Beach sand

[AquaBen]

I tried it with water and sand from the Texas coast and then transported it 150 miles to my home. The fish and corals loved it -- everyone brightened up right away. It was very pretty. It only lasted a couple of weeks, after that all the secret sauce in the ocean water was used up. There were a couple of hitch hikers -- suddenly I had a sargassum fish that just appeared. He became very voracious and soon became the property of my LFS. The other hitchhikers were bristle worms. I had a huge outbreak of them. They got in every hole in the rocks and buried themselves deep in the sand. Some became 4 in long. I set traps and dug them out by hand but could not eliminate them. Then one day a red coris wrasse caught my attention so I added him to the tank. Within a month there were no more bristle worms. Could not have asked for a more natural solution -- completely unplanned.

 

[TopGun619]

I tried it with water and sand from the Texas coast and then transported it 150 miles to my home. The fish and corals loved it -- everyone brightened up right away. It was very pretty. It only lasted a couple of weeks, after that all the secret sauce in the ocean water was used up. There were a couple of hitch hikers -- suddenly I had a sargassum fish that just appeared. He became very voracious and soon became the property of my LFS. The other hitchhikers were bristle worms. I had a huge outbreak of them. They got in every hole in the rocks and buried themselves deep in the sand. Some became 4 in long. I set traps and dug them out by hand but could not eliminate them. Then one day a red coris wrasse caught my attention so I added him to the tank. Within a month there were no more bristle worms. Could not have asked for a more natural solution -- completely unplanned.

I'm just planning on getting like a 3 gallon bucket full of the sand.. I was gonna clean out the sand really well and then bake it for 2 or 3 hours at 400ﾟ to kill everything.

 

[Ken101Ward]

I'm just planning on getting like a 3 gallon bucket full of the sand.. I was gonna clean out the sand really well and then bake it for 2 or 3 hours at 400ﾟ to kill everything.

I loaded a 5 gallon bucket of Atlantic Ocean in NC and drove it to Ohio. Had 2 airstones and a heater in the bucket. Got the bucket home and let it sit for one month, stiring up the sand every 3 to 4 days. I tested for ammonia after about 30 days and there was none. Added all the sand and half the water to my mixed reef and encountered zero issues. The benefits to my tank were worth the effort, zero regrets with this addition.

 

[TopGun619]

I loaded a 5 gallon bucket of Atlantic Ocean in NC and drove it to Ohio. Had 2 airstones and a heater in the bucket. Got the bucket home and let it sit for one month, stiring up the sand every 3 to 4 days. I tested for ammonia after about 30 days and there was none. Added all the sand and half the water to my mixed reef and encountered zero issues. The benefits to my tank were worth the effort, zero regrets with this addition.

I'm putting it in a brand new tank that I'm gonna leave cycle for 2 to 3 months because I wanna make it a reef tank. It's a 40 gallon breeder that isn't even set up yet I'm getting all my stuff in tomorrow to barely get it running

 

[Ken101Ward]

I added to my refugium in a 9 month old reef tank. I was getting impatient as no Coraline algae was developing in the tank from snail shells. Coraline quickly developed, fuge cheato exploded and had happy SPS growing 3 months later. I would follow your plan if i were in your shoes, plus it a new system, no worry of causing a crash on an existing tank.

I'm putting it in a brand new tank that I'm gonna leave cycle for 2 to 3 months because I wanna make it a reef tank. It's a 40 gallon breeder that isn't even set up yet I'm getting all my stuff in tomorrow to barely get it run

 

[Drummingbaker2010]

if you bake off the sand, to clean it out, then there isn't any point in using it in a new aquarium, because you will be having to re-introduce all the essential good bacteria, and starting all over. You can purchase wet sand that is exactly the same as ocean sand, but it is already prepared with the necessary good bacteria and not have to worry about all the unwanted parameters and it will help get you started, it won't be as much of a pain in the rear in order to get what you want it to look like. I've used it in my tanks before.

 

[TopGun619]

if you bake off the sand, to clean it out, then there isn't any point in using it in a new aquarium, because you will be having to re-introduce all the essential good bacteria, and starting all over. You can purchase wet sand that is exactly the same as ocean sand, but it is already prepared with the necessary good bacteria and not have to worry about all the unwanted parameters and it will help get you started, it won't be as much of a pain in the rear in order to get what you want it to look like. I've used it in my tanks before.

It's a new tank. There is no bacteria in it at all. Good or bad. It's starting from square one. I get what your saying. But new sand with live rock will get me the same result. Plus I can add stuff to speed up which I'm not worried about. I want to cycle my tank for a bit anyways. To let all the good stuff happen.

 

[Drummingbaker2010]

It's a new tank. There is no bacteria in it at all. Good or bad. It's starting from square one. I get what your saying. But new sand with live rock will get me the same result. Plus I can add stuff to speed up which I'm not worried about. I want to cycle my tank for a bit anyways. To let all the good stuff happen.

yes, I'm just saying that the wet sand will also help you boost the cycle process in addition to the live rock, so it's a simpler solution.

 

[Reefing102]

Keep in mind that the beaches are the oceans filtration system. All the pollutants end up there. Along with the runoff from whatever was on the land.

Personally, I’d do it but I’d wash it really good and would still be cautious.

To elaborate on this, unless things have changed since several years ago, that filtration system is essentially the protein skimmer. All that foam you see produced on beaches is essentially skimmate and generally, I try to keep that out of my tank.

That said, back in the day, it was reccomended if you were going to be doing this, to take sand from a good bit (some said yards, some said miles) @Paul B may have more knowledge on this, so that you didn’t get all that in your sand.

Up to you. Again, make sure it’s legal, each state has some wonky laws that make you scratch your head sometimes.