darrellw Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I just got my Super Nimble Nano glass cleaner (http://www.nimblenano.com/). It is supposed to use very high power magnets, so that it is small but strong. I dropped the inside part into my tank, and after I took it out it was covered in sand, which appeared to be magnetically attracted. I'm using "Nature's Ocean Bio-Active Black Reef Sand". As far as I know, the fact it is attracted to the magnet would imply it is very high in iron. Is that a concern? Thanks Darrell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I would be curious to see what others think on this subject. I personally have never used black reef sand and have thought about it but have been hesitant for reasons just like this. I would guess that over time iron and other metals found in the sand would begin to cause a bit of a problem. Then again I have seen some sweet reefs that have used it though I cannot attest to the amount of time they had been established. Nice find and interesting subject. Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 If it is iron, I guess it'd be similar to GFO wouldn't it? If it's cobalt, it would be more of a problem but that doesn't seem likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Joel at Waves has black sand in his 60g cube. Call and ask him if he has had any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 And did anyone figure it out? I say iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Black sand possibly has some magnetite in it. Off the top of my head, and I could be wrong, it is a mineral that is Fe3O4. It has both iron-2+ and iron-3+ ions in it combined with the oxygen. It would not act like GFO. If it is from volcanic rock (like the black sand beaches in Hawaii) then it is probably mineral rich, which means it has all sorts of elements in there. Probably iron, manganese, and nickel are the most common "black rocks" if I remember right. I will admit that geology is one of my weak points. There are only three elements that have "strong" magnetic characteristics in their elemental state: iron, cobalt, and nickel. But once they start combining there are many that can become magnetic. Sand is most likely a combination of elements (compounds), not pure elements. So the answer is "it is hard to say what it is without further srudy" I am done with my lesson, it is now spring break. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 You piqued my curiosity Dsoz ;-) http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/work/miner3.shtml http://ezinearticles.com/?Do-They-Really-Have-Green-and-Black-Sand-Beaches-on-the-Big-Island-of-Hawaii?&id=1422058 According to the second article, Hawaiian black sand is basalt (thus not magnetic?)... and extremely rare. The first article discusses Santa Cruz black sand and makes specific mention of magnetite. Good call Dennis! Observation and subsequent research strongly suggests that Darrell's sand is not from Hawaii, but is instead possibly from California. Maybe this'd be a fun exercise for a science class? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Glad to know we have at least one smart person on these here forums... LOL.... Just kidding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 My concern would be with scratching the tank. You are going to want it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Darrell where you able to clean the sand from the magnet?? We are using the earth magnets to hold our panels up. They are extremely powerful and I was just wondering if you had problems getting the sand cleaned off the scraper after you dropped it. Two of these magnets together are a $%!#$@ to get apart if you let them get together. Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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