local sand in tank

[demonknight]

all right, i really don't feel like forking out the dough for a reef tank just yet, so i'm going to try and replicate a "local reef" tank i did a few years back. i live by the beach, and was wondering if the sand there would pose to much trouble with silicates as long as i stuck with local fuana as they would be used to it. i plan on running a skimmer and a live sand bed(this time, last time i just had the crushed coral sand from the last time it was set up). what du ya think

 

[joe's reefer]

dont use beach sand things piss and defacate in it.just by reef sand it cost about .50/1.00 a pound in the bag.watch by some cheap bag stuff at ur lfs and then buy or get 2-5 pounds of the good stuff to sed ur bed.u could by the good stuff or get some from a friend with an established tank

 

[jim27]

Sound pretty good to me. I'm planning on setting up a tank with local tide pool fish and eels from around here. I plan on using washed beach/tidepool sand mixed with a little ls in it(as well as native plants, snails,crabs, and stars). I figure the stuff must be hardy if it lives in tidepools.

 

[demonknight]

ohhhh no, not the sand from the strip(tourist beach), i'm gettin mine from sand bars in the lynnhaven inlet area. incoming tide so it has a few inches of water runnin over it(chock full a life). shouldn't take but a day or 2 to get it up.

 

[finland]

I wouldn't recommend beach sand. Just think of the beach as - the oceans protien skimmer. Even with rinsing, too many contaminants.

 

[steamboat1569]

On the lighter side of this issue, I have read a couple posts by people here that have done this successfully.
But you must be warned, pollutants, chemicals, parisites, disease, diatoms, cyanobacteria, and other really "bad stuff", can be hitchiking on this sand. You just have to "takes your chances" if you do this.
Myself, I would not do it;.

 

[steamboat1569]

I remember a post that someone picked up some seaweed and was trying it out. Was that you???
If so, sorry for the loss. I have seen all these on-line stores selling Kelp and other types of saltwater algae. I was really hoping that someone had success with the real thing.

 

[demonknight]

this is not a tropical setup of anykind. its a biotope. i made one a few years back that look awesome, but it had crushed coral which didn't look right. was wondering how much, if any trouble i'd have with diatoms. also, this is "beach" sand, but not from the beach. i'd have to accually show u were i get my critters and sand from. sands commin from open water in the mouth of lynnhaven. low tide theres a big bar a foot under water. the mouth is the only area that gets a good flushing of fresh ocean water. so its cleaner than most of the system.