Natural beach sand?

[TomStav]

I am setting up a 40G FOLR on a budget. I intend on a DSB using sand from a beach here in RI.

I know everyone's going to advise I get some reef sand from the LFS.

I have located a near by beach that has natural fine sand (not dredged or imported).

My plan is...

Collect 100lbs at low tide.

Test it with vinegar to see if it bubbles.

Soak the sand in a mixture of water & bleach for a couple of days (to kill any bacteria)

Then soak it in RO freshwater, followed by saltwater for a few weeks (mixing often and changing the water).

As it would be sanitized and cleaned would you agree that this would be acceptable?

As the tanks not setup yet and I'm in no rush I want to take my time ensuring this sand will be as clean as possible. And the tank is purely going to be a FOLR.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Wy Renegade]

If you soak it for a few days in water/bleach, and it is aragonite or calcium carbonate based - some of it will dissolve in the more acidic freshwater. Can't tell you how much for sure - the more acidic your freshwater, the quicker it will dissolve. I've dissolved entire chunks of LR in a vinigar water solution in less than 24 hours.

 

[TomStav]

If you soak it for a few days in water/bleach, and it is aragonite or calcium carbonate based - some of it will dissolve in the more acidic freshwater. Can't tell you how much for sure - the more acidic your freshwater, the quicker it will dissolve. I've dissolved entire chunks of LR in a vinigar water solution in less than 24 hours.

Thanks for the reply, I didn't think if that! maybe I will just soak it for a day, I'm sure that will kill off any bad bacteria...

 

[TLTGF]

Here's my opinion... I think that all of that sounds like a lot of work for a tiny "savings". What I would do is to go to home depot and buy two (50) lb bags of pool filter sand. This will cost you $10. Budget or not, if you can't swing $10, this is not the hobby for you.

Doing this will also eliminate a ton of steps for you. You won't have to worry about bad stuff, or leeching bleach into the system. A good rinse and into the tank with PFS.

Then once that's in, I would go to the LFS and ask them for a scoop of established sand from one of their tanks and use it to seed your sand.

I would surely advise against buying "live sand" from them as I've yet to have someone prove it's actually live and / or beneficial.

My two cents!

 

[TomStav]

Here's my opinion... I think that all of that sounds like a lot of work for a tiny "savings". What I would do is to go to home depot and buy two (50) lb bags of pool filter sand. This will cost you $10. Budget or not, if you can't swing $10, this is not the hobby for you.

Doing this will also eliminate a ton of steps for you. You won't have to worry about bad stuff, or leeching bleach into the system. A good rinse and into the tank with PFS.

Then once that's in, I would go to the LFS and ask them for a scoop of established sand from one of their tanks and use it to seed your sand.

I would surely advise against buying "live sand" from them as I've yet to have someone prove it's actually live and / or beneficial.

My two cents!

Thanks for the idea, but I have used PFS in freshwater tanks in the past and am just not keen on the looks of it. I don't think there will be any bleach leeching from the sand if I take time to soak and rinse it.

I have an established 100G reef tank, so seeding it won't be an issue.

The main reason for my budget is the mrs! She only agreed to another tank if I could set it up for under $100, as I already had the tank and a Remora skimmer I thought I would accept the challenge!

I've even decided to make my own live rock (posted a thread) to keep it cheap. This is completely the opposite to my reef tank but as I'm not in a rush and the beach is 5 mins away I figure I could try it, worst case, I can always replace the sand if it's not working (before adding any livestock of course).

 

[TLTGF]

And now we know... The rest of the story!

I've never used PFS, just heard lots on here about it.

 

[mr_X]

the only difference between the silia and the aragonite sand is that silica will not buffer the ph.

 

[TomStav]

the only difference between the silia and the aragonite sand is that silica will not buffer the ph.

I really appreciate all of you helping me out!

I have just picked up a few scoops of the sand, it is very very fine... Is that bad as it may be very compact/ dense. I will take a pic of it later so you can see, I want to make sure it's usable before I lug 100lbs of it home!

To combat the buffer issue... Would it be a good idea to add a bag of additional sand? As I plan on having 4-5" of sand, would CC make a difference to the PH if it was underneath the beach sand? As I recall reading that CC is good on the bottom of DSB as it gives the anaerobic bacteria room to grow.. Or should I just get a bag of aragonite and throw it on top - if so how much would be needed to maintain a PH of around 8.2 in 40 gallons of water?

Thanks!

 

[eatsomepopcorn]

I would just dish out the money and buy it, its not that expensive.

 

[mfdrookie516]

FWIW, I got this sand - http://reefrocks.net/index.php?page...category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=56

I set up a 10g a long time ago and hated it, part of that was due to the sand. I got the aragonite sand from petsmart... nasty stuff IMO. This stuff didn't hardly cloud my tank at all, and it's staying put, even with my powerheads and return pump running.

 

[slitherbomb]

I've used natural beach sand and no harms has been done. I went out far from shore though when it was low tide and collected the sand using a bucket. Looks nice.

 

[mr_X]

don't put crushed coral on the bottom. it will make it's way to the top eventually. you can buffer the ph with live rock which is mostly calcium based and good gas exchange( surface agitation).

 

[TomStav]

Thanks for the feedback!

Here is a pic of the sand, is it bad that it's sooo fine for a DSB?

 

[mr_X]

Deep Sand Beds

 

[Sniperhank]

I don't have the answer for this but...when I think about it...the ocean is a deep sand bed...sounds like it would work to me. There is the 2 useless cents for this post! lol

 

[TomStav]

Deep Sand Beds

WOW thanks for the info, I'm gonna get reading!

 

[joy13]

What about pollution? I would worry about something hidden in the sand close to shore either some type run off from rain or something like that.

 

[TomStav]

What about pollution? I would worry about something hidden in the sand close to shore either some type run off from rain or something like that.

That is a concern, I have collected the cleanest sand I could find during low tide, I am hoping by soaking it in bleach and then soaking it in freshwater with frequent water changes for several weeks (as my tanks no where near ready to set up) that the sand will be cleaned up. Once I add it to the tank I am going to do an extra slow cycle and test all I can until I'm confident it's fish safe.

Sounds very excessive just to save $100 but as I'm in no rush I'm willing to do it, after all thats $100 more I can use for pumps, heaters etc etc.