Wanted: where can i buy white play sand?

[Tommy Gether]

getting a new tank next week and do not want to have to go to petco and pay 20 bucks a bag for 20 pounds of sand again. heard of people using the white play sand in saltwater tanks and doing well with it, but i have been to like 7 home depots, 3 walmarts, and 3 lowes and none of them have it! I live on the north side, little york and 45 area.

[cu0ngsayz]

order online?

lowes carry the silica sand for like 4$ for a 50lb bag... thats super cheap!!!! i paid like 10$ at leslie pool supply

[moganman]

The play sand is on the beaches

[Tommy Gether]

good idea,, ill just head to galveston with a shovel and a bucket,, wait last time i was at crystal beach that stuff was far from white!

[moganman]

If u want white, try aragomax or aragonite. You could always bleach it yourself but make sure u rinse it really good and let it soak in some dechlorinator.

[Tommy Gether]

you can bleach sand??.. how bout that cheap **** from home depot?? the tan stuff,, can you bleach that?

[moganman]

Not familiar but you can use bleach as long as its in moderation and you take out all of the toxins and chlorine. People use diluted bleach to regenerate purigen lol.

[Tommy Gether]

ok so silica sand is ok for saltwater tanks?

[moganman]

I wouldn't use it, but I'm no saltwater tank guy. I know it can tend to be a little too abrasive for sand sifters and Ive heard of diatom problems associated with silica sand. Never know unless you try. If you can afford something better, it should be worth it

[Tommy Gether]

well its nto so much of a "able to afford" issue,, its more of a not want to look like a complete sucker after spending a few hundred bucks on sand only to ask some other guy with a good looking, good running tank "what kind of sand do you have?" only to hear "play sand, a full 20 bucks worth!"

[moganman]

I understand. I've done a lot of research on sand and heard some people have diatom bloom problems. Never know until you try though

[cu0ngsayz]

i use silica sand and MANY MANY people use it in aquariums with no problem for freshwater BUT not sure about saltwater... id just use crush corals

[eklikewhoa]

I would advise against it for SW, the sand breaks down in the presence of the salt and causes problems.

You can normally find used aragonite sand for cheap or just buy the cheaper brands from a LFS like CityPets instead of going to the big chain stores.

[Chris360]

I don't know about salt water but in all my tanks (freshwater) I use pool filter sand, $10 for a 50 lbs bag

[TiAg]

With the thousands of dollars you're spending on a saltwater tank, might as well do it right - right? I used the expensive wet argonite in mine and will in the future. Just too much money invested to try and go cheap. Never know what kind of problems it can cause down the road and changing it after the fact will be a nightmare. If you want to save some money since the initial cash output is so high, go with cheaper lighting (MH) and cheaper pumps/wave makers which are simple to upgrade later.

My freshwater tanks - yeah I'd go cheapo on them.