sand from Homedepot

[mnewby]

i was just wondering if there is any problem with using the white Lane Mt sand that you can buy from home depot :badgrin:

 

[NaH2O]

mnewby - do you know if that sand is aragonite? Some sands sold at home improvement stores contain silicates which can cause diatom blooms.

 

[spongebob lover]

Well lets see if i was you i would't try.
when i first started this hobby i went and bought some sand from home depot thinking that it wouldn't be a problem and ya i had to remove it after a few days because it was causing the diatom blooms and also for some reason the water in the tank got kind of clouded up (grayish color), so me and my husband ended up getting rid of all the water, sand and we started all over again .

 

[luvnsalt]

lane mt sand is silica based, i looked at using it myself

 

[Elmo18]

That sand is fine to use. However, rinse the sand before using. Also....you will not get any buffering capabilities from that sand since it is not aragonite.

- ilham

 

[tigerjace]

It's tempting to try such a sand since it's alot cheaper, but thats one of the mistakes ppl make in a saltwater tank. It will just cost you more money and time to correct it afterwards. If you want a quality saltwater tank, especially reeftank it will cost a pretty penny to do it right. Don't take short cuts. Stay away from things that cause uncertainty's. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME WITH WHAT YOU KNOW WILL WORK!

 

[wrightme43]

Of course you can use anything, probley even gravel if you like. Its the results your probley more interested in. I would recomend aragonite sand, or barebottom. Do a little research on the board here about live sand vs. dry sand vs. barebottom. I have been converting the tanks I take care of, and my own to barebottom. I have never seen one thing make such a difference in my tanks. It all depends on what type of tank you want to have. I do have to say that the money spent on sand, can go to a nicer skimmer or better lights or more live rock. Steve

 

[Pfan151]

Silica sand does not cause diatom blooms, it is a myth. When you start a new tank you will get a diatom bloom no matter what sand you use and it will go away in a couple of weeks on its own. Aragonite sand will not help you buffer your tank very much if at all. Our tanks conditions do not break down aragonite so the ph is not affected. I have read many articles linked on reef central and many well respected authors recommend silica over aragonite.

 

[NaH2O]

Silica sand does not cause diatom blooms, it is a myth. When you start a new tank you will get a diatom bloom no matter what sand you use and it will go away in a couple of weeks on its own. Aragonite sand will not help you buffer your tank very much if at all. Our tanks conditions do not break down aragonite so the ph is not affected. I have read many articles linked on reef central and many well respected authors recommend silica over aragonite.

Here is an article that talks about silica Silica in Reef Aquariums by RH-F

a couple of quotes from the article

From these experiments, I conclude that:

1. The “silica” play sand that I purchased from Home Depot can substantially raise the dissolved silica concentration in seawater.

2. The dissolvable portion of the silica sand cannot be completely removed by several rinses with either fresh or salt water, although it may be decreased somewhat by that process.

3. Southdown calcium carbonate sand (likely aragonite) can release soluble silica, but about ten fold less than the “silica” sand.

From these experiments, I conclude that:

1. Silica can be a limiting factor for diatom growth in some reef tanks

2. Adding soluble silica can increase diatom growth

3. The increased diatom growth was not apparently in addition to, but in place of, green algae growth

4. Added soluble silica is rapidly depleted from some reef tanks

5. Taken together, these facts suggest that silica supplementation may be desirable

From my own personal experience, I had a short lived diatom bloom in a tank with RO/DI and no sand. As found in the article linked above, salt mix contain silica as well. I should read the article again when I'm awake, but I would think if sand raised the dissolved silica in the water, then diatoms would be right there to utilize it.