using play sand? help

[Rsk8r4lif]

So i'm setting up a 50 gallon frag tank, and i want to put sand and live rock in the bottom underneath of my eggcrate just to help with the filtration. Someone at my LFS told me that i could use play sand, but only a certain kind, all others are no good. Does anyone know of this "good" kind of play sand, and if so whats it called, and where do i get it? thanks.

[Maxxumless]

Yea, there is a "good" kind of playsand but it is rare these days. However, any sand will do fine but if this is just going to be a frag tank i would leave out the sand altogether.

[Rsk8r4lif]

well i was putting in the sand because i dont have alot of money to buy live rock, so i was going a little ghetto and buying sand and then some live rock also. its not going to be visible really, because the eggcrate will be on top of it. its just help w/ filtration. so i can get any kind of sand? what makes the certain kind "good"?

[outy]

i used a washed [then i did too but it was clean] silica based sand for water well application. [the regular sand at the hardware store]

your LFS is just trying to talk you out of cheap sand so he can sell you the marked up stuff.

oh go easy on the sandsifters, snails ect the one downfall is that silica based sand has sharper edges then argonite based. this can mildly irritate some stuff

[Rsk8r4lif]

hm alright, yeah well the guy at my LFS i know pretty well and he told me to go to home depot to get it, be said he's got the good stuff at the store ubt not to buy that to go to home depot cuz i can get it alot cheaper. he's a cool guy, he gave me a housing for a metal halide light too yesterday lol. but anyway, so i can just use the quickrete all purpose sand? or the play sand still. Its basically just being used for a ph buffer in the tank.

[RichConley]

standard playsand wont do anything for buffering...you need to find aragonite for that, and its debateable whether even that buffers (PH is too high in a reef to dissolve it)

You'll have much better filtering if yuou just run it barebottom with a big skimmer.

[Paintbug]

the brand you need to look for is Oldcastle. if they still have Southdown thats it as well. Oldcastle bought out Southdown. however, you will need to test the sand with vinegar. put some sand in a small cup of vinegar, if it fizzies alot its aragonite, which is what you want. but not for the buffering, for the grain shape. i use silica sand myself, other than the color im happy with it.