# Black Diamond Blasting Sand Oil Slick



## EmeraldGreen (Aug 5, 2015)

I have washed this blasting sand numerous times. I let it sit for several days in a bucket and it all looked good to go. I stirred it up a bit and I got an oil slick. This time is my second batch. I actually washed with some dish soap.

My first batch has been put in the tank already. The oil slick doesn't affect fish or plants, but just looks bad.

With or without detergent, the slick is still there...Any pointers? I mean it's just coal slag


----------



## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

I have used blasting sand in three tanks now. I have never had that problem. My method of rinsing the sand was putting up to a quarter of the bag at a time into a rubbermaid container and running the garden hose on a tilted container for about five minutes then stirring the contents and repeating until I was satisfied that it was clean (~30 minutes). Rinse again with RO or DI water to get out the chlorine and it should be fine. 

It makes a great substrate and cheap too! Good luck.


----------



## tharsis (Oct 9, 2009)

I had a ton of oil in mine, took forever to wash it out. I had it in a rubbermaid container with a hose for atleast an hour, constantly stirring the sand to get it all out. Even then I couldn't get it all...

It was bad at first in the tank but after a few water changes it was all gone. 

And I love the blasting sand, such a pleasure to plant stuff in it.


----------



## Druggist (Jul 22, 2014)

I washed 2 bags of 20-40 grit doing 1/2 bag at a time in a 5 gallon bucket this past weekend. I would add "a splash" of dawn dish soap to the bottom of he bucket then just spray the hose into it until it soaped up and was almost full. Then, pouring off the water only to repeat probably 4 times per wash, or until it did not make suds. I've never had an oil slick this way.


----------



## EmeraldGreen (Aug 5, 2015)

Druggist said:


> I washed 2 bags of 20-40 grit doing 1/2 bag at a time in a 5 gallon bucket this past weekend. I would add "a splash" of dawn dish soap to the bottom of he bucket then just spray the hose into it until it soaped up and was almost full. Then, pouring off the water only to repeat probably 4 times per wash, or until it did not make suds. I've never had an oil slick this way.


Yea, I put dish soap. Poured off over 20 times. The water was clear after I let it sit in the bucket. But after I stirred it up, I saw slight oil slick again


----------



## essabee (Oct 7, 2006)

All coal have oil content - that's where the term "coal oil" came from - some a little more than the other. Anthracite coal (also called black diamond) is the hardest coal with the lowest oil content - but it is not free from oil and its volatile content can be between 5-10% (not all oil). 

So a little oil slick can be expected when you have it as substrate - but it will disappear and become negligible with time.


----------



## klibs (May 1, 2014)

letting it sit in a bucket won't get the oil out. you have to rinse, drain, rinse, drain, rinse, drain etc... it's worth it in the long run for the $$$ savings and makes a great substrate

you should never have used soap to wash your substrate... bad call. that is infinitely more harmful than any oil that could have been in there.


----------



## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

I have seen the oil slick, and simply increased the surface agitation for a few day's and it was no more.
Other bag's I have used without rinsing were fine. 
Rinsed,or un rinsed, would not hurt to run fresh activated carbon for a week and give filter pad's a cleaning after a week.(in tank water or dechlorinated water)
Problem solved.
I too would NOT use soap.


----------



## VelcroWY (Jun 9, 2015)

I use Black Diamond Blasting Sand in almost every aquarium. I just dump it in the tank and add my plants, rocks, wood. I finish filling the tank with water. Then I use a wet-dry vac and clean the "floaters" and any oil skim (2 bags only). No problems after that.


----------



## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Velcro nailed my method. Well, I just use a cup and remove everything that is floating. That's all I've ever done.


----------



## bsherwood (Nov 22, 2007)

today I set up another 55. dirt with a bit of flourite capped with black diamond. This is my 3rd tank with black diamond and the last 2 tanks I rinsed and still got a little slick. This tank I have not rinsed and have about the same amount of "slick". ....looks crappy for a while and then goes away. I found that if I take my planting tongs and swish it around to break up the surface tension the slick drops the minute particulates and it looks less exon-valdez.


----------



## bsherwood (Nov 22, 2007)

and less than 48 hours later- no slick


----------



## VelcroWY (Jun 9, 2015)

Not surprising to me - I've also used cheesecloth to scoop it out --- it's just never been a big issue for me


----------



## Kobey (Nov 20, 2015)

I have been unable to get Black Diamond ... is Black Beauty pretty much the same deal or is there some difference I am missing?


----------



## VelcroWY (Jun 9, 2015)

Yes, just be aware that some places charge $10 for 50 lbs and others charge $50 for 50 lbs.


----------



## The Big Buddha (Jul 30, 2012)

I've setup 12 tanks in total with BD, the last 4 bags I got were super oily as well. Other bags barely needed a rinse. Did anyone else notice an increase in non black particles lately?
My last 2 tanks almost look as if there was a small clay pot smashed into pieces about twice the size of the black diamond grains. Not a lot, but enough to look different from the other tanks.


----------



## VelcroWY (Jun 9, 2015)

I've got about 350 lbs in my tanks right now, all of it purchased this year and I have not noticed much of a difference and non seemed oily.


----------



## The Big Buddha (Jul 30, 2012)

I think I have an extra 1/2 bag left. I will try to see if there is a batch number. The only thing that worries me sometimes is that this is blasting media, how much QC is really involved concerning contaminants. I love the stuff, but I always wonder about possible contamination in the product.


----------



## VelcroWY (Jun 9, 2015)

Agreed - nice thing about pool sand is that it's mostly made for "rich folk" because that's who has pools and you know they don't wand to rinse their sand and they don't want sediment in their pools. Unfortunately, for most of my tanks, I want black sand. ;-)


----------



## Roca13579 (Mar 29, 2015)

Till now I've set up 4 tanks with the diamond sand. The first bag I bought took a long time washing until the water was clear. I cleaned 1/3 the bag at a time with a drop of dish soap added after the first couple rinses in a 5 gal bucket. This last bag I washed half the bag in the bucket with a larger amount of soap and the cleaning went by much faster. Probably like 6 changes. This with heavy mixing and the first couple with hot water. The oil residue floating in the tank was higher in the first bag then the second where there was pretty much morning. So the soap seemed to have made a big difference. But it just might be that some batches are dirtier than others. Either way no dead fish or stressed plants.


----------



## ichy (Apr 6, 2015)

I bought some two months ago. I didn't notice anything odd when rinsing, but my 4g nano has a constant oil slick on the top.


----------



## Kobey (Nov 20, 2015)

I've been looking a lot all over and one thing that seems to happen is the "recycled" part fluctuates. Could be you just got a "dirtier" bag as it were.


----------



## bsherwood (Nov 22, 2007)

I have three tanks with it- no slick- I didn't even rinse it for tanks 2 and 3.....


----------



## VelcroWY (Jun 9, 2015)

I stick my hand in the bag and feel it. I seldom rinse it. But I also wet/dry vac the top of my water before I put fish in.


----------



## jalanmiller (Jun 30, 2016)

Does anybody mix Black Diamond with a white sand for a mottled look?


----------

