Beach Sand?

[Guest LudavicoTechnique]

I have spotted some really nice sand on the beach where I am right now, and I was wondering if it is ok to put underneath my live sand? It looks really nice, otherwise I wouldnt even ask./

[eferna]

now since you said that the beach sand looks nice, i was just wondering you would really not get to see much of that sand if you decided to put it under your live sand...hmmm

But in anycase I would not do it cause you really do not know what the sand has. It could contain harmul toxins that we are not aware of.

[lizbeth]

I think it would kind of depend on where you are right now.

[cowfishlover]

What beach is it? I would think sand from the beach should work unless it's polluted. If it works in the ocean, why not a marine tank? I got my sand from the Great Salt Lake. I poured vinegar on it and it foamed. I was told that means it's pure calcium. Your beach sand is probably different though, but should still be fine.

 

(Edited by cowfishlover at 6:51 pm on July 2, 2002)

[suprax]

Dont do it. God knows whats in it. If this world was perfect Id say go for it...

[tinyreef]

i agree with the other posts, don't do it.  it may look great but so does a blue-ringed octopus but they're deadly.

 

maui had some beautiful black volcanic sand but that would kill off everything.  get fiji pink, it's pretty.

[HuBu]

if you DONT have the intention of using it as LS, what you can do is wash the sand then put it in your tank. might try keeping the sand in fresh water for a day then wash it and put it into your tank.

[cowfishlover]

Put it in a bucket with a guppy. I dug up sand and my tank is doing better than before I put it in. Are there any creatures living where you see the sand?

[grantlaw]

I've heard warnings about beach sand as well -- namely, that the silica in it will dissolve in the water and cause a diatom bloom (diatoms use silica to construct their shells, AKA "frustules").  Personally, I think this is bunk, but others out there may have personally experienced blooms.

 

Early this spring I added a couple hundred pounds of beach sand (at least that's what it felt like!) to a 250 gallon marine tank I manage, and have seen no ill effects.  The sand was collected from Beach Island State Park (or is it Island Beach -- I always screw that up!) in New Jersey, just above the water line.  The sand was dry, and well washed from wave activity.

 

Beach sand is lovely, and free, but there are a few down-sides to its use.  Because there is no calcium carbonate in it (unless you are from the southern states, I suppose), beach sand has no buffering capabilities.  It is also less likely to support a diverse community of macrobenthic organisms -- beach sand tends to be well sorted (grains are all the same size) as a result of wave activity, and benthic diversity tends to be negatively correlated with the degree of sorting.

 

Because my tanks are so large, it is cheaper for me to use beach sand, despite its shortcomings, and utilize calcium carbonate-based live rock and live sand in the refugium.

 

Personally, I think if you want to use beach sand, you should try it!  Wash it, as was suggested, just to be sure.  If you also want to use traditional live sand in a refugium, it couldn't hurt -- but don't feel like you have to (a tank doesn't have to have live sand, after all!).  either way, I hope you at least keep live rock somewhere in the system.

 

Good luck

 

Grant

[cowfishlover]

LudavicoTechnique...LudavicoTechnique. Are you there? Hello.