for black this seems to be the go to http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/black-diamond-medium-blasting-abrasives needs to be rinsed well
You can sift the surface of the sand with a net or you can gravel vac it along the surface. You will end up sucking out some sand and needing to replace some over time though. Sand is definetly the best substrate to use. Gravel gets waste stuck in it and is harder to clean you'll find sand very easy to clean. All waste sits on top of the sand. In my opinion I like regular colored sand over the black because it's more natural looking and easier to see the waste to know when it's time to clean up.
Hello; I do this for cheap coarse sand. I buy construction sand. Got 3/4 ton five years ago for under $20 to bed some pipes.
For aquarium use I sift the sand thru a screen. This separates the very fine stuff out. Pretty much has to be sifted when dry. You can get what ever size particles desired by the openings in the screen. I have made a simple frame of wood for attaching the screen.
If the standard screen sizes do not work try this. Say 1/4 inch screen gives particles too big you should be able to overlay two sections of it and adjust it so you get a desired opening.
The big advantage is to get rid of the very fine dust by the dry sifting. This makes rinsing so much easier. You will have to rinse the stuff for the tank.
A separate question on the blasting media from tractor supply. Does anyone know what it is made of? I may be wrong but seem to recall it is from some sort of industrial byproduct.
For aquarium use I sift the sand thru a screen. This separates the very fine stuff out. Pretty much has to be sifted when dry. You can get what ever size particles desired by the openings in the screen. I have made a simple frame of wood for attaching the screen.
If the standard screen sizes do not work try this. Say 1/4 inch screen gives particles too big you should be able to overlay two sections of it and adjust it so you get a desired opening.
The big advantage is to get rid of the very fine dust by the dry sifting. This makes rinsing so much easier. You will have to rinse the stuff for the tank.
A separate question on the blasting media from tractor supply. Does anyone know what it is made of? I may be wrong but seem to recall it is from some sort of industrial byproduct.
its coal slag a byproduct of coal burning facilities. its ignert and chem free meets drinking water standards. http://www.ati-blackdiamond.com/our-business/frequently-asked-questions.html
Hello; This must be different than coal ash then. We had a big problem with coal ash at the Kingston power plant near Kingston TN a few years ago. One of the ash ponds gave way and flooded the area. The ash was considered toxic and was an expensive cleanup.
For some reason I had thought it was the slag (impurities) removed when making steel.
thanks
The black diamond blasting sand above does look very nice, I had it in one of my tanks for a while (transitioning it out for eco complete). It however is very light and easy to suck up with a gravel vacuum. But you can always just put it back in. Also yo have to be careful when cleaning the glass as it is very abrasive and will scratch.
^ agreed with the sharpness part, i scatched an old tank quite bad coz of it accidentally...