Southdown sand what is it and where do I get it?

[Swords]

I have been reading a heavy debate about southdown sand on the reef discussion board and didn't want to interrupt with this question but what is southdown sand and where can one find it for sale? and of course how much does it usually cost?

Thanks!:wavehand:

[Daniel]

it is play yard sand you can get it at home depot and I am not sure how much it cost I think it is like $6.00 a bag

[mgk65]

Here is a link that gives that info:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26193&perpage=25&pagenumber=1


mgk

[Carlos]

There is a place in upper Wisconsin that has it for sale now at $3.50 a bag and they have a couple of pallates left.

Email me for details if you are willing to drive there.

There is another guy in MN that also has a few bags of it and might be willing to part with some. He picked them up in Kansas City so he might be willing to part with them but I am guessing for a little more than $3.50. Not sure, you have to ask him.

If you want his email addy, email me. (just dont want him to get flooded with emails)

Carlos

[anathema]

What is this made out of? Is it calcium based? Are people just excited about the size?

[cyclist1]

It is an aragonite sand mined out of the Caribbean. It is the same as the CaribSea sand, only at a fraction of the price. If you can get it at a good price it is worth it, unfortunately it is expensive to ship because of it's weight. A bunch of us in Kansas City Split the price of a whole truckload of Southdown sand and it worked out to about $7 a bag. We had to show that we had enough demand to buy it all before they would even do it. I purchased 30 bags so that I would have enough for all of my future tanks. If there are lots of other interested reefers in your area then you might have some luck having some shipped to your local Home Depot.

Andrew

[Freckles]

I looked all over and called quite a bit of places in AZ for the southdown sand, and they don't carry it. I called the manufacturer and she told me they only go as far as Ohio, and not any farther west? :confused:

[RockTheCasbah!]

I'm glad someone posted on this. I was at Home Depot last night. The only sand I found was their play sand, but it threw me off because it didn't look real white and it didn't say "Southdown" on it. I tried asking an employee who didn't seem to know what I was talking about. Is all the playsand carried by all Home Depot stores the same? and this particular play sand is good to use as a base for live sand?

[mgk65]

Hello Rock:

If you read through the link I gave above, all your questions will be answered... :)


mgk

[anathema]

was over how people could get a good substrate cheap, and people paying $20 a bag here are nuts liek I thought?

[cyclist1]

Originally posted by anathema
was over how people could get a good substrate cheap, and people paying $20 a bag here are nuts liek I thought?

Thats pretty much it. Basically it a cost issue. If I have access to the Southdown sand, then there is no reason to pay $20+ a bag for Carib Sea, when I can get the same stuff for $4 a bag at home depot. Since we had the sand shipped to us the price of the sand was $7 a bag. That calculates to a savings of $390 dollars. That is not exactly pocket change. That is why so many people are working so hard to find the Southdown (Or Yardright) playsand.

Also realize that the Southdown sand has the suggested particle size for deep sand substrates.

Andrew