# Crushed granite sand



## medicineman (Sep 28, 2005)

Anyone knows about it?

I see that granites has a wide range of colours, and those byproducts when they cut granite tiles are wasted. How about crushing them into coarse sand and use it as substrate?


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## Clone (Feb 29, 2004)

If you can find it I don't see anything wrong or bad with using granite sand. I would not recommend crushing granite into sand in your back yard unless you have lots of time on your hands and a physique like Stealthy Ninja


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## medicineman (Sep 28, 2005)

Clone said:


> If you can find it I don't see anything wrong or bad with using granite sand. I would not recommend crushing granite into sand in your back yard unless you have lots of time on your hands and a physique like Stealthy Ninja


lol... ninja has lots of secret weapons to do the job....

No.. no crushing by myself. I'm looking for those people who handles crushing stones into small pebbles. So I will get homogen, rounded edge grains.

I figured from the mineralogy that granite consist of those minerals that does not greatly effect water chemistry (mostly silicate bonds), in fact it does resist acid rain and used extensively as outdoor tiling in luxury homes and grand buildings.

So far looks like a good idea for a source of wide colour selection for substrate.


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## Canoe2Can (Oct 31, 2004)

Maybe this is a good point, maybe not, but granite is extremely inert. Each summer I go canoeing in a region in Ontario, Canada where the local rocks are almost exclusively granite. Compared with lakes here in Pennsylvania, they are relatively lifeless because there are so few nutrients leaching into the water from the granite. Like I said, that might be seen as good or bad. If you have heavy root feeders, you would certainly want to fertilize your substrate.


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## medicineman (Sep 28, 2005)

Canoe2Can said:


> Maybe this is a good point, maybe not, but granite is extremely inert. Each summer I go canoeing in a region in Ontario, Canada where the local rocks are almost exclusively granite. Compared with lakes here in Pennsylvania, they are relatively lifeless because there are so few nutrients leaching into the water from the granite. Like I said, that might be seen as good or bad. If you have heavy root feeders, you would certainly want to fertilize your substrate.


That is the point. I'd like something good for rooting since my choise here is so limited to natural products (no fluorite and no eco-complete stuff). I've had taken into account the factor that granite is inert (like silica which I'm using now). So bottom ferts with some home made laterite balls would be the way.

Those granites are so heavy they are more like silica, and I love the way silica holds my cuttings without any weights at all.

I'd be conducting some experiments on waste granite bits and see if the kind I love the colour/texture of is inert and does not play with water hardness.


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## MoonFish (Feb 12, 2006)

Chicken grit can be granite. I like it better than these baked clay products for what you say. It is dusty so rinse it well. The dust is very fine. I don't have a lot of color choices in it here but if you do it is a nice cheap way to get rock. I put some over soil and it is very cheap and effective.


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## medicineman (Sep 28, 2005)

MoonFish said:


> Chicken grit can be granite. I like it better than these baked clay products for what you say. It is dusty so rinse it well. The dust is very fine. I don't have a lot of color choices in it here but if you do it is a nice cheap way to get rock. I put some over soil and it is very cheap and effective.


I mean some baked laterite and commercial bottom fertilizer is the way, covered with a thick top (2/3) of crushed granite. I guess baked laterite would be less cloudy than pure red soil/laterite since they are somewhat less coloidal and they make a good long time nutrition (especially Fe) depo. No worries, this experiment will go into 25 gallon tank and I can afford to tear it up many, many times.

I really appreciate the information on chicken grit!  

We do have a very wide selection of colours from all over the world (especially when using leftovers). The granite can vary from darkish, reddish (most popular), brownish, grayish, etc. Those dark ones would make a very interesting substrate as opposed to silica sand widely used here. 

Our family used to farm thousands of chicken when I was small. As far as I remembered as a child, I know that you usually give chicken some "small stones" to help their digestive system. They are given calcium source also (especially the eggllayers) in form of crushed shells or powdered bone. I guess I have to look out and ask the seller if the grit used is suitable for me. Now I will ask my dad immediately for some explanation.


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

crunch some up and put it in water and test it . Watch out for chicken grit it sometimes contains crushed oyster shell to give the chickens the calcium they lose during egg production. Can you not order online or is the shipping to high or wont people ship international.
Dave


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## MoonFish (Feb 12, 2006)

It would be great if you could get the colors. I have only found a light purple color and white with black flecks in it here the times I tried. I gotta buy a bag to find out though, they don't exactly advertise the color when it is meant for chickens to eat it. I am wanting some again because you can pick the size and get a size big enough that fish waste will actually work down between the rocks and not stay on top. And the colors can be good for hiding the same thing.


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## medicineman (Sep 28, 2005)

@dschmeh

Well... people does ship international and it is best to buy in bulk of several hundred lbs to save the high shipping cost. Not to mention they impose high tax rate right here... even though if the fancy substrate is camuflaged as ordinary sand... still you need to go through that beurocrate and lost lots of money on the way (one time they charged me 30% tax on books!!  ). I'm used to import classic american spare parts and know what it takes. A shipping to Singapore and hire a courier to take care of the rest. Minimum charge is 1 cubic meter. Perhaps I will try some eco complete/fluorite along with spare parts sometime in the future.

Perhaps one of these days some rich people of some big shops will initiate importing them along with commercial aquarium fertilizers.

Still.... doing the other way is much cheaper by 1/20 at least :icon_roll 

@Moonfish
Should there is no suitable grit for me, I will still get some fragments, test it. If good, get lots of granite byproducts from one slab batch (same colour and quality) and grind them to suitable size and softer edge. I'm just trying to change the old trend of silica sand... why do people here are too passive to try out something new that is likely good and tell fellow scapist (and shops) about the success they had (and even pioneering selling them at overcharged price).


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