dingusplease Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Advice for important decision needed: I bought some Quartz Sand at Home Depot a few weeks ago. Is it too sharp for garden eels? Build thread: http://tinyurl.com/thegardeneelroom I scoured the google for answers... Silica/Quartz is NOT inherently dangerous in aquariums. It is considered insoluble. Same material as aquarium glass. Ingestion seems to be the only documented dangerous aquarium situation involving quartz sand. I pulled out my trusty red microscope... ...and examined the sand. Opinions? If this sand isn't truly dangerous, I'd hope to find out so I don't have to buy $200 of aragonite sand . I will do whatever I have to do to keep the eels safe, but if this sand can work I'll stick with it. Link to comment
Hammerstone Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Maybe you could call a college and ask for a geologist's opinion? Or call a zoo and see what they use for substrate in their eel tanks? Link to comment
lobster876 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Order super naturals sand . here is the link. Its cheap and does not scrape. http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-ACS05839-Natural-Aquarium/dp/B004LOETI0/ref=sr_1_6?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1448924510&sr=1-6&keywords=super+naturals+sand Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Order super naturals sand . here is the link. Its cheap and does not scrape. http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-ACS05839-Natural-Aquarium/dp/B004LOETI0/ref=sr_1_6?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1448924510&sr=1-6&keywords=super+naturals+sandYeah, only $10 for 5lbs of sand. Needs around 400lbs, so that's only around $800. Super cheap. Link to comment
lobster876 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 oh sorry wasnt sure about tank size Link to comment
dingusplease Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 Maybe you could call a college and ask for a geologist's opinion? Or call a zoo and see what they use for substrate in their eel tanks? Good idea, and I already talked to the people at the shedd aquarium. They use fine aragonite, but I do need 350-400lbs ($1000+) so if I can use what I have I'd like to. Order super naturals sand . here is the link. Its cheap and does not scrape. http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-ACS05839-Natural-Aquarium/dp/B004LOETI0/ref=sr_1_6?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1448924510&sr=1-6&keywords=super+naturals+sand Looks like good sand, but as jedi mentioned I do need quite a lot... appreciate your looking though. Yeah, only $10 for 5lbs of sand. Needs around 400lbs, so that's only around $800. Super cheap. That is indeed the route I'm trying to avoid . Hoping to use the quartz, but top priority is always the eels' safety. Link to comment
smeagol108 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Any concerns on the quarts leaching silicates over time? Link to comment
dingusplease Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 Any concerns on the quarts leaching silicates over time? That was my first thought as well, but apparently no. Luckily. Only matter now is whether it's too sharp... I found this: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/aafeature1 Link to comment
smeagol108 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 It doesn't look to sharp but hard to tell. Make sure u screen the hell out of it. I used to use similar sand from Home Depot in my bearded dragon enclosures. Lots of bigger pieces would be mixed in. Link to comment
dingusplease Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 It doesn't look to sharp but hard to tell. Make sure u screen the hell out of it. I used to use similar sand from Home Depot in my bearded dragon enclosures. Lots of bigger pieces would be mixed in. Doesn't look sharp to me either lol... definitely will filter it like crazy. Link to comment
Hammerstone Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 I can't wait to see this put together with little faces sticking out!!! What do they eat? Link to comment
dingusplease Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 I can't wait to see this put together with little faces sticking out!!! What do they eat? Me neither thanks for following -- they'll apparently eat anything from mysis to small pellets, once you get them to eat for the first time. That can be the tricky part Link to comment
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