play sand??

thenewguy997 · 04/23/2014, 08:34 PM

Can you use play sand as substrate? No phosphates and stuff?

Itd be,a lot cheaper than all live,sand plus i got live rock

leewish · 04/23/2014, 08:43 PM

I have read that you can...just make sure you wash it well.

thenewguy997 · 04/23/2014, 08:47 PM

How would i go about washing it?

Reefer54 · 04/23/2014, 08:49 PM

search "washing sand" and you will find a myriad of thread\posts.

If you go the play sand route, run a strong magnet over it once it twice before you wash it, just in case of iron based media.

Crooked Reef · 04/23/2014, 08:53 PM

Isn't it silica based? I would be worried about diatoms.

thenewguy997 · 04/23/2014, 09:04 PM

Iron? :/ i got a bad feeling about this after reading that.

How about tbs live sand mixed with caribsea dry sand?

thenewguy997 · 04/23/2014, 09:12 PM

Caribsea dry sand is more than the live sand AND the bag is 5lb lighter according to marinedepot, i might as well get all live

If anyone has exp. With live sand from an lfs like tampa bay saltwater vs bag live sand chime in!

sleepydoc · 04/23/2014, 10:09 PM

I've read reports of people using play sand without issue; the main problem is you don't know the composition; it is primarily silica based, but there may be other undesirable components/contaminants.

Sk8r · 04/23/2014, 10:12 PM

Avoid silica sand. Diatoms. The standard for marine tanks is aragonite, which is useful to the corals.

bnumair · 04/23/2014, 10:33 PM

i have seen people with play sand, personally its dark brown color doesnt go with our tank.
Also it will cause major problems with diatoms. If you dont wanna buy live sand which i never do. start with dry sand which is just as cheap.

Crooked Reef · 04/23/2014, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenewguy997

Caribsea dry sand is more than the live sand AND the bag is 5lb lighter according to marinedepot, i might as well get all live

If anyone has exp. With live sand from an lfs like tampa bay saltwater vs bag live sand chime in!

The bag being lighter is due to water in wet sand. Dry weight of the live sand is likely lower than the caribsea.

thenewguy997 · 04/23/2014, 10:43 PM

Dry sand from where? Like i said caribsea charges more for dry than live atleast on marinedepot..

thenewguy997 · 04/23/2014, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crooked Reef

The bag being lighter is due to water in wet sand. Dry weight of the live sand is likely lower than the caribsea.

Ya but it was $25 for 15lb dry fiji pink vs. 19$ for 20lb live fiji pink

Crooked Reef · 04/23/2014, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenewguy997

Ya but it was $25 for 15lb dry fiji pink vs. 19$ for 20lb live fiji pink

Yeah, doubt there was 5 lbs of water in it. Could be wrong. How big is the tank? You can use the sand calculator on the homepage to figure out how much you need. If you need a lot more it may be cheaper to buy a 40lb bag of dry in the long run. If thats all you need just do the live.

bnumair · 04/23/2014, 10:55 PM

try dry sand at macrorocks.com, they have 40lbs for $30 shipped and have 2 types, fine or coarse. or 160lbs for $109.
Also reefrocks.net has some sand too, 40lbs for $25.

I have macrorock sand coarse kind and very happy with it.

thenewguy997 · 04/23/2014, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crooked Reef

Yeah, doubt there was 5 lbs of water in it. Could be wrong. How big is the tank? You can use the sand calculator on the homepage to figure out how much you need. If you need a lot more it may be cheaper to buy a 40lb bag of dry in the long run. If thats all you need just do the live.

75g. I was thinking 80lbs and $80 isnt killing me but a family member told me they buy play sand for like 5 bucks so i was exploring cheaper options

CoralReeForrest · 04/24/2014, 03:05 PM

Petco usually has caribsea dry sand on sale online for 6 or 7 dollars a bag.

makxc50099 · 04/24/2014, 03:44 PM

I get mine from dr. Fosters. Great price free shipping after $50 which is much easier to hit then most other places.

chris.scang · 04/24/2014, 03:49 PM

I got all my live sand and live rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater. If you decide to go that route you will not be disappointed!

thenewguy997 · 04/24/2014, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris.scang

I got all my live sand and live rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater. If you decide to go that route you will not be disappointed!

Was the sand pretty fine? Im just worried about bad hitch hikers althoigh im considering it

jmustapha · 04/24/2014, 06:33 PM

Bad idea

rromans88 · 04/24/2014, 06:44 PM

I tried this in one of my other tanks a few years ago, the problem was it was to fine and too light and the power heads blew it all over the place and the water stayed murky all the time. kept it in there for 2 months and had to tear it down and start all over.

ahmed_iAM · 04/25/2014, 02:28 AM

There's a guy on eBay that sells live sand for about 85¢ a pound. About 90 pounds for $62 last year. Don't know what his prices are now. There located in Ohio and shipping is free.

