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ccombs70
03/08/2010, 12:02 PM
Bought almost 500lbs of sand from a local reefer. He never used it. Saw it in system before he bought it. He just put some in his sump and had a bad algae break out on the sand. He swears the system he bought it out of was clean as a whistle before the tear down. It's brown sand.

Is there anyway to test it?
The_Codfather
03/08/2010, 10:50 PM
Bought almost 500lbs of sand from a local reefer. He never used it. Saw it in system before he bought it. He just put some in his sump and had a bad algae break out on the sand. He swears the system he bought it out of was clean as a whistle before the tear down. It's brown sand.

Is there anyway to test it?Test it for what?
sedor
03/08/2010, 11:31 PM
Lots of people use silica sand in their tanks. Its going to go through a bit of an adjusting phase, just tell him to wait it out and the diatoms will eventually go away.
lordofthereef
03/09/2010, 05:52 AM
If you are wanted to test if it is silica or calcite, just drop some vinegar on it. If it fizzes it is calcite.
borcu
03/09/2010, 06:13 AM
do not worry about Silica sands.
Randy Holmes-Farley
03/09/2010, 06:17 AM
I'd rinse it well, if possible, to remove the most easily dissolved silicates. :)
ccombs70
03/09/2010, 07:52 AM
I'd rinse it well, if possible, to remove the most easily dissolved silicates. :)

K. I thought the guy I bought it from added it to an established system. I asked him on our local forum. It is a new system. Makes sense he would have a bloom of some sort. :thumbsup:
borcu
03/09/2010, 08:01 AM
silicates in these substances are bound up chemically much the same way as it is in glass. In fact, the glass panes that make up your aquarium is pretty much completely silicates.
Randy is not this correct?
Beaun
03/09/2010, 08:46 AM
I agree with giving it a good wash first and letting it dry just in case. I use silica based sand straight from the beach and it works just fine. I like the look and feel of it better.
LobsterOfJustice
03/09/2010, 09:15 AM
silicates in these substances are bound up chemically much the same way as it is in glass. In fact, the glass panes that make up your aquarium is pretty much completely silicates.
Randy is not this correct?

Glass has a lot of other things in it too, some of which are added to make it not soluble in water.