 Don't sweat silicates that much
HI,
I use a phos reactor to remove silicates and I usally wash sand and soak it a day or two before adding.
I find the really fine sand works better than those expensive crushed coral or even the argonite sands as long as you have a it a few inches thick and I usally put one bag of argonite on top.
But many of the DSB experts say silica dosen't dissolve in sea water from sand it comes already insolution with the tap water thats been treated.
I haven't had any problems with mine nock on wood.
My brisstle worms love it, the snails love it, and my pistol shrimp hates it cause it caves in so he shores up the sand with crushed coral pieces he's the best darn castle builder with crushed coral and that sugar sand.
Its Ammazing the work he done if a few weeks. every rock has a tube under it with a quick exit, of the brisstle worms come into the cave hunting molting pistol,shrimps.
my local PHD marine bio says argonite dosen't work unless the ph hits 7.8 or lower mine never gets to 8.2 cause I use kalkwasser that spike KH and PH. So my arogonite has never used to buffer. 
notice the black layer under the sand, its a flume that removes nitrates and NH3 and turns hydrogen sulfite to iron based salt .
Many people don't understand DSB's they can only crash if the organisms that support them go extinct due limited gene pools most orgnaism can't have binary reproduction for ever.
My primary sump has 50 pounds of builder sand and washed 40 pounds of that laval rock in apile in the center and a 1 dollar plant reforguim shoe box, high tech low expense. And two skimmers 
Doug
_________
55 GAL OP, 37 GAL SEA HORSE TANK, 5 CLARKI,
2 MARRONS,2 SERPANT STAR,1 RANDALL PISTOL,NUMEROUS HERMITS,2 SKUNKS,
4 PEPERMINT,1 ANAEMONE, SEVERAL SOFT CORALS, 2 ADULT W/C SEA HORSES,8 CHROMIS.
1 B 1 LM BLEEMY,1 WATCHMAN,1 TRUE PERCULA, 2 TANGs, 1 gold angel 1 ROYAL BEAUTY. 1 20 GAL SUMP WITH 1skimmer, 1 fluidized sand filter,
REFORGIUM, AND DSB IN MAIN AND SUMP, right handed hermits.
Last edited by djnzlab1; 06-25-2007 at 06:35 PM.
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