Beach Sand

[Vader]

I was driving home thinking about my tank and how deep to make the sand bed and the cost associated with that. I've heard from many people that we should not use beach sand from the ocean because of all the bad little bugs and such, but what if I were to boil the beach sand, to "clean" it. What do you gals n guys think?

[zygote2k]

Back in the day, I used sand from Chincoteague to start my "live" sand and algae scrubber. I collected it when it was early spring from offshore. I also mixed in a little muck from Gwynns on the bay side. I'm sure if you use clean beach sand from offshore, you'll be fine. Some of the temperate species will probably die, but others will certainly flourish. You also run the risk of introducing something bad too. Weigh the options first, but don't boil or bleach the sand. If you're going that route, just get sand from Home Depot.

Edited November 15, 2008 by zygote2k

[dshnarw]

I was driving home thinking about my tank and how deep to make the sand bed and the cost associated with that. I've heard from many people that we should not use beach sand from the ocean because of all the bad little bugs and such, but what if I were to boil the beach sand, to "clean" it. What do you gals n guys think?

 

 

Boiling would do well to get rid of bacterial issues. I'd stick it in a bucket of RO and test after a week or so for TDS, and see how bad it is, but I think you'd be fine in most cases.

 

Last thing I'd do is dump it straight in the tank without at least boiling and rinsing REALLY well - beach sand is some nasty stuff...at least in terms of human-derived pollution.

[jason the filter freak]

Most beaches are artificially created now a days with silica sand which you really want to avoid in tanks. Here is a test put a tsp or sand in a clear vessel and fill with white vinegar come back in 30 minutes if most of the sand isn't gone probably don't want to put in in your system.

[basser9]

Theres this urban myth in the reef world that silica sand releases silica....IT DOES NOT...The only down side is that it can not support the same amounts of sand critters because of the sharp glass edeges but it doesnt dissolve like calcium based sand which can be great so you dont have-to add more..still lowers nitrates great.....I have home depo playsand and mortermix sand in my sump....works great...cheap.

[zygote2k]

Boiling would do well to get rid of bacterial issues. I'd stick it in a bucket of RO and test after a week or so for TDS, and see how bad it is, but I think you'd be fine in most cases.

 

Last thing I'd do is dump it straight in the tank without at least boiling and rinsing REALLY well - beach sand is some nasty stuff...at least in terms of human-derived pollution.

Why go through all the trouble to boil sand when it's easier to get clean sterile sand from the LFS?

[dshnarw]

Why go through all the trouble to boil sand when it's easier to get clean sterile sand from the LFS?

 

lol...because a hundred pounds of sand at the LFS isnt cheap. A hundred pounds at the beach, if you're already going and dont mind shoveling and building a fire under a metal drum...free.

[Jon Lazar]

Boiling the sand will kill all the microfauna mixed in with the sand, but their dead bodies will still be there. They will remain buried in the sand and decompose once you add the sand to your tank.

 

Jon

[BeltwayBandit]

Check local laws before removing anything from the beach! I know that some areas it is actually illegal to remove sand from the beach.

 

re: Jason: most 'artificial' beaches use sand from dredging or offshore so I believe that it would still be a calcium based sand.

[dshnarw]

Boiling the sand will kill all the microfauna mixed in with the sand, but their dead bodies will still be there. They will remain buried in the sand and decompose once you add the sand to your tank.

 

Jon

 

with a thorough rinsing, that should be little or no issue. besides, sand is generally added at the same time as live rock, so the tank has to cycle anyway.

 

Check local laws before removing anything from the beach! I know that some areas it is actually illegal to remove sand from the beach.

 

re: Jason: most 'artificial' beaches use sand from dredging or offshore so I believe that it would still be a calcium based sand.

 

mmm...depends on the location for offshore dredging. If there's no offshore reef, its more likely to be silica based. although basser is generally correct on the silica sand - pure silica sand would be no problem except for sharp edges and scratching up the tank since silica dissolving is really a minimal issue (kinetics are extremely slow for that reaction). The biggest issue with silica sand is the other minerals that may be present with it, that can cause issues.

[extreme_tooth_decay]

I wouldn't think twice about using beach sand.

 

I would probably:

 

1) Rinse it real well in tap (chlorinated) water

2) Soak overnight in tap water

3) Let dry out completely

4) Rinse again

5) Dump in and let LR seed it

 

tim

[mling]

About 5 years ago, when I started my first reef, I took sand from Sea Coloy at nBethany Beach. Yes, it is legal since it is a private beach and I am a property owner.

I mixed the sand with aragonite from a LFS. Never had a problem.

I would suggest getting beach sand from beaches far away from major tourist places spots, this way u reduce the chance of the "bad stuff".

I don't know if it made a difference but I did get my sand in March, just coming out of winter. Maybe it was too cold for most of the "bad stuff" but then it was probably too cold for the good stuff too !