Black diamond blasting sand???

[DaiMasters]

Has anyone here used Black Diamond Blasting Sand as substrate before? I've heard Tractor Supply has it for a similar price as on amazon and I was thinking of picking some up.

8$ for 50lbs isn't a bad price. Is there anything wrong with using it? I really like the look of black sand but it's way too expensive to get it from a pet store.

[tys91]

i havent used this but i do know a friend who uses blasting sand as a substrate and has no problems with it.

[mistahoo]

Re: Black diamond blasting sand???

Nothing wrong with it. I had it in my 100G. The sand is like a black mixed with grey. Comes in two grit sizes, 20-40 and 30-60 with the latter being more fine. It's $8 for a 50# bag. Make sure to give it a real good rinse.

Sent from my spaceship using Tapatalk 2.

[danielp]

Is there any silica in the sand?

If so I would consider not using it.

These are so many substrate choices out there and blasting sand is very course.

My wife is an industrial hygienist and I never hear anything positive about this stuff.

[DaiMasters]

Is there any silica in the sand?

If so I would consider not using it.

These are so many substrate choices out there and blasting sand is very course.

My wife is an industrial hygienist and I never hear anything positive about this stuff.

It is coal slag, so it's silica that isn't in it's free form yet. But I'm curious, why not use silica sand? Pool filter sand is silica and it's widely used in aquariums.

[danielp]

It is coal slag, so it's silica that isn't in it's free form yet. But I'm curious, why not use silica sand? Pool filter sand is silica and it's widely used in aquariums.

You are correct sand is basically silica. There are various forms of it and the fine forms of it become airborne and cause respiratory problems.

In a wet or captured form it's not bad.

[DaiMasters]

Yeah it causes Silicosis if inhaled either in a large amount in a short period of time, or small amounts over a long period of time. It's not dangerous to the fish though right? Because If it was I would feel really bad about using PFS in my tanks. XD

[danielp]

Nope I don't see where it's a problem.

I do think that the blasting sand being an abrasive can't be all that good for fish especially the sifters.

I'm real particular about using like products for like task. Yes there are a lot of parts, like products, and various other substitutions that will make or allow something to work just fine.

That's just me I sub nothing and wont use something unless it's specifically designed for the application it's designed.

Sorry didn't mean to hijack your thread.

[mistahoo]

I had sifters in with the Black Diamond. No problems. None died and they were as happy as can be! The 20-40 is coarse and the 30-60 is fine (about the same as PFS). Though the 20-40 isn't that coarse, the grit size is a little bit more than the 30-60. Not a huge difference between the two.

[DaiMasters]

So I today I contacted Petco customer service to inquire what their store brand black sand consists of. It's the same as the blasting sand except finer, Coal Slag. So, I could pay 8$ for 50lbs OR 15$ for 20 lbs... hmmm... XD

[mistahoo]

So I today I contacted Petco customer service to inquire what their store brand black sand consists of. It's the same as the blasting sand except finer, Coal Slag. So, I could pay 8$ for 50lbs OR 15$ for 20 lbs... hmmm... XD

There was a thread on this. I forgot who, but someone on here said they had the Petco black sand and said it is a bigger grit size than blasting sand. I'd rather trust the word of someone from the box than a Petco associate.

[mistahoo]

Here's the link to that thread I was referring to.

[Warlock]

i used it in my shrimp tanks..

no problems.. didn't even bother rinsing it..

the PLANTED TANK have many people used it and love it. .

[mistahoo]

You don't have to rinse it. It just helps with the cloudiness especially if you don't deflect the water while filling it up.

[Andy Bauman]

I've used it from time to time. (Mainly when I did not care what color the sand looked like). I have never had a problem with it. I always wash it just out of drill. But, I don't have any really touchy fish. Just have common fresh water types. Maybe Angel Fish are the most exotic I have ever kept with a tank filled with it. It sure is cheap enough. It's been sold for gravel for a very long time. I would think if it creates a problem it would have been removed for sale a very long time ago.