Getting Live sand from reef- is it advisable?

[rave]

Hi!
I plan on getting live sand from corregidor island this weekend. Where should i get the sand? Near the coral reefs or near the beach?
And should I clean it before adding to my tank? My tank is just cycling right now.
Thanks.

 

[tanker newbie]

im not really to sure about how this goes, but i think that theres a permit thats required to tank sand from the ocean(but dont quote me on that ) but what i will tell you is that the closer you are to the beach the closer your going to flirt with diseastor(i know about the spelling) the beach is like where all the "bad stuff" gets taken out but what im wondering is after all oil spils, gas leaks, air planes dumping excess fuel if its even okay at all
good luck
allan

 

[captain hook]

I have to agree with Tanker on this one. To my understanding you do have to have a permit and if you're caught tanking stuff out of the water or off the beach you can face a $10,000 fine and possible jail time. (I wouldn't quote me on this one, but I heard it from some guys talking down at the LFS) To the other point, I'm also pretty sure that the live sand you want has been gathered from far off-shore. So I wouldn't recommend just wading in and scooping a bunch up. I'd spend the money just to be safe. LOL

 

[sonny]

It certainly depends on where you are. Some areas are very strict, while others are okay to take stuff from. Since you live in the Philippines, you probably will have no problem collecting live sand yourself. Just check with your local government to see if it's okay. They may even issue you a permit if you tell them what you're doing. You can bet that if the fish around the reefs in your area are healthy, the LS you could collect there would be too. The Sand could be collected from anywhere near the reef as long as it is permenantly under water. Don't scoop up dry beach sand and expect it to be alive. Good luck.
Sonny

 

[bobber]

One thing to remember, the beaches are natures protein skimmer! The farther out to sea you go the better. --Bob

 

[cveach]

Rave wana sell any fish you might catch?!?!?

 

[rave]

Thanks for the advice guys.
The fun part is that it's only 45 min. away from where I live!
Cveach: Sorry, don't think i'll be catching some fish since I'm not a good swimmer. If I do, I'll let you know.

 

[the new guy]

Rave, I live in Hawaii and was thinking of doing the same thing. I found out (due to a post here) that Hawaii law states each person can take up to one gallon of sand per day as long as it is for private use. You need to check on the local laws to be sure.
You can save a ton of money if you learn how to swim LOL! Several of my friends go snorkeling to catch fish and have had good luck with it, also check around I found a water spout that is filtered sea water (it is by a marina). It is a lot cheaper and less of a hassel, I take a 32 gal trash can and fill it up.
Good Luck!

 

[adrian]

You two are so lucky. I cant imagine the diversity I could keep in my tank if I lived where either of you do. Im not sure if your concerned with this but some reef sand is not aragonite. If you plan on using it for extra buffering you might want to find out first. I believe the method is to place the sand in an acidic solution and see if it completely disolves. Good luck, I'd be willing to to tank sit for either of you if you ever decide to take a vacation, as long as you send the ticket

 

[the new guy]

Being "The New Guy" I was just wondering; I added some rock from the ocean the other day and now I am getting some dust floating on the top causing it to look cloudy, I am sure it is from the rock but was just wondering if it will stop or not. Also, if I do add the sand and it is not argonite what will that affect???
I am going on vacation in July Adrian so if you happen to get a free ticket to Hawaii let me know...

 

[andymi]

I also read in a book last evening that there is a period of time that the ocean sand should sit before placing it in your tank. Now I am an extreme newbie (like a few days) but the book I read seemed like it had to sit for a few days, then almost be strained to remove certain debri and then place it in an empty tank for 2-3 days before adding fish. Is this true? Just curious.
--Andy

 

[adrian]

YOur book was right Andy, collected sand should be treat like freshly collected live rock. I would definetely put any sand or rock you collect through a curing process before you add it to your tank. If its not aragonite, or is just lightly covered in aragontite, the sands buffering capability will be poor to non exisitant. Aragonite will disolve at a lower pH releasing Ca, strontium, bicarbonate, and a couple of other elements I think of. Aragonite is usually used in deep sand beds, plenums, and Ca reactors. Whether or not you use aragonite sand depends on what your looking to do with your tank, I would suggest it in any case but thats just my opinion. Go talk to Dr.Ron on --(reef central), he could give you the best info on sand and collection.HTH