what QUIKRETE sand should i use and whats the best way to wash it?

[Snarkys]

i want to use QUIKRETE sand for my fuge DSB . what kind should i get and whats the best way to wash it ?

 

[Anemonebuff]

I wouldn't use Quickrete.

 

[Anemonebuff]

Look for tropical playsand. Like Southdown. There are some other companies that have tropical playsand.

 

[Snarkys]

can you explain why you wouldn't ? it would be much more helpfull.

 

[Snarkys]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6951301#post6951301 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Anemonebuff
Look for tropical playsand. Like Southdown. There are some other companies that have tropical playsand.

seems everyone is looking and no one is finding . i can join the hunt but it seems pointless so i cam researching other affordable alternatives.

 

[Anemonebuff]

Most playsands are seasonal. As Spring rolls in I would suspect that some will appear. There are other brands that sell "tropical" playsand. Unfortunately I no longer remember the company names.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

For what it's worth, I contacted Quikcrete and asked if all their sand was silica based? They said all of it was. So, there are no aragonite alternatives with Quikcrete.

 

[Devildogg9745]

I used the quickcrete play sand and it has been great. Good grain size and color. Also you cannot bet $2.50 for 50#'s

 

[Anemonebuff]

Look for Yardright:

http://www.yardright.com/sand.htm

 

[xtrstangx]

There is NOTHING wrong with silica sand

How many times do I have to say this? Silica sand will work just as well as aragonite sand in a reef tank.

So, I would get the cheapest/best looking sand. I've seen some that has the green label in one of their standard bags that was "White" sand and it looked pretty good.

Once again, nothing is wrong with silica sand. It doesn't significantly leak out silicates which cause algae.. it takes forever and a half for it to break down. And aragonite sand doesn't help all that much with calcium buffering, because CaCO3 starts to dissolve at a pH less than 7.. if your tank's pH is less than 7, then the type of your sand is the LEAST of your worries. Dr. Ron also did a study that showed grain size is irrelevant.

 

[Snarkys]

yes, i have emailed yardright and called 20 HD all over that people said might have some . no luck at home depot and yard right doesn't seem to return emails.

btw when i call HD i was asking for yardright , old castle or southdown tropical play sand.

seems there are people who use the quickcrete play sand and have no issues . seems a bit large for a DSB to me . i was more interested in this "fine" quickcrete sand i found at HD . it was white with a slight yellow tinge to it and says it may contain free silicate. its so so much cheaper than the LFS sand . i need like 400 pounds . so this is the difference between $40 and $400, definitely worth exploring the idea.

 

[Snarkys]

other question , what is the best way to wash all the dust and crap out of it ?

 

[xtrstangx]

To rinse it, get a 5g bucket. Coil up a garden house at the bottom about 2 times around so that it stays on its own. Then add like 15-20 pounds of sand at a time. Turn the hose on full blast. This will cause the sand to stir around and silt will rise to the top and overflow out the top. You will need to stick your hand in and move the sand around. When the water starts coming out clear, you are OK to add that sand to your tank and move on to the next.

Since this sand is wet with chlorinated water, you can either wait for it to dry or you can use some dechlorinator (Petsmart has it).

This may take a while for 400 pounds of sand. You could always do it in a big 50g rubbermaid bucket and scoop it out with a clean dust pan.

 

[Snarkys]

thanks , i know someone would have a good way to do this : )