sandblast gravel substrate

[Coop]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

great. I use white gravel now, but I want a finer base. plus the gravel tends to build algae on some of it and now i have green rocks speckeled throughout. Where did you get it at exactly and was there any preperations other than rinsing it off. Thanks.

[ptn25]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

Just rinse the sand 2-3 times & that's it.  $7.50 for 100 lbs/bag, that's not bad.

It's a plant located on the Norteast side of town. They provide sandblasting sand to all sandblasting company in Houston.

16601 Garrett road - 281-456-9553 & ask for Sonya. Good luck!

[szidlon]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

I have ColorQuartz, which is basically the same as sand and I use a Python without any problems.  You can just go over the surface, but since I have such a deep tank and the 24" Python extenstion tube I can also stick it into the sand to prevent gas pockets.  The tube is long enough that the sand will drop back down to the bottom of the tank when I lift the tube from the bottom before it gets drawn into the the point of no return.

[Jolley]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

Fish Land has it for $10 a 50 pound bag. That is at Westheimer and Synott.

[mycoolhoney]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

i can get every thing from sandblasting sand to 2" rocks by the truck load for $3-$20 the last time i checked

[jklntx]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

Is sandblast sand white in color or closer to playground sand color? I am looking for whitish color sand/gravel mix to add to my african cichlid sand substrate which is too expensive for more than 1 bag.

[Coop]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

what number and color did you get. I told them i wanted white sandblasting sand and got #3. It is like regular sand and man is it fine. I am scared to put in my tank. Was yours the same. Also how did you manage to wash the sand. I am having the hardest time getting the little trash out also the water in the bucket is staying an orange sandy color. Just curious as to what you did and what I am doing wrong. Thanks.

[Jose]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

I went to that sand plant in northeast on Garrett. I only live about 15 minutes away but took me an hour to find. Mapquest gave me wrong location spot. You take a left on Sheldon and turn about 50 feet to your right. IMO, I wouldn't call it white sand. I got 200lbs and it looks like playsand but a little bit lighter in color. They do not have black sand. What you saw was copper. I'm not sure about the red.

[jklntx]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

I found blasting sand by Specialty Sand Company for $4.79/100# bag at Montalbano Lumber located on Shephard south of 45. Looks like a light playsand but much grittier. I scattered small 1/4" - 1/2" pebbles on top and it looks great. It gets kicked up when you add water so it  needs 24 hours to settle.

[mycoolhoney]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

I got the all purpose sand (it already has bits of gravel in it) from home depot flushed it out and dumped it in my tank with about 6" of water so it would lay down and then siphoned the dirty water out with air line tubing then I filed it using air line tubing hooked up to the sponge filter I think it is the best looking substrate for small tanks

[Cameo]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

City Pets at Beechnut @ Beltway 8 have 50 lb. bags for about $8.  That's about all I buy now.  When you first put it in the tank, vacuum it very well about 3 times, then afterwards just vacuum it like regular. I use my Python & it doesn't get sucked up.  I, too, like it's fineness since particles tend to not get buried down into it and it's easy pickings for the fishies.

[Coop]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

Does anyone know of any real white sand. I am looking for a white substrate. This sandblasting sand is a little too tan for my taste. I have a 100 lb bag still if anyone wants for $5. I have the sand in my aquarium that I will be getting rid of gradually if I can get some real white sand. Has anyone used this if so? How did it turn out and did any green appear like with gravel?

[szidlon]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

You can check with National Pool Tile, they carry ColorQuartz but I don't know if it's a pure white but I did find a color chart with white.  There are two different sizes, S and T.  I have the S in black and I'm very pleased with it.  It didn't take all that much more rinsing than real sand.  I would suggest using gloves when you are rinsing as the residue is a little sticky and I ended up with really Gothic looking nails for a few days afterward.   8O

They used to be open on Saturdays, but check first.  I think I paid about $16 for a 25 pound bag.  I still have a full and 1/2 bag of black left.  I've seen where folks mix one or two or more colors to get a custom blend.  I would use it again, but may try regular sand when and if I ever get another large tank.

They're located off Clay Road and Hempstead in the northwest area, they're number is: 713.460.8794.

[Jose]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

Have you thought about using arogonite? It's used for saltwater and raises ph. Expensive compared to the sandblast sand. I would take a guess and say a pound would cost about $2 on average. Not sold per pound.

[Coop]

Re: sandblast gravel substrate

I like the colorquartz idea. I cant use anything that will raise my pH. Right now out of tap, my pH is between 7.8 and 8. I really dont want to throw that off. I really do like the sand concept, but I just want a more white approach instead of tan. Thanks.