Can I use sand from the beach?
- Thread starter garfunkle
- Start date
ifirefight
Active Member
NO, Not FROM the actual beach. Think about it...cigarette butts,trash,dog poop, etc.. If you could get it from offshore with scuba gear than probably yes....but that would cost more than just buying it. I live a few minutes from the beach in Florida and I would not use it. Just my 2 cents.
trainfever
Active Member
You can but then you risk polluting your tank with everything normally found on public beaches, like tanning lotions, motor oils from boats, spit, urine, medical waste etc. I wouldnt risk putting any of them in my tank just to save a few bucks.
garfunkle
Member
Originally Posted by trainfever
You can but then you risk polluting your tank with everything normally found on public beaches, like tanning lotions, motor oils from boats, spit, urine, medical waste etc. I wouldnt risk putting any of them in my tank just to save a few bucks.
or to save about $150...What if I do this. I have a 29 gallon tank already going. What if I mix all that substrate with a bag of live sand as well as about 30 pounds of playground sand. Will this work?
You can but then you risk polluting your tank with everything normally found on public beaches, like tanning lotions, motor oils from boats, spit, urine, medical waste etc. I wouldnt risk putting any of them in my tank just to save a few bucks.
or to save about $150...What if I do this. I have a 29 gallon tank already going. What if I mix all that substrate with a bag of live sand as well as about 30 pounds of playground sand. Will this work?
garfunkle
Member
Originally Posted by teen
im telling you, mixing sand with the subsatrate you already have is gunna cause you a big headache.
if you want to save some money, but some sand (not live, and not silicate based) and seed it with a pound or two of live sand.
Where should I buy the "dead" sand? Home Depot or something? Also, could I transfer all my water to the 55 gallon?
im telling you, mixing sand with the subsatrate you already have is gunna cause you a big headache.
if you want to save some money, but some sand (not live, and not silicate based) and seed it with a pound or two of live sand.
Where should I buy the "dead" sand? Home Depot or something? Also, could I transfer all my water to the 55 gallon?
teen
Active Member
home depot will most likely carry only silicate based sands (used for making cement and palyground sand). if you buy silicate based, this is gunna cause algae problems as well.
check your lfs for caribsea brand. its a aragonite sand and this is what you want to use. should run you less than $20 for a 40lb bag. remember, you want at least a 3" sand bed so you may need 2 40lb bags (that is for the 55gallon, if this is for the 29 gallon, then one 40lb bag will do the job).
you could transfer the water to your tank, but since your using tap water, i would start from scratch and use RO water. once the new tank is cycled, then you can move your livestock from your 29 gallon into the 55.
and i seen your other thread about the yerllow tang. if youre goal is to keep the yellow tang, i would consider bigger than 55 gallons, they need at least a 75 gallon imo and even that won't house them for life. if your just upgrading because you want a bit bigger tank, then 55 gallons is a good place to start.
check your lfs for caribsea brand. its a aragonite sand and this is what you want to use. should run you less than $20 for a 40lb bag. remember, you want at least a 3" sand bed so you may need 2 40lb bags (that is for the 55gallon, if this is for the 29 gallon, then one 40lb bag will do the job).
you could transfer the water to your tank, but since your using tap water, i would start from scratch and use RO water. once the new tank is cycled, then you can move your livestock from your 29 gallon into the 55.
and i seen your other thread about the yerllow tang. if youre goal is to keep the yellow tang, i would consider bigger than 55 gallons, they need at least a 75 gallon imo and even that won't house them for life. if your just upgrading because you want a bit bigger tank, then 55 gallons is a good place to start.
ifirefight
Active Member
Originally Posted by Garfunkle
or to save about $150...What if I do this. I have a 29 gallon tank already going. What if I mix all that substrate with a bag of live sand as well as about 30 pounds of playground sand. Will this work?
YES, do a search on this site for SPECIFIC TYPES of sand....you cannot use just any type of play sand.
or to save about $150...What if I do this. I have a 29 gallon tank already going. What if I mix all that substrate with a bag of live sand as well as about 30 pounds of playground sand. Will this work?
