Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was at my local wal-mart today in Kansas City and I found this stuff.

It is called White Beach Sand and looks pretty good. I tried the vinegar test (although I've never done it before) and I couldn't really tell if the sand was dissolving or if it just moved because the vinegar made it contract. I didn't see any bubbles.

Anyway it doesn't say anything on the bag about what is in it.....I'm guessing it is man-made sand and not real tropical beach sand...but I wanted to get your guys' opinions on it.

I have NOT been able to find Southdown anywhere close to me in the midwest for years now...I was hoping I could use 80lbs of this stuff 20lbs of live sand for my 55gal. It is only 3 bucks a bag so I hope you guys approve as I don't want to pay to ship in expensive sand or even southdown from NY.

It is made by River City Landscape Supply, Inc.

What do you guys think?

Be careful with this stuff. If you want to try it, sift through it thoroughly and rinse it at least twice. Although there is still a risk, you should be able to get rid of at least 95% of any sharp objects in there. It may be safe, but sometimes even sand made for pets can be dangerous (such as the black sand made for reptiles by T-Rex--it's made from crushed glass and I've heard of several people reporting that they've been cut just running their hand through it.)

After that, test it out in a quarantine tank with an inexpensive fish and keep a very close eye on the fish's health and the water quality. You'll also want to quarantine this fish for at least a month, because poisoning can take a while to show up.