local area sand???

jb1

jb1

Member
hello
here is a quick question? i have cc now and i'm fixing to change tanks and i was wondering could i use the sand from the gulf of mexico. i live right close to the beach. would it be just like the ls from a distributor. what are the advantages or diadvantages of collecting your own sand. any cycle period? how many lbs. for a 55 gal tank?
thanks
 
lionstorm

lionstorm

Member
A lot of people on this board will advise against it, the sand might be contaminated by on shore pollution.
It's up to you if you think its worth the risk, you have to remember a lot of people walk up and down the beach and drink and smoke and do all sorts of things on that sand that you might not know about, it looks clean but you never really know for sure. Again it's really up to you.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
i would go for it. Several people have used sand from the gulf and report it was fine. You might want to wait for low tide and walk out as far as you can to get away from any polution. And of course it is a good idea to allow the sand to be free of fish for 3 or so weeks in case it has any fish hosted parasites like ICH. You might also want to pick up interesting macro algae you can find there also. And go back a few weeks later to collect some fish. sounds like fun, wish i was there.
 
jb1

jb1

Member
i live on the legendary emerald coast of florida (panama city beach). the sand here is beautifully colored, very light and clean. thanks for the info
 
shrimpy1589

shrimpy1589

New Member
I also live in the Panama City area, so this sand would be ok, right? I'm glad I found this thread before I went and bought more sand from my LFS!
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
There is alot more to it than waiting for low tide. The sand in the "low tide" area is just as bad. You will want to purify the sand. Meaning not only remove solid contaminants but you also have bacterial and viral contaminants to worry about.
I have always advised against the use beach sand in your display tanks. There are far to many things to worry about other than just things you can see in it...
It's all up to you. I'm not saying I would never try it, but I would not put it in my main tank.. Maybe a local species tank..
 
chuckularone

chuckularone

Member
OK, so if it's bad to use locally collected beach sand (Which to a certain extent I agree with, sun tan lotion and cigarette butts in my sand is quite unatractive) what about live rock?
Isn't a large amount of the live rock for sale from open waters?
If so, that goes directly counter to the argument against locally collected sand. I personally wouldn't use sand collected near the beach, but if I had access to the Gulf about 3-5 miles off shore, I'd be quite tempted to dive for sand.
-Chuck
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by jb1
i live on the legendary emerald coast of florida (panama city beach). the sand here is beautifully colored, very light and clean. thanks for the info

Interesting. Before moving to Huntsville, I was at Daleville (near Dothan) Al. went to Panama City Beach several times. Let me know how it goes and what macro algaes and fish are down there. I am getting tired of paying big bucks for something i can collect while on vacation.
You also might want to check with the state of florida. there are restrictions on collecting from the wild. LR is one of those restrictions for instance.
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
Most LR is form reef formations or aquacultured.. On a reef, the the water is quite a bit better than on the shoreline of Florida. Contaminiants collect along the sand and beaches being carried by waves. More Ship traffic is along the shorelines than through a reef... More organic buildup is concentraed along the shoreline also. After all, sand and waves are mother natures protein skimmer..
I would not do it in my reef tank... Too many variables to worry about...
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
AND!! If I am not mistaken, It is also illegeal to remove sand from the beach.. I might be wrong though..
 
lionstorm

lionstorm

Member

Originally posted by jb1
i live on the legendary emerald coast of florida (panama city beach). the sand here is beautifully colored, very light and clean. thanks for the info
YOU LIVE IN PANAMA??? oh man i'm going to cry. That's my favorite beach ever! You have a beautiful private beach there that you should go to and get sand from, the area is protected by the government so its clean and sanitary. It has its own little gulf surrounded by rocks and there are all sorts of fish and hermit crabs in it, I have a photo of a yellow tailed blue damsel (or something that looks very similar to it) from there.
You lucky, lucky person.
 
chuckularone

chuckularone

Member

Originally posted by wamp
AND!! If I am not mistaken, It is also illegeal to remove sand from the beach.. I might be wrong though..
Then my shoes at the end of a day on the beach are a fine waiting to happen! :D
 
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