Play sand

Knoxjoelee · Mar 28, 2015

Yes or no will it work? And can it work givin time?

redfishbluefish · Mar 28, 2015

Two problems with playsand.....

Most (if not all) are silica based sands......you want aragonite (carbonate) based sand.

Many sandbox sands are treated with unknown stuff to keep the little tikes safe from nasty bacteria and stuff.

I can't remember the name, but years ago there was one brand that was argonite and clean.....no longer available.

WindeyD · Mar 28, 2015

I wouldn't risk it, our tanks are such an investment of time and money, no reason to use a substrate that can cause lots of problems; I would advise only a high quality substrate made for reef tanks or going bare bottom if that suits you.

Knoxjoelee · Mar 28, 2015

Can I use it as a base an put a good substrate on top

WindeyD · Mar 28, 2015

I wouldn't put one grain of the stuff in my tank

glb · Mar 28, 2015

WindeyD said:
I wouldn't risk it, our tanks are such an investment of time and money, no reason to use a substrate that can cause lots of problems; I would advise only a high quality substrate made for reef tanks or going bare bottom if that suits you.

Agreed. Imo too big of a risk and if you have problems you'll have to break down the entire tank to fix it, which is an enormous deal. If finances are a prob, which is common for this hobby, I'd wait on something else rather than the sand. Live sand is an enormous help in maintaining water quality. Good luck!

Knoxjoelee · Mar 28, 2015

Thanks

joekool · Mar 28, 2015

What everyone else said. Don't even risk it. If its a money issue hold off save up and buy proper reef grade substrate. Take your time don't rush anything.

Knoxjoelee · Mar 28, 2015

Ok well my stupidity I used it already can I save my water an suck out the sand an put my water back in?

redfishbluefish · Mar 28, 2015

I wouldn't....very fines are there and won't be removed when you suck out the sand. I'd break it down and rinse everything....rocks, equipment and tank....and start over.

Knoxjoelee · Mar 28, 2015

Ok all I have in there is sand right now nothing else waiting on cannister filter should be here Thursday

mcmunn93 · Mar 30, 2015

Don't risk it. If you don't u will regret it and will have to rip apart your tank

Knoxjoelee · Mar 30, 2015

I didn't took it all out started all over, went with some crushed coral

mcmunn93 · Mar 30, 2015

Good choice mate

mrjlopez731 · Mar 31, 2015

Only a beginner can make a mistake like this. If you take this hobby seriously that you get or asks for advice before trying something on your own. Like the name alone to make you uneasy. Play sand says it all, leave that for the kids. If that is the case to financially you can't afford it, then go bare bottom, it works for others so it should also work for you to. Don't take any chance when it comes to your personal tank.

saltyphish · Mar 31, 2015

Sounds like you are off to a better start now. As everyone mentioned be very careful with what you add to your tank ALWAYS! Something minor can turn into something serious down the road. Glad you posted your question and saved yourself a lot of headaches. We are always here to help so never hesitate to ask a question

oldsaint · Mar 31, 2015

Knoxjoelee said:
Yes or no will it work? And can it work givin time?

A good article for future reference

Feature Article: Silica In Reef Aquariums ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

hllywd · Mar 31, 2015

Knoxjoelee said:
Yes or no will it work? And can it work givin time?

I'm not sure what time would have to do with anything. If the stuff you used is bad, it's bad. However from experience, some play sands are perfectly fine for reef aquarium use.

Southdown used to market a play sand that Home Depot carried that was supposed to be aragonite, go to RC and do a search, there was lots of discussion about finding it. Many people used it with a lot of success. I found it, or something similar, at WalMart under the Kolorscape brand. I used it for a 3" sand bed in my old 120, then transfered it to my current 210 when I upgraded 3 summers ago. I wasn't able to find the Kolorscape then, and added 3 (IIRC) bags of CaribSea to it. Never any problems with the "play sand" I used, and $3 vs $12 or $15 was well worth it. The Kolorscape sand has been in my system since 2008 or 2009 when I set up the 120.

I also have a friend who used silica sand in a 60 cube for several years until he lost interest in the hobby. It always looked funny to me because it was translucent and under the MH lighting he had the whole sand bed sort of glowed. He never had any algae problems, to the contrary the tank was always very clean.

As for the buffering capabilities of aragonite some say you have to have... I would counter what about those with BB tanks? Can't say I've ever heard of play sand being treated with chemicals with the intent to kill bacteria, or otherwise. I'm sure that information would cause a firestorm if isn't disclosed on package.

As far as I'm concerned if you can find a nice white calcerous sand marketed as play sand it may be an economical solution. I don't know if there is anything out there as I haven't been in that discussion for several years now.

cymonous · Mar 31, 2015

Knoxjoelee said:
I didn't took it all out started all over, went with some crushed coral

While crushed coral is a better choice than playsand, it is more porous and can store/release nitrates. My first tank had a mix of live sand and crushed coral. I had nitrate issues until I moved and changed to all new dry aragonite sand.