3M Color Quartz?

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DB junkie

DB junkie

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MFK Member
Jan 27, 2007
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I dug up some old threads on where to get this stuff and the links are dead.

Does anyone know if it's even possible to get this stuff anymore? And if so can anyone tell me where?????

Figured ray keepers would be the best group to ask......

Thanks in advance.
 
There is a link to distributors on the website also.

I was going to buy it, but when I considered the cost + 2 hour drive to pick it up I just went with pool filter sand instead.
 
Ceramaquartz is what I have in my ray tank Al, Can't get it anywhere around me. Had to pay Keeping to get me some and ship it to me. Cost more to ship than the actual 40 lbs I got. Which reminds me, Keepin if you read this I need another 40 lbs. :)
 
The people I talked to today actualy told me to go to Petco if I wanted sand that was bigger then Estes Ultra Reef......

I asked about "T" grade, as I thought that was what you guys have, and that what I thought was bigger grain size then Ultra reef, and they just laughed at the application saying nobody uses it in fishtanks.

Keepin, can you shed some light on this?????
 
I had black Estes Ultra Reef also, hated it. Every time the rays moved it was thrown every where. Its so small and light that its more of a nuisance. The Ceramaquartz is heavier and larger.
Ceramaquartz is rate as p-30 (finer grade) similar to ultra reef or 3M S grade and p-20 which is (larger grade) similar to the T grade 3M.
 
Scp is a swimming pool supplier and they have all of that stuff. I'm a pool plasterer in Cali and we have pallets of the stuff in our warehouse. One of the reasons I got into the business free aqurium gravel! Lol.
 
I've had Ultrareef for years and for the most part it's been trouble free..... Till the 750. I added a bunch of bags to it and the stuff seemed a much smaller in grain size. Maybe it's cause I've siphoned that batch of sand for years. I imagine by the time the rays were big enough to start tossing it around I had already siphoned off all the smaller stuff. All I know is I added a bunch and it was small enough to stick to them, and they kicked it up like dust.

I removed all the Estes Ultra Reef and added poolfilter sand. Same problem. Removed the pool filter sand and dried it. I then used some crochet stuff from the crafts store to sift out the little stuff. Now I have the bigger grain size, but not really diggin the brown sand.

The guys at 3M said that the ceramaquartz is ceramic coated Quartz and the Ultra Reef is Silica. So we're right back to the age old question Quartz or Silica (besides the point), BUT 3M is saying it's the ceramic coating that makes the ceramiquartz un "fish" safe.

If you both are using this stuff and have had no issues I'm down to give it a try.....

Really don't want to drain and move the 750 to paint the bottom until I'm moving the heck out of this rental, but IF I can't find any sand I'm gonna be tempted to :(
 
I like it a lot, but as to being fish safe, I have used it 13 months without any issues that I know of. All rays and tank mates appear healthy. As for as the Ultra I had the same issue when vacuuming, most got sucked up. Did you read somewhere that the Ceramaquartz was unsafe for fish?
 
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