Where to buy sand in New Zealand?

Hey.
I'm thinking about changing my axie tank from gravel to sand (heard about all the bad things gravel does to axies).
However the only sand I have found so far was black and my axies are very dark coloured aswell which would make them very hard to see on the sand.
Has anyone in New Zealand got any idea where I can get lighter coloured sand?
Would sand from the beach be ok with washing and boiling it heaps?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated by me and my axies.
Cheers, Steffi

You can just use play sand. Im sure you can find it somewhere over there.

as jordan said, u can use play pit sand it usually comes pre washed but make sure u wash it again thoroughly, u should be able to get it any hardware/garden shop over there
personally i wouldn't use beach sand, but thats just me if u boiled it etc it would probably be ok but its alot of messing around....

hey steffi i can get you some sand if you like and post it to you. i have sand in my axie tank, its pretty much just beach sand but i got it from the pet shop, i used two 3kg bags for my four foot and they cost $3 each if i remember rightly. where did you find the black sand? id love some of that (3 out of my four axies a light) oh and dont use beach sand, it contains alot of nasties even after washing or boiling it

Hey Sharn,
I got the black sand from a landscaping supply place (can't remember the name) in Feilding. It's supposed to be prewashed but I rinsed it heaps anyway. It made the aquarium quite cloudy but is starting to settle now. Just a bugger I can't really see my axies in it

Where did you get the sand from? My tank is about 40 cm wide and 1 metre long, not sure how much sand I need for that.

Where do you live? Maybe we could meet somewhere and do a sand swap if you're not too far away.

My email address is pingu.mailbox@xtra.co.nz in case you don't want everybody here to know

If we could arrange something about the sand, that'd be awesome.
Cheers Steffi

i live in tauranga/ te puke. you would probably need a bag and a bit to cover the floor a cm or two. ill have to ring up the shop and see if they still have any in and see if the price is still the same. is your sand like the black sand from the beaches? isnt that made of iron?

ok i rang the shop and the lady said all they have is 'aquatic mix' now i have no idea if thats sand or if shes talking about the stuff you put under the gravel to make your plants grow. im going over there in the weekend anyways to get some fish shipping supplies so i will have a wee squiz then.

Cool thanks Sharn

I give up.
I've checked every place that has to do with sand in this area and all they have is dark brown or black sand.

The only thing that might work is slightly lighter brown sterile birdcage sand I found in the petshop here.

So, although beach sand contains lots of bad stuff, I'll go on a mission to the nearest beach and find some light sand to use. After lots of boiling and washing that should hopefully be ok.

But anyway thanks for all the advice everybody.

Cheers, Steffi

ok guys sorry to open the thread again but didnt see a point in starting a new one. i rung mitre 10 and they have play sand there but they arnt sure if its been exposed to any chemicals. should i just get it and wash it real good? its $40 for a cubic metre so, hoping i can get it in smaller amounts, it shouldnt be too expensive.
ta
oh if this is a no go ill ring up pool places for some filter sand

Sharn, i got my stuff from mitre 10 but it was pre-bagged, i paid $5 for 20Kg just wash it well
mine came in a clear bag with writting on it.....

Hey,
I was looking for sand too and rang all the pool places in this area and checked for playsand aswell. However they were all really dark coloured and the playsand I found was black and really uneven in size, so I ended up going to the nearest beach and getting a couple of buckets of quite fine light grey beach sand.
After lots of cleaning and baking in the oven it has been in my tank for a few weeks now, settled real quickly and looks really nice too.
The axies really seem to be enjoying the fine sand under their feet.

Anyway, I saw bags of dark coloured filter sand at pararubber that might be suitable for your purposes.

Also, I got a reply from 3M about the colorquartz crystals. They said "There has been limited Colorquartz sale in NZ and I think you may be able to get some from Boulder Bay in New Plymouth. I do not think anyone else would have any stock and we do not bring it into the country anymore."
I got a phone number for this place, if you are interested in ringing them, I haven't as I had already gotten the beach sand when they replied.

Hope you have more luck with finding sand than me Sharn

Cheers, Steffi

what colour is the filter sand? i either want white or that natural brown stuff (clay coloured). cool thanks rob, will make the trip to have a look soon

Well considering you're up north just drive to the beach, they have white sand beaches in Te Puke but you have to be careful about what the sand is made up of because it could affect the PH in the water.

You can order it or else you can buy it from a plant shop. You do have to make sure it's not treated but I don't think it would be at a plant shop. I've hear mitre ten sells sand, you'll just have to ask their suppliers.

You know those quarries next to rivers? I suppose you could go over and ask if you could nick some.

we have no beaches at all in te puke and taking sand from the beach is not the best solution, beach sand harbors ALOT of bacteria, even with baking and boiling you still may get some bugs. and yes, shells affect your ph.

im having a look at mitre ten soon, probably get some from there, if its safe for little kids to roll around in and eat and get up their noses etc itll be safe for axies after a good long bake in the oven!

I didn't mean IN te puke but like drive over to papamoa or something heck I dunno but that's true about the bacteria...so yeah mitre ten's your best bet. Kids do disgusting things with sand. :-|