff is fine. It will dissolve with vinegar, which means its is aragonite. Many experts including Anthony Calfo have said even non aragonite play sand is fine for aquarium use. As with any land based product it will leach phosphate, so make sure you cycle it really well. imho that disclaimer is so probably a marketing agreement so you'll be inclined to buy the expensive stuff that's marked for aquarium use.
 
the marketing part is probably true..... at the puppy center meeting i was walking around with tyler and he goes, "damn, this is fine sand, its like southdown.....wait...... caribisea..... its the same company as southdown"
 
Got it at Enfield Home Depot. They only had 1/2 a pallet so I bought the whole dang thing:D (30 or so bags)

Anyone wanna buy some sand?:D
 
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Old castle buys from some company that mines the sand in the caribbean. Carib sea does too... Rumor has it that they buy from the same company, but carib sea buys at a much higher price due to lower volume and because they have been guaranteed exclusive rights to sell the product as aquarium sand. It's a safe bet that old castle sand that is marked "not for aquarium use" is the stuff. Another sign is that you paid closer to $5 than $2.
 
Us NYers are running all over creation trying to find southdown.

Has anyone tried the vinegar test on thisversion? ? If so, could you point out where some of this sand can be found?

Thanks
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7000689#post7000689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by REEF-DADDY
That stuff is fine. It will dissolve with vinegar, which means its is aragonite. Many experts including Anthony Calfo have said even non aragonite play sand is fine for aquarium use. As with any land based product it will leach phosphate, so make sure you cycle it really well. imho that disclaimer is so probably a marketing agreement so you'll be inclined to buy the expensive stuff that's marked for aquarium use.
Click to expand...

Put some sand in a cup and dump some vinegar in, if it fizzes its aragonite
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7001161#post7001161 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chirocato
Got it at Enfield Home Depot. They only had 1/2 a pallet so I bought the whole dang thing:D (30 or so bags)

Anyone wanna buy some sand?:D
Click to expand...


BTW JK everyone!:lol: Home Depot still has prob 20 bags left. I only took 10.:D
 
Definitely not the case.... southdown is just a name... it is sold under many others.. old castle stone co is what you should really look for. I thought soutdown was "dead" as a name, but Jas (plreef) found some actually labelled southdown this year. This rumor comes up every year "no more soutdown". In reality, it shows up about now (spring) every year under some name.

Disclaimer: if it doesn't show up this year it's not my fault ;).
 
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