?????? on sand on the beach

ok i feal realy dumb but i must ask can i use beach sand that i get from the beach i live in oregon hope to find out couse there is a lot of sand hear i think i can get 4" of sand lol
thumper_s98343

 

All depends on the amount of polutin the beach sand is exposed to. I know there was a question asked by Omard on this very subject recently. Will have to see if I can find it and provide a link.

 

ty craig you know to tell you the truth i have been looking and reading a lot and you are smart when it comes to this stuff ........ i have took your advice on a lot so far so good ...just wanted to say .... ty.......

thumper_s98343

 

There are some legalities to taking sand I'm sure. FYI.
If you got a nice source it will work though.
That's what I did - I live in Northern California.
I got some of the wet stuff. Mine is great.
Corals haven't suffered.

It's a roll of the dice for sure though.
Many just don't think it's worth the risk.

(By the way, thanks for joining 3reef!)

 

before taking anything off the beach check the local laws on that. it actually varies in different areas. when we were on our trip to mexico where we were it was illegal to take even a shell or piece of coral but just a mile or 2 away you could pick up anything off the beach. ive heard of similar laws on certain beaches in the states also so check it out

 

I agree check laws and pollutants also make sure you don't pick up any unwanted stuff like plants and such

 

i was told that the sand on the northern west coast has high amounts of silica. I live in washington and thought of the same thing wanted to take just a bit to kickstart, but water and critters are different here than on the reef.

 

Hi New2Salt2,

I also put considerable thought about initially using our native PNW sand. - Lot's of discussion in other threads about pro's and con's.

My conclusion was not worth the risk and potential source for future problems.

Let's face it, there are going to be quite a number of parameters that are beyond our capability to control or test for that are very important for the ultimate success of our tank.

Why take chances with those that have proven safe and resonable alternatives for?

No such thing as "clean" sand here in Pudget Sound. Ocean sand maybe, if you go up far on No. Coast (La Push, etc) - shoreline (water/sand) starts getting pretty nasty farther south.

You are also right about, cold water sand "life" probably not going to do well in our warm tank environments.

Don't know about "Silica" arguement - but sounds reasonable.

May think different if I was setting up a PNW biotype tank.

"Risks" outweigh any "Savings" IMO..

FWIW

OmarD
Silverdale, WA