can i use beach sand

[Richie27]

I live by the ocean and I’m about to set up a 225 gallon tank I’m going to use dry rock and dry sand because I don’t want no critters been there and going to take all precautions but was wondering if I could just go to the beach and get the sand what are your thoughts

 

[EmdeReef]

Depends how clean is the beach. Assuming no heavy pollution the biggest issue would be getting in some bad hitchhiker.

 

[Richie27]

i was thinking of sifting real good and my be i can soak it in a coral dip

 

[Tautog]

Your kidding right???
If your trying to stay away from any contamination forget the beach, especially NJ beaches. If you go that way, rinse under tap water for awhile, Dry, then re-rinse with R/O.
I found very small gravel at Montauk Point, and did the same for my local tank.

 

[Richie27]

yeah i did not think so but thought i’d ask thank you

 

[aquamn1999]

You might want to check if it's legal in your state. In many it's against the law and carries a hefty fine.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Simply put, there are two kinds of sand......silica based and aragonite based sands. I personally would not use silica based sand in a marine tank. If you live in a cold water State, it is most likely silica based.

 

[Gareth elliott]

You might want to check if it's legal in your state. In many it's against the law and carries a hefty fine.

New Jersey does beach renewal across much of the state. Bad jetty designs from the 40’s and 60’s.
It costs millions of dollars to vacuum sand up from the deep then place on the the beach. They dont take kindly to “borrowing”.

Having recently started an upgrade, just bought sand at about $1 a pound, BRS but most dry aragonite is similarly priced across vendors. This was by far the least expensive part of the build. I personally would save money elsewhere through used equipment.