Black Diamond blasting sand grades

HI guys, wanted to share the website to black diamond blasting sand so people could see what they were buying as far as grain size:Black Diamond Coal Slag | Black Diamond Abrasives

The bags don't always say course/fine etc and there are 6 different sizes available.

The grades from course to fine are:
1240 course
1630 medium course
2040 medium
2850 medium fine
3060 fine
4080 extra fine

The grade can be found on the top of the bag, marked with a marker:


This example is 1630.

It is important to know this detail as the pallets (at least at my local retailer) are often mixed.

When choosing your grit consider your stocking, followed by the ease of cleaning. The course stuff is the easiest to clean but it's the most abrasive to fish that like to belly drag or sift through it.

The fine stuff is like black moon dust and harder to clean before usage and during tank maintenance, but easiest on the fish that like to belly drag or sift.

I typically use 1630 as it's easy to clean but would use something finer if I had fish that ingest sand as part of their digestion process.

For comparison: the HTH pool filter sand that is also common in diy aquaria is right between 1240 and 1630 by the time all of them have been thoroughly cleaned.

I also recommend cleaning black diamond in hot water as there is some oil involved in the production process that is a bit stubborn in cold water. The oils have been said by others to not harm their fish but need to be mopped off the top with a paper towel or skimmed with a bowl.

I hope this post helps someone down the road when they select their diy substrate. Enjoy the build.

 

An update on this subject, I have found extruded glass rods in the 1240. It is likey just super heated sand that was pulled through the machines in processing. It does not seem especially sharp but I would still recommend using the finer grades especially if you are going to keep sand sifters.

I have noticed that the glass has a relatively thick mimimum diameter to form and theorize none of the chunks can pass through the finer screening process. My tanks full of 1630 have none of the rods I noticed in two different bags of 1240.

 

I grabbed a bag the other day. I asked the cashier for 20/40 but they brought me the 30/60. I was on lunch and didn't check bag before leaving. Will the finer particles cause gill problems for my fish? Using sponge filter. Hoping it settles soon. And what happened to the app?

 

I do not think the finer sand should hurt their gills anymore than the right stuff. The finer sand goes through a better screen process too, so maybe it would actually be "safer" in that regard. It will kick up more from swimming fish or siphoning, it may also be a little too compact-able for some root plants but I haven't used it yet to say for sure. Let us know how it goes.

Edited. I wish someone would have quoted me, looked like I hadn't had my coffee yet..