YES, do a search on this site for SPECIFIC TYPES of sand....you cannot use just any type of play sand.
trainfever
Active Member
All of your sand does not have to be live sand. Some people seed their sand with just a cup of sand from an established tank. If you already have live rock, then you dont need live sand, the rock will seed the sand. I have about 75 pounds of live rock in my 45 gallon tank and about 10 in my sump/refugium. I started with 30 pounds live rock and the rest was dead rock which seeded the rest of my rock. All of my sand, 30 pounds, was also dead and seeded from my live rock. In 6 months you wont be able to tell which was the original live rock from the dead rock.
texasstone5
Member
I have use sand collected from the gulf in my tank. I have a deep (maybe 5") bed in the main tank and at least 6" in another tank where I grow seagrass. I collected it from the beach wadding out as far as I could go. I had scuba available, but I did not think that it was worth it trying to swim out further with 100# of sand. I carried it home wet in 5 gallon buckets. I think that it makes a nice substrate and filter, and it still has lots of worms and things crawling around in it.
Early on in the set-up, I had a water color problem, which cleared after a few months during which I used carbon. You may not have that problem if you collect from clear water areas (the texas gulf is muddy near shore). Otherwise, I would recommend it if you are interested in saving money.
Early on in the set-up, I had a water color problem, which cleared after a few months during which I used carbon. You may not have that problem if you collect from clear water areas (the texas gulf is muddy near shore). Otherwise, I would recommend it if you are interested in saving money.
aztec reef
Active Member
I wouldn't use sand from the beach/shores. If you want Ocean sand you're gonna need a boat to go to the Deep Ocean. :happyfish
autofreak44
Active Member
Originally Posted by Aztec Reef
I wouldn't use sand from the beach/shores. If you want Ocean sand you're gonna need a boat to go to the Deep Ocean. :happyfish
the warm ocean too because if you take it from a cold part of the ocean, most of the beneficial bacteria wont survive in your warm tank, and they will all die causing an ammonia/nitrite spike
I wouldn't use sand from the beach/shores. If you want Ocean sand you're gonna need a boat to go to the Deep Ocean. :happyfish
the warm ocean too because if you take it from a cold part of the ocean, most of the beneficial bacteria wont survive in your warm tank, and they will all die causing an ammonia/nitrite spike
murph
Active Member
The water quality in the Tampa area is vary good. Best bet would be to rent a kayak and launch in the FT. Desoto area (south end of St. Pete). A large part of this area is a no motor zone.
From there its just a matter of picking one of the spoil/mangrove islands that are only accessible by shallow drafting kayaks anyway. The sand is bright white and sugar fine. Collecting live sand here is also possible but unless its a overnight trip back home you will probably see total die off.
I have collected live sand around the passes south of Tampa and see die off just from the short 10 minute drive back to my house.
From there its just a matter of picking one of the spoil/mangrove islands that are only accessible by shallow drafting kayaks anyway. The sand is bright white and sugar fine. Collecting live sand here is also possible but unless its a overnight trip back home you will probably see total die off.
I have collected live sand around the passes south of Tampa and see die off just from the short 10 minute drive back to my house.
earlybird
Active Member
Originally Posted by Aztec Reef
I wouldn't use sand from the beach/shores. If you want Ocean sand you're gonna need a boat to go to the Deep Ocean. :happyfish
And you have to go 60 miles out of Tampa to be considered deep water. The Gulf is Shallow off the coast of Florida. Not to mention several areas from Tampa down are experiencing Red Tide that is killing a lot of fish right now, including manatees.
I wouldn't use sand from the beach/shores. If you want Ocean sand you're gonna need a boat to go to the Deep Ocean. :happyfish
And you have to go 60 miles out of Tampa to be considered deep water. The Gulf is Shallow off the coast of Florida. Not to mention several areas from Tampa down are experiencing Red Tide that is killing a lot of fish right now, including manatees.
earlybird
Active Member
Just checked current Red Tide counts and all seems to be good right now. It's a strange algae here one day gone the next.
Murph may be onto something but I'd still be weary. Although now would be the time if there was a time to collect from near shore as there is no rain and therefore no runoff bringing crap into the bays.
Murph may be onto something but I'd still be weary. Although now would be the time if there was a time to collect from near shore as there is no rain and therefore no runoff bringing crap into the bays.