# Sandtastik Sand



## Jamblor (Dec 21, 2010)

Has anyone tried this in their tank? I've seen a few posts about this stuff on other sites but nothing definitive. They are also located in Port Colborne which I believe is the place people refer to when they say "I got my sand somewhere near Niagara"

The page says it's waterproof? But some people have used it?

http://www.sandtastik.com/index.php/shop/product/39-classic-colored-sand-25-lb-box


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

Its funny that they describe their sand as '_waterproof_' yet go on to say '_not recommended for use with water_'. They should be saying 'water resistant' if it is not totally impervious to water. 

Then again, there are a lot of products where companies will post disclaimers just to prevent legal issues down the road. Silicone is one example...

I use King brand playsand from home depot for my sand substrate. While it may not come in snazzy colors, it is natural riverbed sand without any add ons, and proven safe for aquarium use (you're find tons of posts online from users who have had positive experiences with it), not to mention quite cheap.

However, I can understand the appeal that colored sand would create. I'm sitting here, looking at my tanks, and the substrate seems kinda dull, now that I've seen those snazzy colors from that link 

Al.


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## Jamblor (Dec 21, 2010)

Yea playsand seems to be the cheapest alternative I just really like the look and contrast of a black sand substrate.

Their website also says that the sand is actually a feldspar. And feldspars when crushed generally take on a more or less cubic shape. So they must coat the grains with something to make them coloured. 

Maybe I can find a small sample around here to test it out, there are apparently a few dealers in Mississauga.


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

Jamblor said:


> Yea playsand seems to be the cheapest alternative I just really like the look and contrast of a black sand substrate.
> 
> Their website also says that the sand is actually a feldspar. And feldspars when crushed generally take on a more or less cubic shape. So they must coat the grains with something to make them coloured.
> 
> Maybe I can find a small sample around here to test it out, there are apparently a few dealers in Mississauga.


Yes, testing would be the best way to go. Even then, u gotta keep yer fingers crossed with the coated stuff. I picked up black coated gravel from BA a while back. It never had a problem for 6 months or so, and then started leeching. I'd see small pieces of the coating caught in my filter wool. Chucked it.

If you are going black, I remember years back there was black 'volcanic' sand on the market. Haven't seen it in a long while though. I've seen black carib sea sand, but I'm presuming your setup is FW?

Al


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## Jamblor (Dec 21, 2010)

Yea Tahitian Moon Sand is I believe volcanic sand. So I'm assuming it would be from basalt. Which would be great except I've heard people say that it's rather sharp and could injure fish that like to dig or rummage through it.


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## Jamblor (Dec 21, 2010)

Just a follow up to what I was saying, I picked up a small 1 pound bag to test this sand at a craft store.

It's pretty fine grained and the grains are not entirely black, more of a smoky, transparent black.

Testing it in a jar with water had the initial results that is is slightly hydrophobic, although I believe this may be a residual coating on the grains.


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

Great!
We'll all get to benefit from your findings...


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Fwiw, I've got Tahitian moonsand, and it feels very soft to the touch. Smooth grains, not that I have looked at them under a microscope, but they seem rather like play sand, not like builders sand or concrete sand. 

I've got it in a tank with some loaches and corys. All seem completely undamaged by it after a few months time.. all kuhli type loaches. But I've had at least one loach get quite scraped up in another tank that has Eco Complete substrate in it. Not sure if he did the damage on the substrate or a rock. 

But the moonsand is so far the softest substrate I've come across, though that's not saying much, I've not exactly done a wide comparison. 

As I said I also have EcoComplete, which is a lot coarser, and then yet another brand of a small grained river substrate that is also relatively smooth, but not as smooth as Moonsand. 

Fwiw, my first bag of moonsand was dry. But I have another now that's wet packed, but I have not opened it and cannot tell if it is as fine or smooth as the first one. It looks similar, as much as I can tell through all the print on the bag. I hope it's as smooth, because some of the loaches I plan to keep on it do like to burrow, some nearly bury themselves at times, so I wanted something as smooth as I could possibly get.


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