# Pyrite: Good or Bad?



## Shipmonkey (Sep 7, 2009)

The playsand I've but in my new 75g seems to be loaded with pyrite. Will this hurt the aquarium at all? I known is a iron and sulfur compound and plant tanks need abit of both. Of course, I am hoping I'm wrong and it's gold flake all through the sand, but I am not that lucky.


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## bradac56 (Feb 18, 2008)

It shouldn't but do a full spectrum test (everything in the API Master kit for instance) against a bucket of tap water (your control sample) for a few weeks to see how it looks.

- Brad


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

It's very possible (maybe even _probable_, but I'm not qualified to make that distinction) that it might lower the pH of your water over time. There is something known as "acid mine drainage" which occurs when sulfide minerals in abandoned mines are exposed to oxygen and water, and are oxidized. It seems that you might be facilitating this type of oxidation in the environment of an aquarium.

Hopefully metageologist will chime in.


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## Shipmonkey (Sep 7, 2009)

Considering the 8.9pH we get coming out of the tap here, a decrease over time seems like a good thing.


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## Jadelin (Sep 30, 2009)

Is the water you're testing STRAIGHT out of the tap? Because tap water can have really high pH when it first comes out; I know my tap water's pH is over 8 when it first comes out, but when I let it sit for a day it drops to 7.4-7.6.


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## Mjc20 (Sep 8, 2009)

like church said, its pretty much only bad if it oxidizes (assuming its actually pyrite). id get a hand lens or a strong magnifying glass to see if you cant identify it. heres a quick link on it: http://www.galleries.com/minerals/sulfides/pyrite/pyrite.htm


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## Shipmonkey (Sep 7, 2009)

Jadelin said:


> Is the water you're testing STRAIGHT out of the tap? Because tap water can have really high pH when it first comes out; I know my tap water's pH is over 8 when it first comes out, but when I let it sit for a day it drops to 7.4-7.6.


It doesn't drop much after a day, it goes down little to nothing. I've got some serious liquid rock coming out of the tap here. The gH is throught the roof.


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