What does live sand look like?

[Panic]

Hi All,

 

Firstly, thanks for the entertainment and good advice, I love catching up in the evenings.

 

Now, my question - I was at the LFS a week or two ago and bought two 1KG bags of "Aragonite" for roughly $4. I was doubtful of the LFS owner, but he said so so it must be true heh heh.

 

However the sand looks suspiciously like finely crushed shell (from further up the east cost of South Africa) and I'm a little concerned about possible silica content - is there any way I can judge the quality of the sand is before I start cycling? Is there a website dedicated to grading sand (it's worth a shot!)?

 

Is finely crushed shell suitable for live sand? I'm tempted to use a fine caliper and measure the grain sizes - but that's only if you guys insist. I would estimate that yes, it's roughly sugar grain sized, but somewhat flat (crushed shell remember?).

 

ahh what the heck... fill 'er up!

[Crakeur]

this will give you an idea as to the different grains of sand.

 

http://www.marinedepot.com/a_cr_ss_caribse...sea.asp?CartId=

[Physh1]

Live sand looks like any other sand on the market BUT it's pulled from the ocean. It's got all sorts of benificial bacteria and critters like bristleworms and pods in it. What it looks like varies on where it's been taken from. For this reason any sand can be live. It's not the sand itself but the contents in the water and life on the sand that makes it live.

 

This sand he's charging $4 for is it in water or dry? Your asking about live sand but didn't see the word live anywhere in the post except the end so I'm a little confused.

 

Cameron

[Panic]

My apologies... I often confuse the issue between aragnoite (dry sand) and Live Sand (the stuff with organisms). I tend to refer to the dry stuff in it's future wet and at the bottom of my tank ie. "live sand"

 

In this particular case I mean the dry stuff... I'm concerned about the quality. Yup, it costs roughly $4. Say, it just occured to me to ask the LFSO where he got it from.

 

Interesting link BTW, I think it's oolitic sand I have... but a local variety. A silica laden variety. Bah!