ATI results back, sources of vanadium?

[SashimiTurtle]

Call me crazy but if I had to get a lab test on my sand before using it, I might as well avoid it I know what you're saying though. Reef products can be real frustrating sometimes..

This is why on my new build, that is shipping in as we speak(I'm excited like a kid on christmas eve), I'm just going with aragonite. All black sand is beautiful but I just can't trust any more of the Tahitian. Hawaiian is nice, but its just to coarse for my liking and may still have the possibility of metallic inclusions. I could so with one of the mixed aragonite and pumice choices, or even mix my own, but the chance of metal is still there, and its really coarse... I'd like a few sand sleeping wrasse, my dwarf moray likes digging under rocks and I may add a pistol shrimp and goby pair in the new system.

 

[Brian1f1]

This is why on my new build, that is shipping in as we speak(I'm excited like a kid on christmas eve), I'm just going with aragonite. All black sand is beautiful but I just can't trust any more of the Tahitian. Hawaiian is nice, but its just to coarse for my liking and may still have the possibility of metallic inclusions. I could so with one of the mixed aragonite and pumice choices, or even mix my own, but the chance of metal is still there, and its really coarse... I'd like a few sand sleeping wrasse, my dwarf moray likes digging under rocks and I may add a pistol shrimp and goby pair in the new system.

Likewise, I too have given up on an onyx indoor slice of the ocean. I ordered 160 pounds of Bimini pink today.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Likewise, I too have given up on an onyx indoor slice of the ocean. I ordered 160 pounds of Bimini pink today.

Good sand, it's like Fiji pink with crushed coral mixed in...

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

i really like the argonite "special blend" or something like that. its course enough not to get blown around but fine enough for wrasses.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

i really like the argonite "special blend" or something like that. its course enough not to get blown around but fine enough for wrasses.

I'm going with this on my new tank.

 

[TheEngineer]

Have you seen this "ocean direct" stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YJMYPG/ref=psdc_3048864011_t1_B000EM2BRO

It's unclear to me what the difference is...

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Have you seen this "ocean direct" stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YJMYPG/ref=psdc_3048864011_t1_B000EM2BRO

It's unclear to me what the difference is...

Looks like it's straight from the ocean floor...

"Different than all other live Sand products on the market. This live Sand utilizes patent pending sea breathe technology; which preserves real live Sand with its own Original bacteria. Every bag of Ocean direct is alive and breathing with up to 1000 times more beneficial bacteria than other preservation methods. Every grain of Ocean direct is coated with bacteria and encapsulated by capillary action in a thin film of real Ocean water. The thin film is open to the atmosphere for unparalleled gas exchange. This results in high counts of natural and beneficial bacteria with no noxious buildup of metabolic by-products. Ocean direct provides you with a thriving, natural aquarium in minutes!"

 

[TheEngineer]

I assumed the other stuff was from the ocean floor too.... No?

 

[Brew12]

i really like the argonite "special blend" or something like that. its course enough not to get blown around but fine enough for wrasses.

That is what I use in my tank.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aragonite-special-grade-dry-sand-40lbs-caribsea.html

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I assumed the other stuff was from the ocean floor too.... No?

From what I just read, it's still alive as it was in the ocean. The other stuff is dried out then reseeded with bacteria.

 

[Brew12]

I assumed the other stuff was from the ocean floor too.... No?

Doubtful. I'm sure much of it is mined inland and then processed.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

That is what I use in my tank.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aragonite-special-grade-dry-sand-40lbs-caribsea.html

That is exactly what I'm going with.

 

[TheEngineer]

Interesting! Would love to know if people have better experience with one or the other. I wonder what @brandon429 would say about this. I'd think you wouldn't want to rinse it and kill of what's in there....

 

[Brew12]

Interesting! Would love to know if people have better experience with one or the other. I wonder what @brandon429 would say about this. I'd think you wouldn't want to rinse it and kill of what's in there....

You aren't going to kill what is in there by rinsing it, unless you rinse it with bleach.

 

[TheEngineer]

I'm tempted to try it on the one hand, but I'd really like to not have problems with my reboot on the other

 

[Maggie321]

That is exactly what I'm going with.

That is what I have in my small tank

 

[rkpetersen]

FOLLOW UP:

So, as I described in a post or two above, I started a new tank with Carib-Sea IP black sand on 2/23 of this year. (Rocks were dry and processed/cured outside the DT first, and I used Coral Pro salt with RODI water.) While not as high as this thread's OP experienced, my first Triton/ATI results on 4/05 did show mildly elevated nickel and vanadium levels.

I recently sent a second set of ICPOES tests on 6/21. In the interim since the first test, I'm vacuumed the sand occasionally, and done less than 5% water change per week. Livestock, including multiple BTAs, are doing well overall, although I've had a couple of animals die (probably due to low nitrate/phosphate.)

Since the first test, the nickel level remains mildly elevated although stable at 13-17 ppb. This is pretty much good (or at least not terrible) news, as I was concerned that more nickel could be leaching from the ferromagnetic black sand. However, the vanadium level is now 19-25 ppb, a ten-fold increase compared to the previous test. As before, the black sand remains the most likely source of this level, and it appears to be rising.

Again I am left with the question of whether these levels have any significance. And whether I should just remove this sand. The problem is that so many bad events happen in this hobby without obvious explanation that one is tempted to make everything measurable as perfect as possible, just to avoid another source of 'what if'. So now I have to get my vanadium down. I guess.

Edit: This information, although anecdotal, if confirmed as universal makes me wonder whether black sand can ethically continue being sold as a marine aquarium substrate.

 

[acrylic2k]

Hmmmmm

My first post here was about Metazorb and Polyfilter use after a Triton test came back with high vanadium and high nickel.

Most of my sand was white crushed coral.....but I did add a layer of black sand to cut down on light glare.

I still have most of that bag laying around somewhere. I suppose I could fill a cup with RO water and sand, let it sit for a month and then test that water.......

 

[DMG Reef]

Not all black sand is bad. I set up my reef tank with Carib-Sea black sand 4 1/2 years ago and have had a very successful SPS tank. I've never had a professional water analysis done because I haven't had any problems growing anything. I've even added several pounds each year to make up for sand lost in vacuuming. Some brands may be better than others.

 

[rkpetersen]

Not all black sand is bad. I set up my reef tank with Carib-Sea black sand 4 1/2 years ago and have had a very successful SPS tank. I've never had a professional water analysis done because I haven't had any problems growing anything. I've even added several pounds each year to make up for sand lost in vacuuming. Some brands may be better than others.

You don't know if you have high levels of vanadium, nickel, etc, which might be something that black sand causes, because even if you do, your corals are doing fine, so you don't need to check.

Fair enough. That actually encourages me.