Thinking about collecting some wild sand today?

BRS
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cracker said:
I "think" I will leave it the tupper ware container or similar & set it in a quiet corner. I would think the critters/benny's will come out on their own . I can rinse it with some new salt water. One has some algae in it. Or should leave it bee. I don't want to wash away any tiny amphipods & copopods. I'll do something this eve. As on now they are on the kitchen counter with lids off. Should I use it all or a little, rinse or not,in the refugio or display? How about both? Where does one put Miracle mud? This will be a fun experiment regardless Just looking for some OP's
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I agree, very interesting experiment. I'll be following! I think most put that miracle/Figi mud in a refugium.
 
BRS
Be a Man. I collect mud from here. I don't care what mood the bacteria are in. I pick up muddy rocks and swish them in water to collect amphipods, worms, crabs, snails, Godzilla Larvae, I don't care what it is, I just throw it in my tank.

 
There You are ! LOL I coulda got some of that black mud but I'm not as brave as you. Any suggestions as to where & in which manner? I will say You were the one who inspired me! The 1st place I went had some rocks & such but I moved on thinking the other spot would be better. the 1st was the best. However I didn't want to back track the city & streets were packed with cars & people. The spots I visited where very similar . Only difference really is the clumps are oyster not clam. Just toss it in there he says ! :eek:
 
Tidal Gardens
Following.

I collected some shore mud from the coast of Maine and put it in my refugium. No sign of any hitchhikers. I hope I got some bacteria and worms. I've also (gasp) bought bristle worms, amphipods, asterea starfish, micro brittle stars and a few other common critters that can become pests. I can see small tunnels in my sand that I think are from bristle worms but I don't see the worms very often so I think I've got just the right population. They help stir up the sandbed. A few times a year I'll get natural saltwater and use it for a water change. Just gotta be careful where and when I collect.

I'm definitely in the "more diversity" camp.

Good luck with your experiment.
 
paulb.png
 
Ok ,no more foolin around ! Now I'm not going to turn down a NewYork double dog dare to toss it in ! Here we go. I thought it would stand out on the existing sand. You can hardly see it. One point of interest. The copperband was on it & popping away at something !
 
I have sand from Jensen beach in my refugium to assist with the bio after my tank cycled. Never saw any critters but a few sand fleas of which were big, so I just flushed them. Not sure if using the sand helped or anything. It’s quite coarse on the east coast.
 
cracker said:
I'm here on the East coast close to St Augustine Fl. Real nice place by the way. So I can get to several differing salt environs there. I can get some brown muddy stuff. More cleaner sand close to the inlet. some dirtier sand up a salt run etc. However the water is still pretty cold. I wonder if any bugs or bacteria might be dormant or such.
I want this poor Mans Miracle Mud /live sand for the 180. This tank just doesn't have much biolife in it. Running since August 2016 .The sand looks almost brand new. No worms or critters etc. I think this is because I had such a low fish count for all this time. Just now have 5 fish & one softy. There are no nutrients the chaeto won't kick in stuff like that.
Any opinions if it's still early to expect active bacteria /micro critters due to cooler water temps? Besides I'm trying to think of something to do today .
THANKS !
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I would not use wild sand in my tank. Just speaking of plankton, there are are bunch of organisms that you definately don’t want in your reef aquarium. Call your with your local university’s aquaculture department. They will tell you exactly what the dangers are to doing that...
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
If you run a Sissy. Oh I mean a sterile quarantined tank you should not add anything from the sea as that tank is not natural and the sea is natural. I run a natural tank and have been collecting this stuff and dumping it in my still running reef for 47 years. No problems yet but I think at 50 years, after those Godzilla larvae grow up, I may have a problem. :eek:
 
used to grab seaweed off sand beach at acadia. toss it in a bag and pray the sand fleas stayed alive long enough to get to the tank. my father in law mailed me a tub of sand from Daytona beach. all kinds of goodies in that one.. lots of small algea eating reproducing like rabbits tiny little snails.. i'll do it again if I get the chance..
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
cracker said:
Ok ,no more foolin around ! Now I'm not going to turn down a NewYork double dog dare to toss it in ! Here we go. I thought it would stand out on the existing sand. You can hardly see it. One point of interest. The copperband was on it & popping away at something !
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dare.png
 
I'll go again when the water warms . I'll be better prepared & try some other spots . Meen time we shall see what happens. I hope this sand bed will kick off . Collecting rock & sand was how I did it long ago. There were no shops or internet to order stuff then . I rusted out the floor pans in my VW hauling buckets of saltwater from the beach . How in the world did we ever manage to get by without computers?
 
Anyone who’s bought tbs’ or other Florida live sand has essentially done this. (though thise companies may get the sand from a little bit offshore vice the beach). I got mine from live-plants.com, in tampa, for $3/lb+ usps priority shipping.

I would not mind getting sand from closer beaches, as long as the location has decent marine life and is not full of green algae from runoff or ofher pollutants. However, creatures from a colder environment might not do too well, long term, at 80 degrees. But the op’s sand from St Augustine ought to be similar to the Tampa sand.
 
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cracker said:
I'll go again when the water warms . How in the world did we ever manage to get by without computers?
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I still have my original computer, but the wood is starting to get eaten away by termites and some of the tubes are turning black. :confused:
 
I thought about this also, but had mixed reviews about it. I was told it wasn’t a good idea but makes me wonder where live sand comes from then? I’d love to do this also if it won’t crash my tank.
 
Nutramar Foods
Paul,

Many peoples’ rocks come from a fossil coral rock quarry inland, and they bleach/cure the rocks for months before use. The corals and fish come from sterile aquaculture facilities, and are quarrantined for 72 days besides. They are fed sterilized dry food, or frozen food from sterile facilities - and they take care that no odd contaminants from the frozen cube make it into the tank. :)

Per a different one of your threads, I wonder if these corals have peanut allergies...... :D :D
 
BRS

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