WTB- 2 bags of play sand in Houston

[JasonF]

I am in desperate need of two bags of play sand as I am setting up my reef here in Houston. Email me at jasonwfarrar@gmail.com if you have any or know where I can get it. Thanks! Jason

[Neptune@gabesfish]

Dont think I would use play sand but if thats what you want to use.. Home Depot less than $5..

[JasonF]

I should clarify, I mean reef appropriate sand, not silica based like at Home Depot.

[carong]

I don't think any kind of play sand is good for reef, unless they are in the reef tank for a long time.

[jroescher]

There used to be a reefsafe play sand sold under the name of Southdown. It was rare to find it in this part of the country, but occasionally someone would ship a pallet down. That company is no longer.

Am I really that old that I remember that?

As far as I know, the only thing available now is aragonite from your LFS.

[corruption]

jroescher is right -- the line was Southdown/Old Castle (and one other name later).. there are some aragonite based playsands available -- but all play sands are based on geological distribution... its cheaper to grind up whats local to keep down shipping costs. As far as I know, theres one major distributor who runs/controls the aragonite trade, mining it from somewhere within the Caribbean..

As a good litmus test for the appropriateness of a substrate, put a sample of some sand in some vinegar... if it fizzes, its calcium based and likely aragonite -- if not, its likely quartz silica based.

-Justin

[JasonF]

Southdown is what I am looking for. I had two bags in my garage from a few years ago. I just need more. I thought people would still know what I was talking about.

[ErikH]

We know what you are talking about but it just isn't as readily available as it was if even still available. If you find it, let us know.

[corruption]

Southdown was manufactured by a company called Old Castle -- which eventually became the common name of the product. This name eventually changed again, to Yardright. The company has essentially constantly done a dancing game to avoid the attention they caught when Southdown was more common -- as this cuts into the premium fees attained by selling hobbyists aragonite. If you're gonna find it, it'll likely be as Yardright... but I haven't heard of anyone, in any state, having success locating Yardright/Old Castle/Southdown in 3-4 years... And I've looked :)

-Justin

[JasonF]

Thanks for the info guys. Ill suck it up and spend an arm and a leg at the LFS here in Houston (though I dont know where any are here yet, just moved). Now I wish that I had not used 5 bags in my cactus bed at my old house in Austin!!!!

[ismvel]

You can always do a search in the Houston Forums for the Yardright / Old Castle / Southdown to see what you come up with. You may get lucky and find some. :) Good luck

[Bigun]

Pulverized limestone works great and only cost around 5.00 at Home Depot for 50lb bag. Only down side is it has to be washed to get the fine stuff out of it. But looks great in the tank and works great. WalMart sometimes will have it as well.