Red Sand?

[Elliriyanna]

Has anyone tried natural red sand for their tank? Its listed as reptile sand but after reading the bag it says its all natural with no additives or chemicals

And for those wondering why red ... well ... I have a jet black lotl, a grey, a freckled lucy and a golden melanoid ... natural cream could cause the black to lighten and black sand he will blend in ... I want a color thatb will make everyone stand out

 

[Kaini]

I thinkkkkk in general you shouldn't put reptile sand in aquariums because it's not meant to be submerged... Not 100% on this though...?

 

[Elliriyanna]

If its suppose to be just natural sand it shouldn't be any different than " aquarium sand" or " play sand"

Just my thoughts ... I don't see why one sand would be different than others if they are all natural ... most reptile sands have calcium added which is actually not even good for the reptiles.

But that's why I am here to see if there is something I am missing

 

[auntiejude]

From what I remember reptile sand comes from calcium based rocks. If it comes from non-calcium based rocks (like silica sand) it has calcium carbonate added.

So it may well be listed as 'natural' even though it's not suitable for an aquarium.

You could always buy some and try the vinegar test - pour some vinegar over the sand, if it reacts (fizzes) it's not suitable.

 

[Elliriyanna]

Re: Red Sand?t

Its kind of expensive so I will research it more its certainly not worth risking my lotls ...

When it said no additives I had hoped it meant no calcium as many calcium sands are not good for reptiles so that would be a selling point.

I have to pick up bloodworms tonight so I will see if the store carries it and check it out

Other than playsand are there any other options? I love red sand but if its not safe its not safe.

 

[HayleyK]

Most reptile sand over here isn't suitable as it clumps and never really settles because it is so fine - I had the same idea as you but most fish shops advised against it.

 

[bugdozer]

I'm not really contributing to answering the question here, but regarding the visibility issue - today I changed from dark grey sand to very light grey, because (a) I couldn't see my wildtype against it, and (b) more importantly, the poop was so camouflaged it made tank cleaning a nightmare because I kept missing it.

 

[Elliriyanna]

I will keep looking for sand types that will make everyone stand out

 

[JessJesting]

Crayola makes a colored play sand that's available at some walmart. It comes in purple green blue and pink. It's about 8$ for 20lbs I believe. It's silica sand. I emailed them and asked if its aquarium safe and I got a response saying it is. I've seen it used with success though I haven't got a chance to try it out myself.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elliriyanna]

Crayola makes a colored play sand that's available at some walmart. It comes in purple green blue and pink. It's about 8$ for 20lbs I believe. It's silica sand. I emailed them and asked if its aquarium safe and I got a response saying it is. I've seen it used with success though I haven't got a chance to try it out myself.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you Too bad those wont look super natural lol ... But its nice to know there are other options I will look online for it as well.

 

[JessJesting]

I know I was looking for a cheaper natural alternative as well. To make a black axie stand out more and I came across the crayola sand. I've seen some cool looking tanks but yeah unfortunately not natural looking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elliriyanna]

I know I was looking for a cheaper natural alternative as well. To make a black axie stand out more and I came across the crayola sand. I've seen some cool looking tanks but yeah unfortunately not natural looking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah the problem with me is I want something to work with a grey, a white, a black and a " cream" ( golden melanoid)

For your black its actually simple I would recommend play sand from home depot ... just look carefully at the bag and look for small grains. Its what I used for my grey.

 

[JessJesting]

Yeah I have used play sand in my fish tanks and it works great! Thats probably what I'll use. I wanted something different then plain ole' sand lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elliriyanna]

I know what you mean ... It can be a pain finding a proper substrate that looks nice and wont break the bank.