theclearblue Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 I mentioned this briefly in another topic, but I didn't realize it might be a problem until now. I have an extra bag of sand I plan to use in my 10 gallon nano and am going to seed it with some live sand from a LFS. It is branded: Marine Life by Estes, Inc. natural, non buffering, high surface area "this natural product is suitable for both Marine and Fresh water aquariums. It is best used in applications where a high surface area, no pH adjusting substrate is desired." So, a couple questions: 1) Is anyone familiar with this? Is it made of silica? 2) Will it be problematic if it doesn't buffer pH or will Instant Ocean do that for me? I'd hate to go out and buy more sand, but if this sand won't cut the cake, I'll go buy the proper stuff. Any recommendations? Thanks! Link to comment
Physh1 Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 Well, as far as buffering pH goes you shouldn't ever rely on a substrate to do that.....you'll need to use some alk buffer to keep your pH stable. I can't help too much on that substrate as I've never used or heard of it. Cameron Link to comment
onthefly Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 Sounds pretty inert....probably silica! Check or ask the distributor for an MSDS (material safety data sheet), they're required by law to provide them. It will describe the chemical make up of the product. You DO NOT want to see felspar, limestone, or silicates.....silica is ok! I've run a silica tank for 8 months no with zero ill affects. Although I just swapped out the silica for aragonite last night (what a chore!), it was because of the grain size of the silica I used was too fine for clams and I wanted to increase the grain size a bit. Link to comment
theclearblue Posted January 30, 2004 Author Share Posted January 30, 2004 Not taking any chances, went out and bought a bag of arag-alive. Thanks! Link to comment
theclearblue Posted January 30, 2004 Author Share Posted January 30, 2004 I also bought some crushed coral to put in the filter of my cichlid tank to help buffer. I've got a lot left over, should I put in some pieces in with the arag-alive? And if so, in what proportion? Link to comment
onthefly Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 I wouldn't worry about adding the CC. The aragonite will do fine by itself and down the road you'll want to remove it because it will start to "float" to the surface of the sand and look ghetto. Link to comment
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