Silica Sand Help!!!

[nperrin]

I just bought a 150 gallon tank.
I want to put sand in but I want white sand.
The pet stores want an arm and a leg, I found at lowes a commercial
grade sand made by quick create.
It is a medium grit washed, kiln dried and screened.
This is not sand blasting sand it says so on the bag.
It also says (may contain crystahine silica)
I have always heard people say silica sand is a big no no in an aquarium.

Can and will this sand work or not?? And if not why?

 

[koliveira]

I would probably use sand-blasting sand(cheap looks great!). The white sand we sell at the pet store is crap! it is way to fine and hard to siphon. Crystaline silica is bad to inhale and is a very fine powder. Don't use it.

 

[hillbilly]

Isn't silica one of the compounds people use phosphate removers to eliminate? If so, then this stuff is fuel to feed brown algae. I would not use it in a tank.

 

[MilitantPotato]

I've used silica sand in my 75 for 6 months, no problems what so ever, no excess algae or damage to fins/digging fish/barbels. I baught mine from a pool store for 8.60 per 50lbs after taxes.

Didn't need washed either, came out powder/dirt free as it needs to be completely clean to avoid clouding pools.

It's just small round pieces of glass.