Xavibear · 04/25/2014, 03:47 AM

Buy dry sand & find a local reefer with an established tank who is willing to part with a cup or two of sand. IMO best way to start a tank.

Odysi · 04/25/2014, 01:26 PM

Look into pool sand. You can get it in white and it comes pre rinsed. I don't know the make up of it but before I bought my Fiji Pink I was looking at pool sand it was $25 for a 50lb bag.

04/23/2014, 08:34 PM	#1
thenewguy997 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 618	play sand?? Can you use play sand as substrate? No phosphates and stuff? Itd be,a lot cheaper than all live,sand plus i got live rock

04/23/2014, 08:43 PM	#2
leewish Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Philly PA suburbs Posts: 156	I have read that you can...just make sure you wash it well. __________________ 22G zero edge lps tank Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 250

04/23/2014, 08:49 PM	#4
Reefer54 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Avon Posts: 1,087	search "washing sand" and you will find a myriad of thread\posts. If you go the play sand route, run a strong magnet over it once it twice before you wash it, just in case of iron based media. __________________ R54 Current Tank Info: 36 x 36 x 25 Cube, mixed reef, A360WE x 3, A350N x 1, 40GB sump, RDSB, Remote LR Cryptic, 2 WP-40's, ummm....

04/23/2014, 08:53 PM	#5
Crooked Reef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,765	Isn't it silica based? I would be worried about diatoms. __________________ “In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank.

04/23/2014, 10:09 PM	#8
sleepydoc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,907	I've read reports of people using play sand without issue; the main problem is you don't know the composition; it is primarily silica based, but there may be other undesirable components/contaminants. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 120 gallon, coast to coast overflow w/beananimal overflow. Waveline DC 10000 II return pump, 40 gal sump, Octopus XS200 skimmer, T5 lighting

04/23/2014, 08:47 PM	#3
thenewguy997 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 618	How would i go about washing it?

04/23/2014, 09:04 PM	#6
thenewguy997 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 618	Iron? :/ i got a bad feeling about this after reading that. How about tbs live sand mixed with caribsea dry sand?

04/23/2014, 09:12 PM	#7
thenewguy997 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 618	Caribsea dry sand is more than the live sand AND the bag is 5lb lighter according to marinedepot, i might as well get all live If anyone has exp. With live sand from an lfs like tampa bay saltwater vs bag live sand chime in!

04/23/2014, 10:12 PM	#9
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Avoid silica sand. Diatoms. The standard for marine tanks is aragonite, which is useful to the corals. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/23/2014, 10:33 PM	#10
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	i have seen people with play sand, personally its dark brown color doesnt go with our tank. Also it will cause major problems with diatoms. If you dont wanna buy live sand which i never do. start with dry sand which is just as cheap. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

04/23/2014, 10:43 PM	#12
thenewguy997 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 618	Dry sand from where? Like i said caribsea charges more for dry than live atleast on marinedepot..

04/23/2014, 10:55 PM	#15
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	try dry sand at macrorocks.com, they have 40lbs for $30 shipped and have 2 types, fine or coarse. or 160lbs for $109. Also reefrocks.net has some sand too, 40lbs for $25. I have macrorock sand coarse kind and very happy with it. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

04/24/2014, 03:05 PM	#17
CoralReeForrest Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Redding,Ca Posts: 1,010	Petco usually has caribsea dry sand on sale online for 6 or 7 dollars a bag.

04/24/2014, 03:44 PM	#18
makxc50099 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Pine Bush, NY/Pomona, NY Posts: 49	play sand?? I get mine from dr. Fosters. Great price free shipping after $50 which is much easier to hit then most other places.

04/24/2014, 03:49 PM	#19
chris.scang Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Valrico, FL Posts: 471	I got all my live sand and live rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater. If you decide to go that route you will not be disappointed!

04/24/2014, 06:33 PM	#21
jmustapha Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 20	Bad idea

04/24/2014, 06:44 PM	#22
rromans88 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 64	I tried this in one of my other tanks a few years ago, the problem was it was to fine and too light and the power heads blew it all over the place and the water stayed murky all the time. kept it in there for 2 months and had to tear it down and start all over.

04/25/2014, 02:28 AM	#23
ahmed_iAM Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 419	There's a guy on eBay that sells live sand for about 85¢ a pound. About 90 pounds for $62 last year. Don't know what his prices are now. There located in Ohio and shipping is free.

04/25/2014, 03:47 AM	#24
Xavibear Crazy Prophet Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Worcester, MA Posts: 1,008	Buy dry sand & find a local reefer with an established tank who is willing to part with a cup or two of sand. IMO best way to start a tank.

04/25/2014, 01:26 PM	#25
Odysi Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 401	Look into pool sand. You can get it in white and it comes pre rinsed. I don't know the make up of it but before I bought my Fiji Pink I was looking at pool sand it was $25 for a 50lb bag.