It is the "exoskeleton" of diatoms, but it's silica, not carbon
carbonate, the stuff of which glass is made. As Lyle said, it's
sometimes used to kill insects organically, such as dusting carpets with
it so that the flea larvae slice themselves to death while crawling over
it, or putting it out to deter snails in a garden.
I bought a pair of leos from a teenaged boy - they came in a tank with a
very fine sand, actual brand or composition unknown. 6 months later,
the gravid female was found sprawled outside her hide - she had eaten
the sand and the impaction killed her. The vet recommended using small
rocks, larger than a gex mouth, for a substrate. As leos will establish
a latrine in a favorite corner, or (as mine) use a little dish made of a
stonelike substance (I line it with paper for easy cleanup), there is no
problem of waste falling between the rocks. Feeding by hand or from a
plastic jar lid that prevents escape will eliminate the ingestion of
substrate while feeding.
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