Southdown sand

[Jason Cody]

I keep hearing about Southdown sand. Some say it's good and some say it's bad. Is there any information out there on this sand? Advisable to use or no?

 

[MikeS]

well....it's basically oolitic aragonite sand, not much different than commercially available aragonite sand packaged specifically for aquarium use, but the southdown tends to be much less expensive...

MikeS

 

[steve-s]

I think the good vs bad your hearing is in regard to same arguement oolitic aragonite as Mike mentions above and silica. Some types of playsand are sterilized silica that are deemed child safe. The easiest way to tell the difference is add a few teaspoons of white vinegar to a small amount of the sand (preferabley in a glass bowl) and see if it fizz's. The fizz let's you know it's aragonite sand (CaCO3). If it just ends up looking the same 'cept wet, it's silica.

Cheers
Steve

 

[jakepilot7]

it is now yardright brand the southdown label got sold

 

[MikeS]

Yeah, southdown also had a silica mixture I belive....

The aragonite one will be finer than the silica one, more white in color, and as Steve mentioned, will react with an acid like vinager...

MikeS