Ocean Sand
- Thread starter bbb
- Start date
rev
Member
I asked this as well.I was told about the pollution,and bad bacteria/hitchhikers that may be present in the sand.
However,when I start my next tank (experimental tank) I am going to do just that.I live an hour from the shore and also have a boat on the ocean,so we are there every weekend.I am going to grab some,bring it home,and boil it for a few hours.(maybe even soak it in bleach).I am pretty sure once you "kill" the sand,it can be used.
I have 2 36 quart turkey deep fryers,and I will boil the sand in those.
However,when I start my next tank (experimental tank) I am going to do just that.I live an hour from the shore and also have a boat on the ocean,so we are there every weekend.I am going to grab some,bring it home,and boil it for a few hours.(maybe even soak it in bleach).I am pretty sure once you "kill" the sand,it can be used.
I have 2 36 quart turkey deep fryers,and I will boil the sand in those.
fishieness
Active Member
i wouldnt soak it in bleech. it will be way to hard to get out of somethign like sand. and why would you boil it? that would completly deleat the purpose of why you would get sand fromthe ocean in the first place.
if it were me id just save the time and the gas money and just buy some. of course this depends how big your tank is too if it would be worth it.
if it were me id just save the time and the gas money and just buy some. of course this depends how big your tank is too if it would be worth it.
fishieness
Active Member
PS: boiling wont take out pollutants either.
rev
Member
As I stated I would want to kill any bad things in the sand,boiling,or boiling under pressure will do that.Also as I stated I am AT the beach every weekend anyway,so it's not an "out of the way" trip.For my current tank I bought 60 pounds of aragonite,and some arag-alive and I love it.
I also stated I am going to be doing an experimental tank.I want to try things that have me wondering.As far as pollutants,I am sure after the tank has cycled and or a bunch of water changes,It will be fine.Anyway,we can test for most of these things,mercury,iron,copper,sulfates,phos......
I also stated I am going to be doing an experimental tank.I want to try things that have me wondering.As far as pollutants,I am sure after the tank has cycled and or a bunch of water changes,It will be fine.Anyway,we can test for most of these things,mercury,iron,copper,sulfates,phos......
oozy
Member
hi,
isnt the point of live sand to have the bacteria and other organisms in the sand??? :notsure:
otherwise you should save your time and buy sterile play sand from the store...
just something to think about...
also i wouldnt put bleach anywhere near my tank. its just too risky.
and then, is it really ok to be taking sand from there in the first place...
and from what i know the outerbanks isnt a tropical reef ecosystem so i would think that most organisms in the sand would die anyway....
just something to think about :thinking:
-oozy-
isnt the point of live sand to have the bacteria and other organisms in the sand??? :notsure:
otherwise you should save your time and buy sterile play sand from the store...
just something to think about...
also i wouldnt put bleach anywhere near my tank. its just too risky.
and then, is it really ok to be taking sand from there in the first place...
and from what i know the outerbanks isnt a tropical reef ecosystem so i would think that most organisms in the sand would die anyway....
just something to think about :thinking:
-oozy-
fishieness
Active Member
i missed a lot of the things he said also.
he is going to boil it so it wont even be live.
probably not to have live sand but to save the money of buying something like southdown.
he is going to boil it so it wont even be live.
probably not to have live sand but to save the money of buying something like southdown.
fishieness
Active Member
IMO, i would not do it. It would have pollutants. and as said above, there are tons of different pathogens that you could be potentialy releasing into your tank. And if you boil it, you will no longer have live sand, but will still havea the pollutants. Buy SAFE playsand liek southdown if you are looking to save money.
qreef
Member
Originally Posted by BBB
If you are starting a new tank would it be okay to go to the outer banks or ocean and get some sand to use? If you do do this is there anything special you have to do to the sand after you put it?
I live in FL near by the beach and I took some sands & waters from the ocean to setup my 10gal back in July as of right now its running well. You might want to test nitrates if any in sand. I took sands from ocean floor along with some water in a bucket and stir it up then test the water for nitrates. If you live near cold water ocean it would be better water because parasites less likely in cold waters or sands then warm water.(This does not mean you wont have ick in your system…...ick come from stress fishy). If you use the water make sure you test for PH….. I pretty sure ph are low. CYCLE YOUR TANK AS NORMAL. IMO don’t boil or beach sands. :cheer:
This is just a test I did does not mean its works for me and its will be the same for you too. Good Luck
fishieness
Active Member
Originally Posted by Qreef
(This does not mean you wont have ick in your system…...ick come from stress fishy).
ich does not come from stressed fish. Ick comes from your water but will only be present if your fish are stressed because their slime coat is weakened. You could have extreamly stressed fish but never get ich simply because it is nor in your system. Or you could have ich in yoru system, but they will not be on your fish. However, the ich will eventualy die if they are not able to attach onto any fish.
(This does not mean you wont have ick in your system…...ick come from stress fishy).
ich does not come from stressed fish. Ick comes from your water but will only be present if your fish are stressed because their slime coat is weakened. You could have extreamly stressed fish but never get ich simply because it is nor in your system. Or you could have ich in yoru system, but they will not be on your fish. However, the ich will eventualy die if they are not able to attach onto any fish.