Live sand

[thomas]

I grabbed some sand from Pensacola Beach. Is that live sand? I know there is suppose to be living things in it but what happens if you rinse or wash out the sand? Does it become non-living sand?Can I some how kill all the living things in it? I have a Goby that keeps sifting through the sand and I am not sure if he is getting anything to eat. Please help.

 

[jakob4001]

using sand just taken from public beaches is a shot in the dark...can be very risky because you do not know what all is in it...parasites, chemicals, etc.; I would not risk adding it to an inhabited tank; even if you wash/rinse it thuroughly, does not mean you would have removed any/all possible contaminants...what kind of goby is it? if it's a mandarin and your tank is fairly new & w/o LR, it most likely will starve to death...LS would most likely not have what it would need to feed...adding LR should add the copepods it will need given type to establish before being consumed

 

[thomas]

Its a Golden Headed Sleeper Gobie

 

[thomas]

I also have alot of LR in the tank which is an established tank.

 

[beth]

Did you take it from the beach or off beach in the ocean. If from the ocean, and you also retained water, then you do have LS. Did you get it off the public beach, or did you go onto the deserted beach area that is protected? Hopefully the latter. Pensacola beach sand is very beautiful.
You're goby will probably never get enough to eat in a tank that you just setup with LS. It would hard to provide him with enough to eat even in a well-established sand bed.

 

[thomas]

Ok my LS is probably not LS then. What can I do to keep my Goby alive then? I have LR in my tank will that provide the Copepods it needs eventually, and til then will it just eat the uneaten food that the fishes dont eat? What should I do?

 

[marine qa]

Unless you see the Goby eating now, and I doubt you would, you should return it.
There are allot of other cool fish that you could get.

 

[sandy]

My Yellow-head eats anything I put in the tank. He also sifts the sand. Your's doesn't eat anything except what is in the sand?

 

[deuce biggalow]

If you rinse it with freshwater that will kill any bacteria it had... Only saltwater.

 

[thomas]

No he eats the brine shrimp that I feed for the other fish. He also sifts the sand and I am assuming he is eating the shrimp that ends up at the bottom.