Silica sand impossible to find.

[goodoo]

Silica sand is the sand to use problem is it is impossible to find. I live in canberra ACT.

[Merrilyn]

Look for some pool filter sand at pool shops.

It's light coloured, inert, and won't mess with your pH. :P

[goodoo]

I have rung alot of pool shops and they all stock zeolite and other wierd types of media. It seems like they dont use silica sand anymore.

[goodoo]

So any pool filter sand should be allright you think.

[BigDaddyAdo]

So any pool filter sand should be allright you think.

You need to specifically find Silica Sand. Have you tried Clarke Rubber? Have you asked a pool shop to order some in for you?

[bruceau]

2nd vote for clarke rubber here ... iv heard they have that stuff

[goodoo]

clarke rubber dont have it. Have tried everything I have rung about 30 pools shops. At this stage any white sand will do. Im getting frustrated sucks living in canberra some times.

[Merrilyn]

You can use the white sand sold for kid's sandpits, but wash it really well as it usually has some clay in it. Most garden centres should sell it by the bag. What you want is river sand.

Just make sure it's not beach sand as that packs down way too fine to allow roots to penetrate. Other choice would be a fine grade of gravel.

[swampy1972]

Regarding beach sand, more importantly it will raise your Ph and hardness so it's unsuitable for a low Ph, soft water tank.
I'd suggest trying some of your better landscape suppliers or maybe it's worth looking further afield than Canberra if you haven't already if you're prepared to travel a bit..
All the best ;)

[bruceau]

its good if you have Africans ;P

[Merrilyn]

Nah Bruce, I wouldn't use it in a tank at all. Although it has finely crushed coral in it, which would help buffer your pH, it packs down so tight, you would end up with anaerobic pockets which could prove a disaster. Just get some fine gravel and add some coral fragments from your LFS to buffer your water.

[AHC]

I went to 3 clark rubber shops before I found one that sold the stuff. Do not just rely on the one... Just went to their store locator. You only have one, Fishwick. Bummer.

As per everyone else then....

[prenzi]

G'day everyone,

I had a look at plain white quartz / silica sand and deemed it too artificial in look; finally we went with 300 kilos of kiddies sand from Bunnings, sold in bags at 9 bucks per bag. Cheap, light beige in colour, uniform grain size, just a pain in the a... to wash :D . However, it's worth the effort, as the tank afterwards looks very natural. I fertilise with Sears-Cronin modified, trace elements and co2 gas. Rainwater, weekly water changes, heaps of T5 5400 K fluoros from Bunnings as well, and the plants take off in a rocket-like fashion. I now have to "weed out the 950 litre tank every 2 weeks, don't even know where to go with all the cuttings and currently feed them to the chooks. Anyone in Adelaide interested who has fry in exchange ?

Cheers, Florian