I have a few questions about using sand instead of gravel. A local pet store recently moved to a new location and had a sale on their used tanks, so I picked up a 15 gallon for 10 bucks, which I didn't think was a bad deal. They also had a 20 long for 20 dollars and a 45 gallon for thirty, but I'm running out of room in my apartment, soooo...Anyway, they didn't have any sand at the store I was at, I guess because they don't have much of a saltwater selection. I did see some "edible reptile sand" but didn't figure that would be a very good choice. So anyway, I went to Lowes and ended up getting a 50 pound bag of Quikcrete Playground Sand. I liked the look of the "All Purpose" sand better, but it had some warning on the back about the dust potentially causing cancer, so I didn't really want to have that in my fish tank. Anyway, since the sand I bought doesn't say what kind of rock or whatever it's made from, I was was wondering if anybody had ever used this before? If so, did it change your water chemistry at all or anything like that? Thanks.
Sand
- Thread starter vaheelsfan
- Start date
Quikrete Playground Sand is washed, screened sand so its a good call for aquarium use. There is a bit of lime in it but I doubt its enough to do too much to your water chemistry and I've never heard anyone complain about it.
Southdown is another brand of playsand that has some crushed coral in it. Using that sand would increase the KH of your water which some would find desireable.
Tom
Southdown is another brand of playsand that has some crushed coral in it. Using that sand would increase the KH of your water which some would find desireable.
Tom
Also since this is a freshwater tank be very careful about making the sand bed too deep. This can lead to anaerobic pockets forming. I think 2 inches is about the max depth you want.
I would wager that the sand is silicate, same as the all purpose sand that you preferred the look of. Silica dust has been identified as a potential carcinogen when inhaled. Thing is, most things are, you really don't need to worry about it in your aquarium or even for yourself while rinsing it. The mention is there for people who are working with large quantities on a daily basis, basically, it's telling them to wear proper filter masks. At any rate, if you are able to exchange it for the one you preferred the look of, it's perfectly safe for your aquarium.
Playground sand is pre-washed, and supposedly safe for kids, that's the only difference between "regular" sand and playground sand.
Just make sure not to get Quikrete Concrete - I was just at Home Depot last weekend, and the bags look almost identical!!!
Just make sure not to get Quikrete Concrete - I was just at Home Depot last weekend, and the bags look almost identical!!!
Thanks for the replies. I went ahead and just used the playground sand that I had bought. I had read about the pockets of gas forming under sand if it's too deep, so I tried to keep it as shallow as possible. It is a little raised in some places where plants are (I still use fake), but not more than two inches. Now I just have to find a use for the other 49. 5 pounds of sand I have left over 