Silica Sand

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DavidW said:
The jury is still 'out' on this one.
Silica sand has sone of the sharpest crystals there are. It is also very fine.
This type of sand rises up into the water column too easily when disturbed, which can seriously damage filter impellers etc.
It was also hypothesized that as it causes serious to fatal respiratory diseases etc ( silicosis ) in humans , perhaps it can also be an irritant to rays gills and spiracles, as they spend a lot of time either buried in it or foraging/blowing through it.
http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/crystalline-factsheet.pdf
It has been pointed out that there is a lot of silica sand in the Amazon, but in the wild if the ray is uncomfortable it can swim away, but not so in an aquarium.
It may or may not be unhealthy for rays, but as there are plenty of 'ray-safe' sand types readily available for similar cost, why risk it?
Click to expand...

bout time you come give us some info...LOL

BUT what makes a sand "RAY SAFE SAND"? sounds like a sales pitch to me :)
 
Estes is a more pricey example $50+ for 5lbs tho you can probably find it cheaper somewhere.
Other types of sand are available that are also silica free, such as 'play sand'. (Amazon.com...playsand #50....50 lbs of sand for $6.99)....very cheap, easy to find and can be shipped to your door.
Most sands that are silica free will say so as it is a sales advantage. " look , this sand doesn't cause cancer" kind of thing LOL . Read the labels :)
 
DavidW said:
The jury is still 'out' on this one.
Silica sand has sone of the sharpest crystals there are. It is also very fine.
This type of sand rises up into the water column too easily when disturbed, which can seriously damage filter impellers etc.
It was also hypothesized that as it causes serious to fatal respiratory diseases etc ( silicosis ) in humans , perhaps it can also be an irritant to rays gills and spiracles, as they spend a lot of time either buried in it or foraging/blowing through it.
http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/crystalline-factsheet.pdf
It has been pointed out that there is a lot of silica sand in the Amazon, but in the wild if the ray is uncomfortable it can swim away, but not so in an aquarium.
It may or may not be unhealthy for rays, but as there are plenty of 'ray-safe' sand types readily available for similar cost, why risk it?
Click to expand...

DavidW said:
Estes is a more pricey example $50+ for 5lbs tho you can probably find it cheaper somewhere.
Other types of sand are available that are also silica free, such as 'play sand'. (Amazon.com...playsand #50....50 lbs of sand for $6.99)....very cheap, easy to find and can be shipped to your door.
Most sands that are silica free will say so as it is a sales advantage. " look , this sand doesn't cause cancer" kind of thing LOL . Read the labels :)
Click to expand...

what i have found with play sand is that it is very very fine.. sticks to rays and gets kicked up often.
 
I got my Estes from a local paint supply store. $33 for 50 lbs

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Keepingfish...Honestly I am not a sand expert as , after a few failed experiments with sand I always kept almost bare bottom pools with round gravel that wouldn;t cover the whole pool bottom to eliminate one possible source of 'complications', although I understand it is not always as aesthetically pleasing. BB tanks makes life a lot easier.
Snake8 seems to have located a decent price for Estes, and IMO if one is spending hefty $$$s on rays etc then why be cheap with the 'furnishings'?
4 decades of fish keeping taught me that there are NO short cuts and rarely any cheap options, especially when keeping rays, the most amazing fish of all imo.
That old adage " you get what you pay for" ( if you pay peanuts you get monkeys) is usually still true
:)
 
I would also add that rays ingest sand as it sticks to their food, and it is thought to play a small gastrolith role in their digestive tracts
 
The silca sand I currently have is Black Shotblasting sand, the same as the black diamond stuff you guys get int he US I believe... it is £20 for 100kg seems ok so far, just have to wait and see I guess
 
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