Quartz sand???

H

hoopsdaddy

This is my reef club....
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
Any ideas where to buy an alternative or should I just spend several hundred dollars at the local pet smart for argonite?
160lbs = $225
 
messiah023 said:
Also, it's Silica based, which is horrible!!! Read THIS article.
Click to expand...
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. "
 
Last edited:
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.
 
hoopsdaddy said:
Any ideas where to buy an alternative or should I just spend several hundred dollars at the local pet smart for argonite?
160lbs = $225
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
So get the carib Sea from DF&S also known as oolitic sand. Should I get a bag of flordia crushed coral also? What mix should I get?
 
No CC what depth are you planning on running. If DSB you want the oolitic if an inch or less any aragonite will do.
 
For that depth that is the size you want. Oolitic refers to the very very fine sand that the Aragamax is, aragonite refers to the chemical composition.

That florida crushed coral will just cause you nitrate problems.
 
Either use only 1" of sand, or take the plunge and get a TRUE DSB of AT LEAST 4". 6" would be better.

3" is just a nitrate trap. Doesn't do any good for the aesthetics of the tank and doesn't do any good for nitrate reduction either. 1" of sand looks as good as 3", but it won't cause nitrates. 3" just provides a place for detritus to build up and become a "sink" for nitrates. But it's not deep enough to provide the oxygen depleted environment required for the production of anaerobic bacteria. Those are the ones that will eat the nitrates and break them down into harmless nitrogen gas that bubbles out at the surface.

Do 1" or do 6". Not 3"

Crushed coral is a HUGE NO-NO. Don't buy it.

You don't need 160lbs of live sand. You need 159.5 lbs of dry sand and less than a pound of live sand from any stable tank you may have. It will all turn into live sand eventually. The bacteria in your live sand will grow and spread out to live in all the dry sand. Then you got 160lbs of live sand. Purchasing 160lbs of live sand is a TREMENDOUS waste of cash that could be spent on your lights or skimmer.

You want the finest grain size you can get. The specs on the sand are printed on Foster Smith. You want the tiny grain sizes. 1--2mm max.

I'd get the stuff you linked to earlier.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+10741+9805+7321&pcatid=7321

This is larger grain size, but still VERY GOOD stuff. It's cheaper than Foster Smith. Check shipping.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/239681/product.web

30lbs for $21 + shipping
http://www.fish.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=710024
 
i started out with "play sand" and i had a major diatom problem! and i didnt even have enough to cover the bottom of the tank in there. i changed it out and now the tank is fine!
 
Went with the Aragamax oolitic sand from Dr.F&S. You were right about the cheap shipping.
Thanks a ton for all the help on this one. Will keep you updated on this build.
 
I agree with everything RC said regarding the depth of sand.

Play sand and other silica-based substrates tend to lead to diatom problems.

Also, check your local Craig's List and local reef club for people breaking down their tanks. A lot of times, you are doing someone a favor by taking all their old sand off their hands. Even if they do want some money for it, it'll be a fraction of buying new sand, and you get the benefit of getting sand from an established tank with microcritters in it.
 
I ordered 150#'s Argomax that was suggested by others in this thread. Well the 2Drs were as good as everyone said. I ordered late monday night and it got here this morning. 150#'s shipped in 3 days for $12.80. This cost me less than half what my lfs could sell it to me for. Thanks to all for the help and ideas on depth of sand bed!!! You guys(and gals) rock.
 
I also order my salt from the 2 Docs. They have the same flat shipping rate as they do for sand, and it definitely pays off for a tank my size, since I have to by salt in bulk, by the pallet.
 

Similar threads

Mike
We're Back!
Replies
0
Views
618
Mike
Mike
B
New reef tank project
Replies
0
Views
2K
boricuamed
B
R
Need Help lowering nitrate levels
Replies
3
Views
3K
Rmckoy
Rmckoy
JohnVH
Moving a large reef tank loads of fun
Replies
2
Views
2K
SantaMonica
SantaMonica
G
Hello I'm a newbies newbie a little help needed please
Replies
17
Views
2K
monique
M
Back
Top