silica sand

[Emma2938]

Ok,

Money is getting tight and Im not so keen on spending 100's on more sand for my large tanks.

SO.... does any body know if sand blasting sand can be used? I wouldnt mind getting black sand as well. I have googled it and there are a few types available but Im worried it might hurt may sandsifters (xeno's)

So if any body has some info on what CAN and what CANT be used, Id be glad to hear it.

Thanks Ben

[mcsx]

use pool filter sand, or washed sand from bunnings, generally both of these are cheap just needa wash it out well

[Eddie Salita]

I have used limestone sandblasting grit. Its just calcium carbonate. Also used garnet sand from the sandblasters. Of course I washed it out really well and spread it out in the sun for a few days. I cannot of course guarantee the stuff you get will be free of contaminants, but i had no problems. If you can, perhaps test it out on a small tank before using it in your larger tanks. There are many other types of grit around, i just tried to stick to the ones which were in their natural form. Some grits are a byproduct of other processes that just happen to be handy for sandblasting. I know some of the black grits fall into this category. I am sorry, i cannot tell you for certain what can and cant be used. Just sharing my experience. At the time, grit was very cheap for me, so i tried it out. Of course, i was very wary, and would not have used on sandsifters before i had tried it on something a little less precious to make myself totally confident it was ok.

Cheers,

Jason

[Joel]

Hey Ben,

I use 'Sydney Sand' with my Xenos.

I bought it from Bunnings Warehouse - $6 per 20Kg bag I think.

They dont seem to mind it at all.

I also have Xeno. fry growing out on a 'Brickies Sand' substrate - roughly same prize.

Just make sure whatever you get you wash thoroughly.

Cheers

Joel

[Emma2938]

Thanks for the info guys,

Jason, I ve done exactly what you mentioned. I have a 1ft cube tank that Im trying it out on. I washed it really well, Its Garnet. looks just like the stuff in the link below. Id like to get the Ilmenite, but still pretty unsure about it.

The sandsifters look amazing on black sand.

http://www.burwell.com.au/default.asp?id=14

[Joel]

The sandsifters look amazing on black sand.

Well now we're gonna have to see some pictures!

Cheers

Joel

[Emma2938]

Ill bring my camera to the fish shop and get some pics, they look completly different.

Ben

[Eddie Salita]

Yes, its the blackbeauty/illmenite that I was unsure about as well. From what I could tell, its basically a type of slag byproduct from certain blasting furnace products. I kinda figured it could possibly leach metals over time that wouldnt show up in a shorter term test. There are black gravels on the market, but i havent seen them finer than about 2-3mm. Then there is the famous tahitian moon sand..... but cost is prohibitive. Perhaps there is someone who has used the blackbeauty/illmenite in their tank than can help. There are several varieties of black marble also... but turning it into sand could be tedious.

I imagine they would look quite stunning on black sand. I ended up with a mixture of the finer black gravel and even finer calcium carb grit for that salt and pepper look.

cheers,

Jason