Quote:
Originally posted by sjj80
Anything Silicate= Chronic Algae Bloom. Especially brown algae.
I would reccommend only using a sand that's made specifically for SW/Reef, like Caribsea, because silicate isn't the only possible contaminant you would have to worry about. It may cost more upfront but it will save $ in the long run because you won't discover later that you should've bought SW/Reef safe sand and then turnaround and pay the price you didn't want to pay upfront on top of what you've already paid! In my experience, I've learned my lesson the hard way, Don't make my mistake (lose time and $$$$$$), buy the right stuff the first time!!!!
It will be worth it.
Good Luck!
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while some algae will feed on silicates, silica based sand does not leach silicates into the water unless its under severe pressure. i have been running silica base sand from Lowes with absolutely no algae problems due to the sand. i had a normal diatom bloom at the start, but it quickly went away. diatoms must have silicates to live, which is why in most peoples tanks they are short lived. its also another reason to only use RO/DI water. that is the most common source for silicates in the water. dont know why it did work for you, but silica sand works for a lot of people on here.