Ever thought about using play sand in your reef tank?
While play sand might seem like a cheap and attractive option, there are several reasons why I wouldn’t recommend it for reef tanks.
What’s in Play Sand?
Play sand often contains silica and other unwanted minerals. Silica can be a big problem because:
- It encourages algae growth: Silicates feed diatoms (a type of algae), which can quickly take over your tank.
- It introduces phosphates: Phosphates promote problem algae, which is bad news for maintaining a clean reef environment.
Even if the play sand looks nice, the risks outweigh the benefits. Plus, most play sands aren’t made with aquariums in mind, so they don’t offer any of the buffering or biological benefits that proper reef substrates do.
Cleaning Play Sand Is a Nightmare
Another thing to think about is how dusty play sand can be. When you first open the bag, it’s full of fine particles that will cloud up your water! I remember when I first got into reef keeping, I used buckets in bathtub to rinse it over and over again just to make it usable.
So if you’re imagining crystal-clear water with shimmering corals, this just isn’t worth the hassle.
Southdown Play Sand: The Exception?
There was one type of play sand, Southdown, that used to be popular among reef keepers years ago. It was cheap and silicate-free, making it safe for marine setups.
But here’s the catch: Southdown is really hard to find now (if not impossible). So unless you stumble across an old stash somewhere, this isn’t much help today.
Most modern play sands don’t meet these same standards. They’re just not designed with reef tanks in mind.
What Should You Use Instead?
For a healthy and thriving reef tank, stick with substrates specifically made for saltwater aquariums. Here are some good options:
- Aragonite Sand: This is my go-to choice because it buffers pH levels naturally by releasing calcium carbonate into the water.
- Crushed Coral: Great for tanks with higher flow rates because it doesn’t blow around as easily as finer sands.
These products are designed to support beneficial bacteria growth while keeping your water chemistry stable, something play sand simply can’t do.
Bottom Line Sure, play sand might look good at first glance and save you some money upfront. But between the risk of algae outbreaks and all that cleaning work, it’s just not worth using in a reef tank.
Stick with proper aquarium substrates instead, they’ll save you time and headaches down the road!
