Black Diamond sand blasting media - Tractor Supply - Is this a safe substrate?

[Steve]

OK, I bought some aquarium sand.  Only because I thought it would save me some time last weekend.

I still spent 20 min plus per bag (2 of them) rinsing. And it still took two days to clear up.

Play sand for me next time.

Just a point of interest here. The "paver sand" (white & tan) from Home Depot...takes minimum washing and is very clear the minute you put it in the tank. Just passing that info along...because I have it in both my 55's and love it.

[four_by_ken]

I'm trying to stay away from white myself.  It shows the fish waste way to easy.  Luckily I only have it on a 20 gallon.

[linuxrulesusa]

For what it's worth, I've had good success with both the Petco brand 'sand', though it is expensive at $17.99 per 20lbs, and pool filter sand, particularly the stuff from Leslie's Pool Supply (color and composition may vary slightly depending on location). 

The Petco 'black' sand may discolor slightly over time (fades to more of a gray) but has not caused problems with any fish I kept in it.   I've moved away from it on most of my tanks because the dark is too dark for the fish (except for my shrimp tanks).   

The PFS I get from the Leslie's in Taylor, MI, is a pretty heavy grain (marked as 20 grit) and doesn't get stirred up by my HOBs or for the most part by water changes either.  And it's a nice natural tan color instead of a bright white. 

So those are some good options as well.  Especially the PFS, as it is $9 for a 50lb bag, and you can put a sponge over your HOB or canister intake and just dump it in, then rinse the sponge after 2-3 days.  Or, use a piece of filter media twist tied or rubber banded, and skip the rinsing.  It will clear up pretty fast. 

[Maize-N-Blue-D]

There are many opinions that were shared, but the emphysis of this post was to find out if Sand Blasting media is "SAFE" to put in an aquarium.  It seems that many people have and / or are using this stuff without any issues.  I was looking for a cheap substrate to help defray some cost of setting up another aquarium.  MOMMA is starting to give me some "Dirty" looks, loosing (10) fish last weekend didn;t help my cause much.  But I am just chalking that up to experience learned. I will be stopping by Four Seasons Concrete Products Inc. in Roseville to check this out. More than likely I will be getting a couple of 80# bags of this stuff. 

Thanks all for your advice.

Ok so doing a "BLUE" Krylon Fusion or the Rust-Oleum’s Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2X, doing "Black Beauty" substrate, now I am looking for some Rock -possibly Texas Holey rock for my 2nd 55 Peacock tank project. I hope to have it going sometime soon.

[mandalawi]

It WILL however scratch your glass should you trap it in any type of sponge or magnet when cleaning the glass.

Won't any sand do that?

Sorry just saw this. Yeah, any sand will do this but this stuff isn't like normal sand. You can push your hand into a bucket of sand when cleaning it. You would have a hard time doing that over and over with this. It is definitely sharper than normal pfs.

[Mastiffman]

Has anyone used or know someone who has used Black Diamond Sand Blasting media from Tractor Supply as a substrate in an aquarium ?

Is this media safe for Fish ?

http://www.tractorsupply.com/sandblasting-tools-accessories/black-diamond-20-40-blasting-media-50-lb--3905403

 Does it have any extra benefit over Sand?

 Me Myself I wouldn't risk it.... Just get some tahitian Moon Reef Sand By Caibsea. I think that it's called "Super Naturals"...

 More expensive? Yes!
 Safety of Fish and Piece of mind? PRICELESS! 

[tugboat]

It (blasting sand) is a safe (proven time and again) substrate substitute, I think peace of mind comes from peace of wallet as well. Especially in the economy we are all living in now...

[Michael Zebrowski]

Thanks for this thread...been planning to change over to black sand in a few tanks, so I'll try the Black Diamond media.  I heard (years ago) that this type of media will abrade off the whiskers of cory cats, but have no personal observations to that regard.  Cherry Red Zebras, demasoni, and Hap. moorii should good on black. 

[RichE]

I need to make a trip down river and buy a pick up bed full of this stuff, I can sell in the parking lot at the meetings Bring your own bucket LOL

[Michael Zebrowski]

Isn't there's a Tractor Supply at 26 Mile and Gratiot?  Seem to remember seeing it last year. 

[RichE]

Isn't there's a Tractor Supply at 26 Mile and Gratiot?  Seem to remember seeing it last year.

There on the North west corner, there is a place down river that you can buy in bulk by the ton:)

[Michael Zebrowski]

Wish I had a tank that required a ton of ANY substrate!

[Mastiffman]

I need to make a trip down river and buy a pick up bed full of this stuff, I can sell in the parking lot at the meetings Bring your own bucket LOL

 Big mistake. Should have just infomed poeple right before the next metting or just showed up with it.

 Now there are going to be like 10 truckloads of it at the next meeting!!!! lol

[Maize-N-Blue-D]

So after weeks of research and debate I will be going with regular sand.  Everything I have read or been told about Peacocks says that thier natural habitate is a sandy bottom against a rocky backdrop. The only reason to go to sand would be to allow the fish to do what is natural, sift sand.  So why in the world would you used a sharp substrate.  Last thing I want to do is cut up the gills of my Peacocks while they are sifting through the substrate.  This was a very good research project.  I found out that you don't have to spend tons of $$ on substrate and decorations.  Peacocks thrive in simple sand with a rocky backdrop.  This just saved me a ton of $$...Hello Menards.. 

[Ron]

^ Just makes sure to wash it really, really well. The best way is to wash a small portion at a time, with many fill/stir/empty repetitions until the water runs clear while emptying.