Saltwater misconception.

[Marcink125]

Ok. so here's what I want to know. My conception is that saltwater tanks need marine sand like aragonite sand. Is this true or can I use silica sand?

[J-P]

AFAIK you can use any types of sand you want ... but I am not certain what the difference between "live sand" and regular substrate is.

[JoseDepacos]

Imo "live" substrates are bolognie. You're just paying for water weight. Even if bacteria will survive for who knows how long sealed in a plastic bag on the shelf, you still need to cycle the aquarium properly.

[SammyDee]

I used a dead argonite sand. And used live rock to seed it to make it live.

[CarmenH]

Aragonite sand helps to buffer to the appropriate ph in salt water, silica sand will not. But unless you have access to live aragonite sand from a healthy existing tank, just get dry sand and (as prev stated) seed it from live rock. The "live sand" in a bag is useless and overpriced...

[Mek0ng]

Aragonite sand helps to buffer to the appropriate ph in salt water, silica sand will not.

+1

The bigger concerne with silica sand is that silicates in the water spur diatom and other outbreaks. Use dry aragonite.

[DRRT]

I do not recommend the use of silica sand. Aragonite sand is relatively soft and unless you really try to scratch up your glass or acryllic, it won't really mess up the aquarium. Silica sand will mess up your glass. If you had a thing of silica sand and simply dropped a pair of eye glasses in them they would come out scratched.

[nmonks]

Talking of misconceptions, here's another one...

The bigger concerne with silica sand is that silicates in the water spur diatom and other outbreaks.

Silica sand is the same stuff as glass, and equally insoluble. If diatoms are using silicon, it's as likely from one as the other, so we'd be avoiding glass aquaria if this really was the cause of diatom blooms. The chemistry argues strongly against using the idea silica sand suddenly raising the silicon content of the water.

Cheers, Neale

[Mezzovex]

in my nano tank i just stole natural sand\crushed coral mix from my big tank. i have 10 pounds of live rock though.

[Mek0ng]

Talking of misconceptions, here's another one...

The bigger concerne with silica sand is that silicates in the water spur diatom and other outbreaks.

Silica sand is the same stuff as glass, and equally insoluble. If diatoms are using silicon, it's as likely from one as the other, so we'd be avoiding glass aquaria if this really was the cause of diatom blooms. The chemistry argues strongly against using the idea silica sand suddenly raising the silicon content of the water.

Cheers, Neale

Interesting article here:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... eature.htm

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.

[pufferfreak]

If you do use silica sand, taro tree corals are great at soaking the phosphates that it would release. However the best way to go is aragonite sand.

[Mek0ng]

taro tree corals are great at soaking the phosphates

Really? Never heard that, pretty cool! I have 20+ taro/kenya (Capnella) pink trees and 10 neon green Sinularia in my frag tank waiting for my 90g to be re-established. I love the forest like look when you have a ton of these corals together.

Any idea how other soft corals are at sucking up phosphates and other nutrients?

[jdak]

My reef with many soft coral never reads phosphates yet my FO tank i have to run high range tests. I've never heard it either but it kind of making sense.

[Mek0ng]

My reef with many soft coral never reads phosphates yet my FO tank i have to run high range tests. I've never heard it either but it kind of making sense.

Same, although test kits I have used before dont test low enough for reefs. I figured it was because of my 55g fuge, growing calupera, but when the calupera got in the display I started running GFO, the algae growth was slowed, so I must have some phosphates going in, but I wonder what if any phosphate requirement or absorption soft corals have if any beyond the negligible.


(sorry for the thread high-jack....

[bastallard]

If you have enough live rock you don't even need any substrate, which makes it easy to clean.