using sand from beach

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stephenray75

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Mar 9, 2004
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Any opions on using sand from my local beach. I got it from the desserted part of the beach. My local FS owner told me not to buy any sand from him but got to the beach and wade out a little then dig me up some. (just so you know I did do it and it is just sitting in my tank cycling. It will be cycling for the next month or two.) oh this is going to be a reef tank.

thanks.
 
Since you've already collected it, this is more an FYI--you should check your local regulation regarding the collection of items before heading out. In many places, collecting requires a permit, and is sometimes not allowed at all.

For using it--depends. There are some areas where I wouldn't consider it--the shorelines are where pollutants concentrate the most, and some residues can be deadly in your tank. Ideally, collecting is done from deeper areas, away from coastlines.

Personally, I wouldn't risk it. Why? For about $10, I can go buy all the sand I'll ever need from the local landscaping place, know it's clean, and not worry that I saved $10 by collecting sand, but end up killing $100's worth of fish and inverts from some toxin in the sand.
 
just outta curiousity, can you use sand from a freshwater lake? i live next to lake champlain, and i know a beach which has beautiful black and red sand.
 
the sand

there aren't any regulation (at least I think) the local fish club goes down there and collects fish. Also I went to the most deserted area of the beach (the nude area no one was there) the local fish store did it for his pond. he breeds fish. If i give it awhile hopefully I can remove most toxins if any.
 
Ok, it sounds like this guy uses it for a freshwater setup or just fish only. If you are talking about using it as a reef bed, I would hold off. Reef tanks are extremely touchy to heavy metals that could be in the sand. I have heard horror stories of people with tanks that have been containment with heavy metals (such as pennies being dumped into the sump) and had to get rid of their live rock and sand and start from scratch again. Because one contaminated, it is hard to remove the toxins. Listen to Orion Girl she knows her stuff. Plus in many states there are regulations for collecting live sand. So you do have to check with your local DNR to find out if you are violating any regulations. You do not want to be picked up and ticketed and fined for a bucket of sand.

jim
 
Is the sand out of the Gulf? If so, there's no way I'd put it in a tank. I used to live in Houston and know what the Gulf looks/smells like....YUK!

With appropriate sand being so cheap, I can't see taking the risk. What happens when your tank is all set up and starts having major problems down the road? You don't want to be wondering if it's because of bad sand, right? Better to start off as sterile and clean as possible.
 
I used beach sand in my reef tank. Right now there arent many corals. Just a shroom, which I might add is doing very well. I brought the sand home from Destin, Florida, and as some of you might know, the sand there is VERY white and sugar fine. Too be honest, I took it far from shore in a highly populated area. I made sure that I didnt get any visible crap in there like cigerate butts and things like that. Now I pray that the tank wont start having problems like have been mentioned. As a matter of fact, I made sure it was safe to use on another forum(and maybe even here, I do not remember) and I was told that is was safe as long as I rinsed it well.
 
Originally posted by Andy16
...and I was told that is was safe as long as I rinsed it well.
Click to expand...

Assuming that you use freshwater to rinse it , it's probably not live sand anymore....right? If that's the case, why not just start off with clean dead sand rather then dead sand that may be polluted? :confused:
 
Thanks for the advice. I guess I'll dry my tank out and remove the sand. I will use plane old play sand with a little bit of live sand to help get it going.

thanks to every one
 
It never was live. The sand there is very nice looking and as a desperate 14 year old with no money, it seemed like the way to go at the time.
 
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