[lg0815]

is it safe to use marine sand with a planted tank i will be doing a "river of sand" through my tank


will plastic gutter type things work to seperate the florite from the sand

the marine sand is in a 5 lb bag and very fine

 

[Darkblade48]

If the marine sand is made from aragonite, it will change the chemistry of your water. As such, it would not be recommended, unless this is what you desire.

Plastic gutters cut to the right size will help separate the flourite from sand, but inevitably, the two will mix.

 

[Church]

Marine sand would be way more expensive than pool filter sand anyway, and PFS is what people use around these parts.

Marine sand has stuff in it, not necessarily aragonite, that alters water chemistry and makes it favorable for saltwater tanks.

 

[lg0815]

i have a bag of it it looks like this

 

[Ariel301]

Is the marine sand a 'live sand'? Some brands are sold damp in bags as 'live' sand and have the bacteria necessary for cycling a saltwater tank, and can also include hitch-hikers like copepods, small snails and starfish, etc. Dumping live sand into a freshwater tank will kill all of that and obviously that much dead matter is going to be bad for your tank. If it is not live, then it should be safe...as long as you don't mind the fact that it will raise the pH of your water pretty high, and also the hardness. If you already have it, fine, but don't go buy it if you're just looking for a white sand. There are cheaper options that are more neutral towards your water chemistry, like pool filter sand or silica sand used in sandblasting, as those are quartz based rather than seashell based like the marine sand.

 

[Nymsley]

(Really big pics...)

That looks like Estes Marine Sand. Its supposed to safe for freshwater and I've read about people using it in their discus and shrimp tanks.

No idea why they call it marine sand though, doesn't seem to contain any of the components you would pay extra for with real marine/reef/coral/live sand.

 

[FSM]

If the sand is aragonite or something else with calcareous substances, it will increase the hardness and pH of the water. Not necessarily bad, depending on what your tap water is like.


Plastic dividers are fine to use.

 

[Nymsley]

It seems that its inert:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/substrate/9960-estes-sand-planted-substrate.html
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/substrate/86250-white-sand-suggestions.html#post832465

Theres some offsite reviews but I don't feel like collecting links.