Obsidian Sand?

First topic message reminder :

So i have been needing to switch to sand and i am gonna do it this weekend. I am doing black sand so i thought i only had two choices. Eco-complete substrate and Taihitian moon black sand.
But i just found a LFS that sells bulk sand, .45/lb. Its obsidian sand. I have never heard of it.
Pro/cons??? Any one use this?

Make sure you keep it stirred! Also, keep an eye on your bottom dwellers like Fern said. Don't want barbel erosion. Bad stuff.

It looks really thick in the pic but it's only about an inch thick. I was suprised it came out that thick since i only got 80 lbs. I stir it up every two weeks when i do water changes. So far the Cory cat, pictus', and golden nugget are loving it and have had no issues.

Good. Sounds like you found some rare stuff! Nice!

Ya maybe i did. but for the price this needs to be available to everyone! lol. I just found out it is actually distributed from Tacoma, WA. Which is right where i live so looks like i can get more if i ever need it.

I doubt its obsidian if its not sharp. Keep a very good eye on your PH!

I haven't had any issues with PH. if anything i think it is dropping it. I have been trying to raise it to 8.2 and no matter how much 8.2 water i add i seem to stay about 7.4? The only thing i have that might alter that is 2 smaller pieces of driftwood.

If you want to raise the PH add some shell, holey rock or coral. Its the safest way to do it.
Yes driftwood will drop it some.

crushed coral or pulverized limestone (limestone being cheap)

Holey rock is made from limestone!

yea i was thinking about adding some crushed coral in with the sand. I think it will give it a cool look and help my ph.

start out with 1 lb per 20gal. Give that a week or two and see how your PH is. If its still too low for your liking add another handful. You will also have to add more later on as crushed coral dissolves faster than whole coral or shell or limestone...... Just watch the size of your pieces and when they start to get smaller add more.
The thing with adding it to your substrate is that you wont be able to use it for soft water fish in the future.

Ok thanks for the help because i really didnt know where to start in adding it and how much per gallon. I got my ph to 8.2 now but what i am having problems with is the i do bi-weekly water change and i have 7.2-7.4 water and it lowers the ph when i do it. But what i have been doing is just adding the 8.2 powder to the water i have been putting in.

Obsidian can be napped to be used as optical grade surgical schapels.

Just do smaller and more frequent changes. Drop back to 5%-10% or so on a water change. Don't add the PH up stuff you wont need it with small water changes.... Its not good for the fish anyways.
With small amounts of water being changed the PH diff of 1 is not an issue at all. It may drop .1 for a few hours but that small amount will not affect the fish.

Hi Micah,
I know this forum is really old, but can you tell me where you got this sand? Or the name of the distributor?
Thanks!

Oh Nice First info i look for & you all have made it easy for a Noobie here to get his question answered fast. Thank You all.