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Black Sand Floating

mkw

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I've just bought some black reptile sand from a local shop and when i've tried to clean it its floating in small bubble like pockets!

Its as if its water proof, any ideas? I've already got standard coloured reptile sand in the tank and had no problem cleaning that so i can't understand it..
 

JWERNER

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I've just bought some black reptile sand from a local shop and when i've tried to clean it its floating in small bubble like pockets!

Its as if its water proof, any ideas? I've already got standard coloured reptile sand in the tank and had no problem cleaning that so i can't understand it..


You say Reptile sand is if its something like Calci sand or Vita sand. Thats bad!

Now,if its not Calci sand or Vita sand and is indeed safe you probably didnt clean it good enough. Keep washing it and keep it agitated. Sometimes I have this problem with the Estes brand sand in which I swear by but eventually it will all sink once its washed thoroughly . The thing with Estes though is that its very clean out the bag and doesnt take much to wash it properly.

Maybe posting the brand could help more also.
 

dragonlady

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As JWERNER said, if this is calcisand or some other brand meant specifically for reptiles then it is unsuitable for an axolotl tank and will cause you all sorts of problems. If this sand has any form of calcium in it (most reptile sand does), you will need to remove this and replace it with a silica or quartz based sand (aquarium or play sand). About midway down this page, SUBSTRATES, there is a section discussing sand.
 

cellowithgills

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I had black sand in my tank for a while (I got it from a fish only pet store). It did exactly the same thing. The isn't necessarily "water proof" it just doesn't like getting wet. You just have to spend some time popping bubbles and moving the sand around. But those other guys are right, if it's the wrong type of sand, get it out of there!
 

mkw

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Its not actually in the tank, i was just cleaning it but the bugger kept floating up so i gave up!

I've got sand coloured reptile sand in at the minute and thats fine and dandy, got it from a pet store with someone who actually owns axolotls and breeds them! Normally i find stores have no idea about them to be fair.
 

mkw

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It didn't say anything on the packet, anyways its in the bin now! Doh!
 

dragonlady

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Its not actually in the tank, i was just cleaning it but the bugger kept floating up so i gave up!

I've got sand coloured reptile sand in at the minute and thats fine and dandy, got it from a pet store with someone who actually owns axolotls and breeds them! Normally i find stores have no idea about them to be fair.

This reptile sand you have in now, is it calcium based or quartz/silica based as Mac asked? Reptile sand in the US is almost always calcium based and not suitable for axolotl tanks. Irregardless if the individual breeds axies or not, if this current sand is calcium based, it will cause you problems and needs to be removed immediately.
 

mkw

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I'm not sure about that sand, if you wanted black then these guys sell some good stuff Sand | Buy Sand Online

Which of the black do you recomend then? Some says 2mm micro gravel and the other says 1mm sand, is 1mm ok or will it cause problems?

It sounds a fairly large grain size for sand but i've never tried measuring! hehe
 

daniellog

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Yeah 1mm is fine, its not really that thick to be honest. For my tank i just used play sand from argos, was cheap and is nice and bright.
 

dragonlady

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Regarding the Exo Terra Reptile Sand, sand made for reptiles normally contain minerals and/or calcium for benefit of the reptile and may prove harmful to your axolotl and the tank's chemistry. At the very least, it will most likely keep your tank cloudy.

Tahitian Moon Sand is absolutely beautiful and may be another alternative for you. Make sure that the sand you use is silica/quartz based.

Once you have the sand, make sure to rinse it out really, really well before adding it and once you have your tank together, make sure to post pics!!! :D
 

kuphie

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I agree with what the others are saying.

I use super naturals brand: Tahitian Moon Sand, and it looks great!
 

TheWaffleFairy

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Which of the black do you recomend then? Some says 2mm micro gravel and the other says 1mm sand, is 1mm ok or will it cause problems?

It sounds a fairly large grain size for sand but i've never tried measuring! hehe


I've just tryed caribsea Black sand, its really fine and i've got some of that floating around aswell it's all stuck in clumps around the top of the tank *sigh*
 

jclee

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Ah right, I thought you meant the black stuff.

This is what I have now:

Exo Terra - Products : Desert Sand

It just says natural desert sand with no added dyes or chemicals

I am pretty certain that this sand should be fine, and if you are not certain, there is a way to test it. As others have mentioned, some reptile-specific sands have calcium carbonate added to them. (Actually this is unsafe for reptiles for a number of reasons, and so hobbyists are upset that they keep making Calci-Sand). The problem this poses to aquatic set-ups is that it will make the pH more basic over time. If you are not sure if the Exo Terra has calcium in it (and I doubt it does; if it did, they'd try to plug it as a supposed "selling point" in their packaging, you can set some up in a bucket of water. Test the water's pH before adding the sand. Add sand and let it sit for two or three days, then test the pH again. If the pH has become more basic, there is calcium in the sand. (The added calcium in calcium-sands is pretty fine, so unlike with large stones, where we may not know for months if they are going to change our pH, you should be able to tell pretty quickly.)

A lot of companies make "reptile sands" that do not have calcium, but by labeling them "reptile" sand, they can charge more.

For those of you who do keep reptiles, and/or are thinking of it in the future, Calci-Sand really is evil. The powdery calcium particulates can cause eye problems, and it actually sand encourages ingestion in species like leopard geckos who might eat the sand to add calcium to their diet if there's not enough calcium available to them, and the additives in the sand make GI impaction a lot more likely. The sand clumps more readily in their tummies than play-sand would (and they might have been eating more of it to get calcium), and this often proves fatal. With such problems so well documented, I don't even know how they're able to turn a profit on the stuff any more.
 

mkw

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I agree with what the others are saying.

I use super naturals brand: Tahitian Moon Sand, and it looks great!

I ordered some Super Naturals Brand Tahitian Moon Sand but the muppet i bought it from on eBay has sent Caribsea instant aquarium Tahitian Moon Sand, will this be ok or should i send it back and get them to send the correct stuff?
 

Crysta

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exo-terra desert sand is no good for axies anyway, it's great for reptiles, you need to find a sand that doesn't alter your water's PH levels.

on eBay if you get something that does't match the description you should send it back for a replacement/refund anyway.
 

mkw

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exo-terra desert sand is no good for axies anyway, it's great for reptiles, you need to find a sand that doesn't alter your water's PH levels.

on eBay if you get something that does't match the description you should send it back for a replacement/refund anyway.

Thanks for the quick reply but that doesn't really tell me a lot about the instant aquarium stuff, looking on the caribsea site it seems its identical apart from being supplied in the bag "wet" and preloaded with dechlorinator and other bits and bobs to skip the cycling process on new tanks apparently.

Either way i'd be washing it so i doubt it makes a difference.

Plus this stuff seems to be more expensive than the standard super naturals brand so if its ok to use it i will and its tough! (had a bit of trouble with the seller from the start)
 
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