View Full Version : Beach Sand, instead of buying Livesand?
ChupaMiPinga
11-26-2003, 5:24 PM
I am thinking of starting a 90 Gallon Saltwater tank and have been doing alot of research and I have read numerous things about people using 50/50 Livesand/Playsand(dead sand). Im not too far from the beach itself and was wondering if I were to go fill up a dozen 5 Gal buckets of sand to fill my tank with instead of spending a pretty penny on the store bought which I would think would be the same thing in a bag if not better, would this work?
I would advise against it - too much risk of introducing contaminants into the tank....unless you gather sand from many miles offshore. Also, check on the legality of collecting from the ocean in your state - some places do not allow it and some have rather severe penalties.
ChupaMiPinga
11-26-2003, 6:27 PM
Well, a co-worker is going down to Key West and he is also starting a 90 Gallon and was going to do the same thing and I was gonna get him to collect the sand for me aswell while hes down there.
As for the legalities, Im more worried about contaminants getting into my tank.
OrionGirl
11-26-2003, 8:54 PM
Please do verify that it is legal. While you may not care, this attitude hurts all hobbyists. Not only does violating the law give us--as a group-- a bad name, it also increases restrictions. Those affect all of us. If you illegally collect sand or rock, you'll face fines, and encourage bans on live sand for everyone.
Plus you will have to keep the live sand alive. That means at least keeping it wet for the whole journey and that seems like it would be a much bigger burden than just buying some.
ChupaMiPinga
11-27-2003, 9:17 AM
Well, I am unaware of any laws restricting the sand locally, but I doubt it will be that good of sand. Ill look that up before I act up on it.
As for the Keys, removing anything is illegal down there. I know this for a fact from getting my diving certification down there. Then again, I will not be the one collecting it nor will I be able to pursuade my co-worker to not get any. So if hes getting some for his tank, why not mine to. Thats how I look at it.
I wouldn't want to ruin it for future hobbyists, but I really doubt he would caught. And in my honest opinion, legislation to ban live sand for everyone cannot and will not be passed, I would elaborate but I have to go get ready for Thanksgiving Dinner!
As for the sand, it should make a few hours drive contained in buckets with 1/5 water, hopefully.
Happy Thanksgiving guys!
:D
Originally posted by ChupaMiPinga
I will not be the one collecting it...
So if hes getting some for his tank, why not mine to...
...but I really doubt he would caught.
That's the attitude OG was talking about http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
ChupaMiPinga
11-27-2003, 8:39 PM
I don't really see any kind of an* attitude. You are simply reading too much into it. All I see is an opportunity.
Anyways, I probably won't be needing that much sand. I do still need to get around 20 lbs of LIVE sand, preferably the stuff that doesn't come in a bag. Unless anyone knows of a brand that is actually quality live sand with living organisms in it?
thumper
11-27-2003, 9:17 PM
just do what og and gcvt say and buy it :mad:
mogurnda
11-28-2003, 7:14 AM
Here's an easy solution. You are in Tampa, so go to Tampa Bay Saltwater (http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/) and get some excellent, legally collected live sand. It is full of life, and relatively cheap. I wish I was close enough to do it, I had to have it shipped to me.
Ignoring the fact you have an utterly irresponsible attitude...
I would worry about contamination, and getting the right grain size. I don't know why you need a 50/50 livesand playsand mix either - if you want to save money just use more playsand and wait.
I don't see the transport as being a problem, unless you have to do some time at the police station
ChupaMiPinga
11-28-2003, 11:27 PM
Well, I am new to the whole aquarium thing. I still know very little about the right kind of substrates or what to use. A simple question has just been taken way out of proportion. Rock alone costs an arm and a leg for even a small tank, I was just looking for an inexpensive solution to a problem. I'm really not utterly irresponsible, didn't want to come off like I was. I have just been told so many things from so many different people on how to set up a tank, and before I knew you could just 'seed' regular playsand, the owner of the LFS told me I would need to buy all live sand to get my tank to cycle properly. I just really didn't want to spend like ~$200 on some sand.
As for Tampa Bay Saltwater, I have already visited them around 3 times to see what kind of live rock they sold. They are around a 15-20 minute drive, so thats not hard at all to make. Everytime I have actually been there, they never had any sand available. This was all before I did alot more research and found I didn't need that much sand. I mean, 150 lbs of sand at $2/lb is $300... just for some sand. That was the reason for the whole question. Sorry for coming off like an irresponsible jackass.
No one has mentioned Southdown/OldKastle sand yet....is that available at Home Depots in FL? If so, that's the best way to go - buy bags of that for ~$4 each and seed that with a little live sand from the LFS or other reefers. That'll save you a ton of cash and make for a great sandbed.
Then go back to your LFS and tell the owner he's an *&#~!#@*^$ for telling you that you had to cycle with all live sand :)
reddfish
11-30-2003, 12:41 AM
Some considerations with using sand from Key West, which is wear I lived for awhile last year....
The island had quite a few houseboats residing nearshore on the north side of the island and still may, which means massive quantities of pollution entered water in that entire area (you may notice the algal growths if you look in the nearby waters). My friend lived on a house boat and his toilet consisted of a 5 gallon bucket. Flushing was as easy as a tipping that thing overboard. And on an island that only spans 2x5 miles, this can have quite an impact on the entire areas water quality. And it has, reef degredation over the past ten years is staggering. In addition to 'houseboat row', there are quite a few restaurants and marinas surrounding much of the last island on the keys, which is just additional pollutant exposure. Last but not least, the beaches on Key West are artificial. They ship all the sand in from up the keys (or elsewhere, I don't know really). I have watched it come in by the truckload.
You can collect a lot of things in Key West, legally. Many fish, crabs, and even plant life can be collected, as long as you have a Florida fishing license. I suggest picking up a set of regulations when you get the license. Live rock and sand however, are probably restricted though. I did hear that any live coral (which legally, I believe, includes algae encrusted rock in Florida) carried severe fines. Plus the island has virtually no unpopulated beach or sand access at any hour, so good luck walking away with any material in privacy.