Can I use beach sand?

daytonaree

Member
I live 4 miles from the ocean just wondering why I can't just drive down there and get as much as I need. Any opions?
 
N

nluchau

Guest
Originally Posted by daytonaree
I live 4 miles from the ocean just wondering why I can't just drive down there and get as much as I need. Any opions?
You can but if your getting the sand in a busy location it may have contaminents in it. metals, glass etc... These things you will not want in your tank. I have heard of people doing this though but I would recommend getting it from some secluded place that nobody goes. "Is there even a place in Florida like that"?
Good luck that will look nice I'm sure
 
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yeffre kix

Guest
Yeah there's places in Florida like that. They are a few miles off shore and in a 100 ft of water. The good news is your sand will be live and ready to go.
 

jer4916

Active Member
when i lived in FL i did it all the time,...see people would do that for the live part of it.... if i went to the BEACH i went home and boiled the sand in hot water to kill any parasites etc.... if i went out swimming i would just throw it in QT for a month then i would put it in my display...(you never know what your going to get from the ocean!) i've had friends have great luck...and i've had friends bring home PARASITES ...so i would always clean it ...or QT it before putting it near your fish.
personal thought
~chris
 

snipe

Active Member
Boiling it would be just as good as buying base sand or dead sand. I dont think I would bother with it.
 

jer4916

Active Member
Originally Posted by Snipe
Boiling it would be just as good as buying base sand or dead sand. I dont think I would bother with it.

not really...because its free...why would you want to pay $40 for a bag of sand...when you can just take it home and clean it yourself...takes like 10 minutes...and if your at the beach...why not? difference between $40 for a 20lbs bag of sand and getting it for free is totally different....lol expecially when you might need around 130 plus pounds of sand.
~chris
 

snipe

Active Member
Because its not $40 a bag its around $5 for a 50lb bag if you find it or $3 for 10lb bag "more common". And boiling dont get read of everything.
 

jer4916

Active Member
where in the world do you live?...bag sand is EXPENSIVE of course im up in south dakota now.... where there is no ocean
 

snipe

Active Member
Its called south down or old caslte or yard right "many names". It isnt that expensive at all and its the same thing that is sold as carib sea sand but its hard to find. I got 40 or 60lbs "I forgot" and it cost me like $48.
 

cmack

Member
Beach/ocean sand will also have many pollutants in it...Oil residue from boat traffic, gasoline, who knows what people are dumping in the ocean. Since the ocean is not a small closed system (like your tank), these contaminants are extremely dilluted, and can get filtered out naturally without affecting the ocean inhabitants. I personnaly would rather buy the sand, than take a chance at destroying my system.
 
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yeffre kix

Guest
Originally Posted by Snipe
Its called south down or old caslte or yard right "many names". It isnt that expensive at all and its the same thing that is sold as carib sea sand but its hard to find. I got 40 or 60lbs "I forgot" and it cost me like $48.
Oldcastle is shipped off the east coast. The further west you get the harder it is to find. Its just too expensive to ship it for Home Depot, they just buy silica based sand for their "play sand".
:scared: Funny though in California they have to put on the bag " Contains particles known to cause cancer"! :scared:
" ok kids go outside and play in the new sandbox..."
 

outatime97

Member
Originally Posted by Snipe
Its called south down or old caslte or yard right "many names". It isnt that expensive at all and its the same thing that is sold as carib sea sand but its hard to find. I got 40 or 60lbs "I forgot" and it cost me like $48.
Hey Snipe, I'm in MO this week. Do you know where to find any of these sands? I have tried all over the country with no luck. If so, e-mail me Outatime@yahoo.com Thanks
Sorry to jack this thread, but everyone mentions this stuff and I don't think it exists anymore. (Free bump anyway)
 

cmack

Member
Anyone know where to get the southdown, yardright, etc in Southeast Florida?
If so, e-mail me at cmack@wileworld.com
I have looked in NY before I moved here, and all over the local Home Depots and Lowes
Thanks
 

shiby1510

Member
cmack look at walmart... no seriously do it! It's hard to believe but that is where I found my oldcastle sand... southdown was overtaken... I think by oldcastle or something like that... anyways walmart sells this sand called garden basics and if you look in the bottom corner it says made by oldcastle for walmart.... good luck!! :joy:
 

outatime97

Member
Originally Posted by shiby1510
cmack look at walmart... no seriously do it! It's hard to believe but that is where I found my oldcastle sand... southdown was overtaken... I think by oldcastle or something like that... anyways walmart sells this sand called garden basics and if you look in the bottom corner it says made by oldcastle for walmart.... good luck!! :joy:
Unfortunately that is mostly silica sand, not the tropical aragonite sand everyone wants.
 
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