sand questions,help?

[valasaraptor]

i have a 75 gallon freshwater tank and have pool filter sand for the sand and im wanting to convert it into a saltwater tank could i keep the sand or no?,thx nick

 

[Bifferwine]

I am not sure what pool filter sand is, but I'm guessing the answer is no. For saltwater, you will want to buy aragonite sand. You will only need a couple bags for a 75 gallon tank, so it won't be very expensive to use good sand.

 

[dcantucson]

I think pool sand is taken from river beds if I remember correctly. It's pretty ugly and brown. I wouldn't use it.

BTW welcome to the forum.

 

[valasaraptor]

mine is bright white

 

[Bifferwine]

I just looked up pool filter sand. It looks like it's usually composed of silica or zeolite... You don't want either of those in a reef tank.

 

[valasaraptor]

ok thx

 

[sen5241b]

silica will probably cause algae blooms.

 

[Chris_150G]

Fresh water tanks have a neutral PH of about 7 and salt water tanks are less acidic at about 8.2 or so. So the sand you put in will usually be designed to accomodate that. They do sell neutral PH marine sand but you are better off using the ones that help hold it at what it needs to be 8.2 - 8.4. And like they said the ones using silicates will feed the algae.

 

[yote]

Pool filter sand is just regular silicate based sand and will cause cause problems with diatoms.Plus the one time I tryed that sand in my tank,it just didnt look right.More like curshed up glass.Which is really all silicate sand is.