Brew12
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My Tank Thread
I really wasn't aware that many people used this type of silica sand in their tanks
Another article I read was more strong on the fact that 'good quality' sand does not leach much silica
I don't think quartz sand is used in new systems much at all any more, of any quality. I do know some people who have set up very large systems have used it but it is much less common than it used to be. Aragonite has become the preference. The only issue with these sands and silicates is with contaminants in the sand. Caribsea now advertises their dry sand at 99%+ pure aragonite. I don't understand why they don't make the same claim for their live sand products.
Eden Tropics states their substrate is 95% pure aragonite so there is a little more likelyhood of silicate contamination there.
I believe many older tanks do use quartz sand which, as Lasse pointed out, are susceptible to leaching silicates.
and that even RODI water is likely the highest source of silicates in the tank (because people dont maintain their RODI)