Black Sand

[injektion]

so i bought this black sand and rinsed it and put it in the tank, thats all fine and dandy.

the problem is that some of the sand floats on the top and the sand at the bottom have bubbles that are coated with sand. how do i get rid of this?
is this because its not really sand? im gonna be cheesed off if this isnt real sand...

heres a link for the sand
<a href="http/peticious.com/aqua-terra-sand-5lb-b...33.html?ref=269" target="_blank">http/peticious.com/aqua-terra-sand-5lb-b...33.html?ref=269</a>

heres the pic of the top and bottom

 

[Loony Fish]

i don't know bet i don't like the looks of it

 

[Rooster]

Says it coated in acrylic, so basically you have a tank full of plastic beads.... its going to be gas attached to the surface of each particle - keep disturbing it and it should settle...

 

[injektion]

is that a good thing or a bad thing? it being coated in acrylic i mean.

i've been poking at them for a while and most of them have went down but the ones on the bottom still look the same.

 

[Rooster]

"Good or bad" is a very subjective matter.... im sure it is safe to use in a tank, but you have to appreciate that most tanks look like this when first setup, bubbles will form on most surfaces - but these will dissipate over a few days.

I would give it a couple of weeks, see how it goes... you might be surprised

Does sound "odd" though, as to WHY they need to coat a natural substance in plastic ! Obviously there was a need...as it would have cost money to do

 

[injektion]

i suppose it's easier to clean with the acrylic coat.

anyway thanks Rooster! i guess i'll just wait it out for a few days and see what happens

 

[dave_gray2077]

"Good or bad" is a very subjective matter.... im sure it is safe to use in a tank, but you have to appreciate that most tanks look like this when first setup, bubbles will form on most surfaces - but these will dissipate over a few days.

I would give it a couple of weeks, see how it goes... you might be surprised

Does sound "odd" though, as to WHY they need to coat a natural substance in plastic ! Obviously there was a need...as it would have cost money to do

The coating of acrylic is to give the sand that black colour. All coloured gravel (particularly the neon stuff) is the same to some extent. Although some methods can vary, such as using resin or vinyl as apposed to acrylic.

The only problem with the stuff is its coating is quite thin. Give the gravel/sand a few months in your tank and its natural colour will start to show through again as the coating starts to wear off. Purely an aesthetic thing though.