Using silica sand in an aquarium

aquamaster · 09-02-2007, 11:58 PM

I work at a lumber store and have seen handy sand (silica sand) and have wondered if this would work as aquarium sand. Would this be safe?

Tommy Gun · 09-03-2007, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Would this be safe?

While I haven't used it yet, I do know a couple of people who do use silica sand; including my own brother. That being said, I have heard that it can be hard to deal with because it can be found in some extremely fine grain sizes which can be easy to 'kick up' and cloud the water to some extent...but it also comes in more course sizes that would not have the same problems associated with it.

This is nothing more than my own opinion, however I thought I would bring up the idea that silica sand, as well as any light colored sand, will not stay very white or amber for long, which I find to be distracting, aesthetically speaking anyways. For example, my brother's tank (which is really his roommate's tank I believe) almost looks as though it has mud as a substrate because the silica sand has gotten that dirty over the couple of years it has been in the tank...which by now I assume is beyond repair. Again, just my opinion as far as the looks of certain types of silica sand being less-than-pleasing, or having the potential to get that way over time. Then again, I feel the same way about other types of sand as well. So much so that I have even go so far to mix a large amount of 'regular' black sand to the white live sand I have in my SW tank to help hide what I feel is a dirty-looking discoloration. To each their own though I suppose and regardless of what the case may be, silica sand can be used in an aquarium as far as I know right now.

mikez · 09-04-2007, 11:11 PM

Hello folks, I'm new to the forum although I've kept fish all my life [45years].
I decided to jump in on this thread as I have been using silica sand for years in various applications.
Over all I really like it and find it looks natural. Some fish seem to enjoy scooping up mouthfuls and spitting them out. Flounder ONLY seem to thrive on sand and sand makes a nice substrate for plants and is MUCH cleaner than soil.
An interesting benifit I actually discovered when I kept some native flounder in a saltwater native tank is that I never got purple slime. Purple slime algae has always been the curse of my saltwater aquariums as I like butterflyfish and use lots of meaty foods like clams and mussels. The food is very high in nutriants and slime was inevitable. Until I went to beach [silica] sand unstead of calcium based subsrate [argonite etc]. No purple slime has ever grown in a tank with silica based substrate since then. I don't fully understand the science but believe it has to do with the availablity of phosphorus [slime fertalizer] and its relationship to calcium.

The downsides of silica are for one as previously mentioned, the sand takes on a dirty brown color. Brown algae-like material also coats glass and decorations. This is the trade off for purple slime. Instead of slime, silica promotes diatoms which actually extract disolved silica from the water collum. The diatoms form a thin algae like coat, especially anywhere there is current. This is true in both fresh and saltwater. Personally I find the diatoms are a worthwhile trade off as it doesn't look anywhere near as bad. I just scrape the front glass and let it grow forever on decorations. Purple slime can not be ignored because it grows so thick and takes over. The diatoms always stay thin and just look kinda dirty. I'm a natural kinda guy so to me it looks realistic.

The other downside is more severe. as mentioned silica sand can get stired up into the water. It doesn't stay suspended for long but if any grains of sand get sucked into powerheads or filters, they will ruin the shafts and impellers. It just means you have to be careful and occasionally buy new impellar assemblies for old filters.

Kuli_Loach · 09-05-2007, 07:42 AM

I use silica sand or pool filter sand in all of my tanks and I would never use anything else. It is natural looking, better on the fish, and easier to clean. The main thing is turning it over every week or combing it weekly to prevent it from creating pockets under it.

freshwater06 · 09-05-2007, 01:25 PM

if this is the sand that you can get from home depot or so, i wouldnt suggest using it but you can

aquamaster · 09-06-2007, 07:10 PM

So i moved my tank into my bedroom. A nice trip from my computer room upstairs all the way downstairs. The silica sand is awsome. I bought two 50lb bags of handy sand (silica sand) at menards and it works great. I washed it in two 5 gallon buckets and there was no clouding at all. I spent less than 5 minutes a bag and it was spotless. The sand was like $4 a bag for a 50lb bag. So thanks for the help.

Kuli_Loach · 09-06-2007, 09:55 PM

No problem, I pay 8$ for a 100 lb bag.