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MattinIdaho 
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 Posted: August 23 2011 at 12:49pm |
Sounds like it. If you would have posted that up on KSL you would have have $150 in your pocket because I would have bought it from you  I searched for a long time before I bought what I did. I thought it was going to be great. The guy I bought it from had a 90 set up and when he showed it to me he pointed to his sand and said "this is what you are getting" and it was beautiful white sand. I have never seen sand more beautiful than what I bought except for the color. The actual sand shape and size is just incredible stuff.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 24 2011 at 12:11pm |
This message board is the most awesome source of truth about keeping reef aquariums.
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BobC63
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Posted: August 24 2011 at 1:06pm |
 MattinIdaho wrote:
Sounds like it. If you would have posted that up on KSL you would have have $150 in your pocket because I would have bought it from you I searched for a long time before I bought what I did. I thought it was going to be great. The guy I bought it from had a 90 set up and when he showed it to me he pointed to his sand and said "this is what you are getting" and it was beautiful white sand.
I have never seen sand more beautiful than what I bought except for the color. The actual sand shape and size is just incredible stuff. |
Hold on a second, Matt... Mark mentioned this earleir on, but I didn't actually read it closely until now...
If you are looking at your sand inside your tank, with your aquarium lighting on, and wondering why it looks "brown" instead of "white"
- and you DON'T have any water in your tank yet (DON'T being the key word here...) -
Then YES, the sand will look brownish... it doesn't look "white" until immersed in saltwater.
Here are a few pics for proof:
Tank with sand and rock in it but NO WATER YET; see how tan the sand looks?
Same tank after water has been added; note the difference in sand color:
The presence of water DOES affect the spectrum of reflected light (good call Mark!) and saltwater will actually reflect a slightly different spectrum than freshwater will on top of that (SW being more 'dense')
Put some saltwater in your tank, turn the lights on, and I'll bet you will see alot more "white" out of your "tan" sand...
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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ptronsp
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Posted: August 24 2011 at 3:41pm |
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We live out in Grantsville and there have been a few people ( us included) that collected the wrong sand the first time out. That being said I completely agree with Bob because when we first added the *right* stuff I was concerned because it was so brown looking before we added the water.. once water was added it was amazing the difference.
Why pay for Utah sand when you can literally collect it yourself for free?? That is if you live close enough to do so. I think it's silly people charge for free sand.
Good luck to you and if you are in need of sand just send us a PM and we can go collect some for you :)... no charge :).
Pam
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The only clowns I like are in my tank!
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MattinIdaho
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Posted: August 24 2011 at 4:10pm |
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BobC63 That looks EXACTLY like my sand. Is yours really round grains. The color is spot on.
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BobC63
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Posted: August 24 2011 at 4:27pm |
Matt - I don't have that particular sand anymore (I sold the whole setup earlier this year) but I believe the sand had a roundish grain to it.
I am using Utah sand in my current tank again, and can show you it is very "white":
(The brown patches are just a little algae buildup)
I am thinking that once you add your water in, you will be please with the color on the Utah sand...
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 4:26pm |
I agree with Bob. Come to think of it, yes the sand does look tan before water. Sorry I didn't think of it earlier. I've done so may tanks, it doesn't even cross my radar anymore. Good call Bob. 
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MattinIdaho
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 8:17pm |
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How much water do you have to add before you would notice the color change? Do you think a couple inches would do it? Just so I could test it?
Edited by MattinIdaho - August 25 2011 at 8:18pm
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BobC63
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 8:30pm |
Stop worrying and fill'er up! Seriously, brown sand is silica sand (like sandbox sand)... and each silica sand grain is angular and crystal-shaped; NOT round or oval. If your sand is round or oval, you are golden. I'm not sure how much water you would need to see a difference - I have never added only 'some' of the water, and then rigged up lights and looked at it...
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 8:36pm |
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I'd try a little of it in a quart sized glass jar filled with saltwater.
I'm very curious to see your sand dry and in the shade outdoors. Can you send another pic to the number below? I'm concerned about the black flecks. Good Utah Sand doesn't have any other colors.
For many years I collected and gave away Utah sand and rock.
I just did a Google search "utah sand for aquarium" The reefkeeping tips thread below came up as hit #5 even here in Hawaii. I assume you found that thread when you were searching for sand. I have shipped sand and rock to hobbyists out of state. Did you drive to Clearfield to pick up this sand? Did the seller offer any Utah Rock?
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BobC63
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 8:41pm |
Mark - One time when I collectred Utah sand I got some with little black flecks in it... looked like a little bit of pepper mixed in with salt. It probably wasn't from the 'best' collection site, but it was harmless...
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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MattinIdaho
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 8:48pm |
No rock, only the sand. I have some other sand on the way. That is why I don't want to just fill it until I can see the 2 side by side. I do want to see what this that I have now looks like under water though. I am probably going to end up with a 4x2' area of some primo sandbox sand for my kids to play in when this is over.  I will take a picture now and see if it comes out. Might have to wait until tomorrow in the sun. Thanks again everyone!!
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MattinIdaho
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 9:04pm |
In a 1qt jar with 1" of sand in the bottom and 1.024 saltwater the color is no different. Mabey I need more water but as of now there is no change in color.
Sent you a picture of the sand Mark.
Edited by MattinIdaho - August 25 2011 at 9:05pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 9:19pm |
This is not good Utah Sand. It has other stuff mixed in. It may not hurt anything but it's not going to be the uniform white sandy beach of water buffering aragonite sand you may have been looking for. What type of sand did you order? Here is the pic you sent: 
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MattinIdaho
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 9:55pm |
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Marcorocks Argonite. I have heard good things about it. They were great to deal with.
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MattinIdaho
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Posted: August 25 2011 at 9:56pm |
I had a little sand left over from the tank when I bought it. Put an inch of it in a qt jar with Salt Water and it whitened right up. I could have used it to start with but it's really coarse and I want to keep some gobbies.
Edited by MattinIdaho - August 25 2011 at 9:57pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 26 2011 at 8:19pm |
I'm wondering if you might want to ask this MB before making reefkeeping decisions. There are many of us here with many years of prime experience. Unlike many other forums on the web, we are not a lot of loud newbies that just don't know much. We will not berate your decisions. We will let you know all the options but won't hold back when what you are thinking of doing is not a good idea and why. Do your research here from now on. You won't go wrong. For example, your statement about Gobies. They are actually okay in various types of sand, but are you aware of the problems Gobies cause to a LS bed?
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MattinIdaho
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Posted: August 26 2011 at 10:13pm |
Yes I have read about that. I'm willing to take the negatives that could be caused. This has been a good slow project for me. I'm making mistakes as I go but I am learning and asking questions. I have read many books and have studied. I have changed my plans for corals and fish about 50 times since learning things about different species. I am lucky to have a few good friends up here that are knowledgeable and have helped me with many things but the sand thing was a mystery to everyone I knew. I actually posted the question on other sites as well but this one was the most helpful. As of today I am happy. I have my new sand and I really like it and I already love the rock I have and I am excited to start my cycle. Thanks for all of the help. I'm not shy about asking question and for sure not to proud to learn from others. |
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 27 2011 at 11:28am |
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"Cycling" a tank is a thing of the past. Have you read about that?
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nrbelk
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Posted: August 27 2011 at 2:21pm |
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Cycling is a thing in the past? What do you mean?
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