# Black Diamond Blasting Grit Alternative



## steven p (Jun 22, 2012)

Looks like the same stuff under a different name.


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

Yes, unfortunately we don't have Tractor Supply up here  Call around to sand blasting places, or blast media. I called: Target, Manus, Sil... Finally found some.


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## Psycofc1 (Feb 28, 2013)

20-40 refers to grit size, same size that is sold around here in Tractor supply.


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## hello_rockview12 (Aug 20, 2013)

Thanks all:hihi:! You're a huge help as always. I just wanted to confirm that it was made of the same material and won't be harmful for water chemistry or fish!


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## 0live (Jun 8, 2013)

I'm not sure that many of us can answer that for you. I'd say, short of getting some and testing it in water over an extended period of time, the only way to be close to sure would be to get MSDS sheets for both products and see what they say.


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## steven p (Jun 22, 2012)

hello_rockview12 said:


> Thanks all:hihi:! You're a huge help as always. I just wanted to confirm that it was made of the same material and won't be harmful for water chemistry or fish!



Rinse well, other than that... The only differences should be from the fuel burned to make it.


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## hello_rockview12 (Aug 20, 2013)

steven p said:


> The only differences should be from the fuel burned to make it.


And this isn't a concern from what you can tell?


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## hello_rockview12 (Aug 20, 2013)

Here are the MSDS sheets:

Black Magic:
http://abrasivesinc.com/docs/Black-Magic-MSDS.pdf

Black Diamond
http://www.menards.com/msds/101672_002.pdf

Anyone familiar?


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## Fishnshrimp2 (Sep 13, 2013)

I have black diamond in 3 of my aquariums for about a year now and the fish, shrimp and plants are doing fine.


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## hello_rockview12 (Aug 20, 2013)

Fishnshrimp2 said:


> I have black diamond in 3 of my aquariums for about a year now and the fish, shrimp and plants are doing fine.


Black Diamond is not available in Canada, which is why I would like to compare it to the Black Magic stuff. I wish I could just get the black diamond as it's significantly more tested by hobbyists.


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## wildroseofky (Mar 5, 2013)

All of the blasting products mentioned are coal slag. If what you have available says that it is made of coal slag, it should work. Some blasting grit is glass or garnet sand and can have sharp edges. Not good for substrate dwelling creatures.


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## wildroseofky (Mar 5, 2013)

I followed your link and read the MSDS sheet. It is coal slag and should be safe. Just rinse well.


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## hello_rockview12 (Aug 20, 2013)

wildroseofky said:


> I followed your link and read the MSDS sheet. It is coal slag and should be safe. Just rinse well.


Thanks so much for checking it out. I gave it a once over and figured that it should be ok but wasn't 100% positive. My only concerns were the elements under section II (aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, titanium etc.) as I wasn't sure how they effected water chemistry.


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

hello_rockview12 said:


> Thanks so much for checking it out. I gave it a once over and figured that it should be ok but wasn't 100% positive. My only concerns were the elements under section II (aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, titanium etc.) as I wasn't sure how they effected water chemistry.



I think since it's slag, all of those elements are bound up in oxides and such within the glass, and are more or less inert.

The main things I would be concerned about would be to wash it well to remove any possible contaminants, and avoid any 'recycled' blasting media, as that will probably have metal and paint particles in it.


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## shift (Jan 7, 2013)

I was looking into this a while ago but saw traces of copper which may or may not be shrimp safe


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

The MSDS said the product was inert so you shouldn't need to worry about any of those metals. 

I got a bag of black coal slag blasting media from a place here in Edmonton. I don't remember the name of it cause it came from a bulk container, it could be the same stuff. I've had no problems with it.


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## hello_rockview12 (Aug 20, 2013)

creekbottom said:


> The MSDS said the product was inert so you shouldn't need to worry about any of those metals.
> 
> I got a bag of black coal slag blasting media from a place here in Edmonton. I don't remember the name of it cause it came from a bulk container, it could be the same stuff. I've had no problems with it.


Awesome! I've heard that people don't have issues with cories with this stuff either! If they do its due to poor water quality. I am excited to finally pick up the last piece of my substrate and get started on this project.

Thanks everyone!


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

How many inches did you use in your tank's , may I ask?



Fishnshrimp2 said:


> I have black diamond in 3 of my aquariums for about a year now and the fish, shrimp and plants are doing fine.


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## crazymittens (Jun 4, 2012)

Side note for Ontario people - the local equivalent is not coal slag, but nickel slag, which is toxic for humans and animals. Cannot recall the brand name, but every store I called/went to in the GTA had this or some variant of this.


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