Sands

HayleyK

HayleyK

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Hayley
I found some cool coloured sands at the pet shop which is labelled hermit crab sand. The back says it's non toxic, precleaned, not harmful to aquatic life and plants and doesn't affect water chemistry in aquariums. Would I be able to use it in my tank? Also how (un)safe is silica sand to use?
 
I used silica sand in my tank. It doesnt change anything,
it is just a HUGE hassle to clean (Thats why i tiled mine)

Its completely safe. The safest of the sands because each particle is round and soft - there are no sharp edges to each particle :)
 
Silica is one of the recommended sands, but it can cause problems with cloudiness because of the fine particles - you'll need to wash it anyway to remove the tiny dusty particles.
 
The silica sand I found is used for paths, like in between tiles as I was unsure. I'm not sure what sand the hermit sand is made from but if it says it's safe... It's safe right? In just paranoid about it affecting my guys.
 
Are you sure the Hermit sand wont affect your PH?
Silica sand is the best, as long as you wash it in a bucket - leave it in the bucket for 10 minutes and then wash it again. Do this 4 times or so and you wont have much cloudiness
 
Yeah I always wash my sand anyways :) and it says it doesn't affect water chemistry so I'm guessing it won't affect pH
 
I thought that hermit sand was an absolute no for axies? I could be wrong, but I swear I remember seeing that someplace.
 
That's why I was concerned because hermit sand should stay dry, but it says it's safe for aquatic life and aquariums without affecting the water... Such a dilemma!
 
For some reason I don't think that the Hermit sand would be suitable.
It says that it provides Calcium for Hermit Crabs, It could be great for aquariums, but Axies are very finicky with their water and I wonder if the Calcium wouldnt affect the hardness of the water?

Just a thought. I could be completely wrong though
 
I think that was the part that was the problem, now that I think about it. All I remembered was that it wasn't good for axies, but it may be ok for other critters. I wish I knew more about it so I could give you a better answer XD
 
So does this 'sand' have a mixture of ingredients - such as silica and calcium carbonate? If it is a mixture you'll need to check each ingredient for axie safety. If it's pure silica sand it's safe.
 
No list of ingredients, I looked at their site as well as it doesn't list what it's made of. Night send them an email.
 
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