For the record... Playsand has been nothing but a money saver and a great substrate for the time I used it. I do find your reasoning rather odd as I imagine there are hundreds of things you have used with your aquarium, buckets for example are they aquarium specific? Hoses, again aquarium specific? I doubt it, I understand the frustration Raptorrex has and the bewilderment that someone like yourself believes you can claim reimbursements because your fish have died or become ill by using a product. Only recently we saw on the tropical discussion Maidenhead Aquatics failing to stick to their Fish stock guarantee and blamed it on an ammonia/nitrite spike which their test kits detected. Do you really think a fish store will happily say... yep it must be the substrate?
I do believe some members will get the wrong message and feel that you are making them out to care less about their fish by choosing to opt for play sand, I have and still will regard playsand as one of the best substrates I have ever used. After all it is sand...
I'd like to just re-emphasise, yet again, that this thread wasn't created to discuss the suitability of play sand. I choose to avoid it because consumer law would not protect me if I wanted a reimbursement from a business seller as they would argue that the normal and recognised use for play sand pertains to outdoor use. Thus, theres a real threat that the seller could argue a refund is not possible since I never enquired, prior to contracting with them, that I wanted to use it in an aquarium, thereby not giving them the opportunity to explain it's suitability in such an environment.
I'd have to expressly ask that seller "is your general purpose play sand safe for use in an aquarium?". If the reply was something like "yes, absolutely", this is known as an 'overriding oral statement' which becomes a binding term of the contract. Thus, If I purchase the product and find it causes damage, ill health, leaching or has any other detrimental effect, I'd be able to claim a refund under the Misrepresentation Act 1967.
I haven't used play sand before so I don't know if it would have a detrimental effect, but I'd prefer to buy a substrate which states somewhere in it's description that it can be used in an aquarium safely. That way it, if it wasn't safe, I'd be able to claim a refund under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 under a claim of breach of 'description' and/or 'unfit for purpose'. I'm sure they would want to know my water parameters and a description of the other things in the tank before issuing such a refund which I would be happy to address for them.
I'm also person that likes to categorise things, so, buying a product specifically for aquarium use makes me feel happier than trying to buy a general purpose product which can be used for many things.
I think you've been barking up the wrong tree when thinking about the substrate being the cause of the problem however I have no real idea what it could be through this development.
Possibly, nobody can tell me why I've been barking up the wrong tree though. Since the GBR responds negatively when near the substrate, it would be logical to say somethings wrong with the substrate (which isn't play sand by the way; it's caribsea instant aquarium sand). The person named Wilder, who deals with Tropical fish emergency threads did imply it could be the substrate causing the rubbing as he adviced I take a water sample closer to the substrate. Since getting my planted tank thriving though, it's been hinted on the UKAPS website and also in another one of my threads on this forum that my API test kit won't give accurate readings as it may conflict with the new ferts I'm using.
I do believe some members will get the wrong message and feel that you are making them out to care less about their fish
They shouldn't really. They should instead read what I've said accurately. I'm more approaching this from a legal angle than a welfare angle.
I wouldn't accuse anybody of mistreating their fish unless it was obvious that that was the case. As i've said, I've never claimed play sand is dangerous to fish. I just see it as unsuitable from a legal standpoint.
/wormerplus.co.uk/
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