Quartz sand???

[hoopsdaddy]

Anyone ever use quartz sand in a reef tank? I ran across this today while shopping for sand for my new tank. It is call Aqua Quartz. I have included the spec sheet. I would be mixing about #50lbs of live sand with it.

Use or don't use?
It is the Wedron Silica standard 20.
http://www.fairmountminerals.com/Fi..._Aquaquartz.pdf

If this has been discussed 100 times please point me to the thread I should read. Thanks again

[yote]

Personally,I wouldnt use anything except aragonite.Which is supposed to help with PH and alkalinity.
The one time I tryed quartz(silica based) sand,It didnt look right.

[messiah023]

I wouldn't use this either.
It won't have any natural bacteria for your tank filtration.
Also, it's Silica based, which is horrible!!! Read THIS article.

Yote is absolutely correct, go with a type of aragonite, you will pay a bit more up front.....but save tremendous in the long run.

Keep an eye out for sales....Sand is periodically on sale at Petco as well as other locations.

Good luck.

[hoopsdaddy]

Any ideas where to buy an alternative or should I just spend several hundred dollars at the local pet smart for argonite?
160lbs = $225

[ccCapt]

Originally Posted by messiah023

Also, it's Silica based, which is horrible!!! Read THIS article.

From the article you posted.

"From these experiments, I conclude that:

1. The “silica” play sand that I purchased from Home Depot can substantially raise the dissolved silica concentration in seawater.
2. The dissolvable portion of the silica sand cannot be completely removed by several rinses with either fresh or salt water, although it may be decreased somewhat by that process.
3. Southdown calcium carbonate sand (likely aragonite) can release soluble silica, but about ten fold less than the “silica” sand.

Is it OK to use silica sand? Probably. Many people do so. I also believe that not all “silica “ sands will be the same for the reasons described above relating to processing of the sand and the nature of the mineral inclusions present. So the fact that many people successfully use some (or many) types of silica sand does not necessarily imply that all people can use any type of “silica” sand without a problem. "

[messiah023]

ccCapt,

Definately true about aragonite releasing silica....this is why we (people who use aragonite) will still see possible diatom outbreaks.

My personal opinion, from reading this and other articles on the subject, is to stick with "live" sand, aragonite or other, rather than straight silica or "play-style" sands.

Why set yourself up for possible future problems, other than to save a few bucks?

Like Hoopsdaddy says, $225 for your sandbed (in my opinion one of the MAJOR purchases for your tank) seems very affordable considering the cost of the other major needs in a SW tank (ie. lighting, protein skimming, etc).

The $225 may seem like a bargain if you are combating problems in the future due to silica based sandbeds. Your time, chemicals, and disappointment would seem to weigh heavier than the initial cost of live sand.

Just my opinion.

[yote]

Originally Posted by hoopsdaddy

Any ideas where to buy an alternative or should I just spend several hundred dollars at the local pet smart for argonite?
160lbs = $225

You can get the bulk of your sand dry.Just rinse till all the dust is out then seed with a cup of live sand from an established tank.

[hoopsdaddy]

Originally Posted by yote

You can get the bulk of your sand dry.Just rinse till all the dust is out then seed with a cup of live sand from an established tank.

Are you saying buy the dry argonite and then just seed it with my current live sand?

[reeffreak]

Buy the aragonite sand at Dr. Fosters and Smith's website.They don't charge extra for heavy and bulky items.I paided something like $15 to ship 250lbs of sand.

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by hoopsdaddy

Are you saying buy the dry argonite and then just seed it with my current live sand?

Exactly what you should do.