# Is this silica sand too fine? PIC



## cfi on the fly (Jan 28, 2009)

anybody?


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

silica says it all. Silicates en masse are not good for a planted tank in the long run. From what I've read, they'll leach into the water column continuously and wreak havoc on your "algae cleaning" schedule.

if someone can confirm or deny this it'd be good.


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## metageologist (Jan 10, 2008)

all sand is silica based including pool filter sand which i use in 3 low light tanks with zero algae. as for your sand i think its a little fine i would be concerned with compaction and the formation of a anoxic environment. 

as for the statement that all sand in silica based i will clarify that to say that the black sands of Hawaii are actually volcanic glass and the green beaches are composed of Olive. both of which i would like to get about 30lbs of each to bad its illegal to collect.


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

Silica sand isn't usually, but could be pool filter sand. The sand in the picture you provided isn't pool filter sand. It's too fine. Make sure to add some burrowers to your tank to help avoid anaerobic areas.


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

Yeah sand like that gets irritating... when you get it into your HOB filter's impeller chamber, which is inevitable, or in your canister filter's impeller chamber when you clean the filter, because there's a 1/16" of sand at the bottom of the canister... ugh. That's not even mentioning the sandstorm you can create if you're not careful during a waterchange or replanting, etc. There are better options, I'd use playsand as a last resort. In fact, I recently changed over my ten gallon quarantine tank to oil-dri from play sand, it's much better.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

That sand looks like about 1 mm particles, and pretty uniform. I think it is right on the edge of being acceptable. The play sand I can find at my HD is considerably finer, and nowhere near as uniform.


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## cfi on the fly (Jan 28, 2009)

Well I got some pool filter sand #20 grade, which says it is .55-.65 mm. Is this too fine? If it is, where can you get the really light colored sand in a larger grain?

I already put it in the tank as well as changing the color of the background, and I don't like it. So I will be changing some stuff around again. Anyone have a recommendation on background color to bring out the color of discus while maintaining a contrast for the plants. I used a light blue color that turned out being more turquoise when viewed from the tank. I guess it has something to do with the green tint of the tank glass. Frustrating.


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## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2009)

cfi on the fly said:


> Anyone have a recommendation on background color to bring out the color of discus while maintaining a contrast for the plants.


Black. The only choice. 

Jeff


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## jjp2 (May 24, 2008)

There is a "tale" that a dark substrate brings out peppering in Blood Pigeon Discus. I don't know the validity of it, thought I'd mention it as you may want to look at some Discus sites to see if its true or not.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

cfi on the fly said:


> Well I got some pool filter sand #20 grade, which says it is .55-.65 mm. Is this too fine? If it is, where can you get the really light colored sand in a larger grain?


Bigger is better, for the exact reasons that imeridian stated. 

I've never had a problem with anaerobic pockets, since plant roots aerate substrates. Apparently I'm the only one though, since everyone else likes to talk about it.:icon_roll I have used sand that fine in the past, and was unhappy with it. It got in the filter, made awful noises, and my cories died because it looked like they ate a bunch of it, and couldn't pass it (got very bloated).


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## daclozer (Apr 19, 2009)

I have not used white sand in a freshwater tank, but I can tell you it was the biggest pain in the rear in my saltwater tanks. It never looked clean and ther the first week..


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## mnsnowdaboy (Mar 7, 2006)

I got those white silica sand in my tank. To be honest I wish I would have not used it. It's too fine and soon it gets mixed with my AS. I don't know, maybe it's my fish that are doing it, my loaches or cory's. I don't really mess with my tank, especially not around the substrate but now my sand are all over the place and I can barely even see my black AS LOL. 

I think I'm going to start a new setup and just forget about the white sand theme. It was neat for a while though.


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## mosasaur (Jul 20, 2004)

As a geologist (retired) let me make a few corrections. Silica, in the form of quartz, is only very, very mildly soluble under normal conditions - just not a factor. Second - black sands can contain olivine (not olive), a magnesium iron silicate, as well as pyroxenes, a group of iron magnesium silicates more stable than olivine. In neither case would they be problems to the tank inhabitants - breakdown of the minerals would be very slow indeed. The problem is getting hold of some naturally black sand! 

BTW, I concur - that white sand looks too fine.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

I'm guessing the OP made his decision back in April when he made this thread, but good info nonetheless!


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## Cmeister (Jul 5, 2009)

Looks similar to what I have right now (mine is a little less uniform though), it will work, but not as well. (won't grow finicky plants well) If its a good color thats hard to get in other sizes, mix with the closest larger counterpart?


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