# silica sand and blasting sand



## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

hey guys i wanna know if silica sand is safe for an aquarium? i have ask several people and they said it is safe but i just wanna be 100% sure. is silica sand and blasting sand the same?


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

YEs. It is inert.

Silica sand and blasting sand are NOT the same. Blasting sand is sharper and dirtier-it is also a byproduct and is hard to guarantee it is safe--but I've used it for years with absolute no problem. I wouldn't use blasting sand(ie black magic) with sand sifters like many africans and many ca/sa fish.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Agreed. 
I have silica sand in my tank and the cichlids love it. My only advise, WASH IT OUT WELL. -To the point where the water runs clear when you sift it. :wink:


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

under_control said:


> YEs. It is inert.
> 
> Silica sand and blasting sand are NOT the same. Blasting sand is sharper and dirtier-it is also a byproduct and is hard to guarantee it is safe--but I've used it for years with absolute no problem. I wouldn't use blasting sand(ie black magic) with sand sifters like many africans and many ca/sa fish.


You're confusing black blasting sand with white. Black blasting sand is made from iron ore slag and is sharp and I don't recommend it for most tanks.

White blasting sand is indeed silica sand and isn't sharp and is extremely clean. I add it directly to my tank without rinsing in most cases. It comes in various grades and is completely harmless to fish.


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

when you mean by grade joe. do you mean by numbers or letters?


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

Grade refers to the grain size, coarseness or grit. Standard silica sand used for most blasting operations I believe, is 36 grit. This is about the size of standard play sand, perhaps a bit bigger. The smaller the number, the larger the grain. Getting very fine sand can be problematic because when stirred, it doesn't settle as fast and is more prone to getting sucked up into filters. Not a real problem with canisters or dry sumps but HOB filters can go through a lot of impeller shafts when it sucks up fine sand.

Make sure you're getting Silicon dioxide or "Silica" as there are several blasting medias including aluminum oxide, glass beads, pumice and steel shot. Silica just looks like ordinary, clean sand.


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## kfjethro (Sep 17, 2007)

khaki:

There's some more information in this thread in case you haven't seen it yet.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=167963


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

kfjethro

if you notice Beaglegirl mention about gathering informantion also for her fellow fish friend...that is me. lol


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## kfjethro (Sep 17, 2007)

khaki said:


> kfjethro
> 
> if you notice Beaglegirl mention about gathering informantion also for her fellow fish friend...that is me. lol


Yes that is kind of funny. I posted some more info to the other thread.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2008)

DanniGirl said:


> Agreed.
> I have silica sand in my tank and the cichlids love it. My only advise, WASH IT OUT WELL. -To the point where the water runs clear when you sift it. :wink:


where do you get silica sand and how much how much would i put in a 55g tank srry for all the questions new 2 cichlid tanking


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

You can get silica sand (pool filter sand or blasting sand) at most hardware stores or pool supply centers.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page for a sand bed depth calculator.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/calculator.php


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

*strangefish*

i got my silica sand from lowes. it was like 8 bucks for 100lb bag. you wont even use up half the bag for a 55g...that is how there is.


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## kfjethro (Sep 17, 2007)

If you have a local brick store they may carry a variety of sands.


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