Using sand from ocean in reef tank

[lilfish717]

When I plan on going to ocean city MD thus year I would like to know you guys opinions on using sand from there. I know most people are going to say pollution etc. But every animal we have in our tank besides aquacultered stuff comes from the ocean. Obviously thered be some needs to prep it before hand. Not just straight dump it in there. I would also like to know if anyone tried it. I could test it and start a little tank using beach sand and add some livestock and see how it works out before I'd add it to my main DT. Opinions please?

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

rinse it well and it should be fine to use.

 

[Oshengems]

I think we all use sand from the ocean just make sure you clean it very well also be careful with glass

 

[lilfish717]

Honestly wasn't expecting to hear a yes from many people. That's what I figured just rinse it real well. I also plan on curing it like I would live rock just to be sure. Probably put a filter in there too. I asked locals and they said its legal also.

 

[brandon429]

the reason I like the offers above is bc rinsing takes out animals that aren't adapted to a tank and w just die over time.

animals adapted to reef tank mud are hardly ever found in the samples of sandbeds we take apart for cleaning in the sand rinse thread, its usually just mud.

that's not to say there can't be an errant worm here or there, but they seed from live rocks and will reseed new sand just the same. I have a pic in the srt of my own tank pre rinse, with worm tracks, and then after a total bed swap (not just rinse) a new worm track is in the bed within a month. Live rock seeds live sand pretty well for the things adapted in our tanks

rinsing isn't antimicrobial, so even after a tap water rinse there will be living scums and bacteria galore stuck to grains. Importing those isn't harmful and starts with nice diversity of bac anyway.

Whether or not this vectors in fish disease/sep matter

 

[Seamore2001]

The only thing I wonder - and this is a question as much as a comment - is what type of sand is it? We all use calcareous sand like aragonite etc.. What kind of sand is found on the beaches of Maryland?

To answer my own question - it looks like it is not calcareous (unless it's ground up limestone) (https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/2017/06/09/sand-types-east-coast/341961001/) I don't think you want this in your reef tank, as it probably will not help to buffer the water and neutralize acids and contribute to maintaining a stable PH. A secondary concern could be if the grains are too sharp, they might scratch the skin of fish that bury in the sand like wrasse or that sift the sand like some gobies.

Personally I would not choose this sand for my tank.

 

[Osidedude]

I live in Oceanside CA and have about 4" to 6" of sand in my tank. I let it sit in a dark (clean) trash can for several weeks to kill any pests that may have been in it. I also changed the water out several times. Then I let it cycle inside the tank like any new tank. While I like to tell other reefers about having local sand in my tank I will admit having fine sand in my tank causes opportunities that either crushed coral or clean tanks don't have in theirs. I'm not sure I will put fine sand in my next tank build because of the issues it causes...

 

[lilfish717]

I live in Oceanside CA and have about 4" to 6" of sand in my tank. I let it sit in a dark (clean) trash can for several weeks to kill any pests that may have been in it. I also changed the water out several times. Then I let it cycle inside the tank like any new tank. While I like to tell other reefers about having local sand in my tank I will admit having fine sand in my tank causes opportunities that either crushed coral or clean tanks don't have in theirs. I'm not sure I will put fine sand in my next tank build because of the issues it causes...

Have you had any problems so far?

 

[lilfish717]

I live in Oceanside CA and have about 4" to 6" of sand in my tank. I let it sit in a dark (clean) trash can for several weeks to kill any pests that may have been in it. I also changed the water out several times. Then I let it cycle inside the tank like any new tank. While I like to tell other reefers about having local sand in my tank I will admit having fine sand in my tank causes opportunities that either crushed coral or clean tanks don't have in theirs. I'm not sure I will put fine sand in my next tank build because of the issues it causes...

Any problems so far?

 

[lilfish717]

The only thing I wonder - and this is a question as much as a comment - is what type of sand is it? We all use calcareous sand like aragonite etc.. What kind of sand is found on the beaches of Maryland?

To answer my own question - it looks like it is not calcareous (unless it's ground up limestone) (https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/2017/06/09/sand-types-east-coast/341961001/) I don't think you want this in your reef tank, as it probably will not help to buffer the water and neutralize acids and contribute to maintaining a stable PH. A secondary concern could be if the grains are too sharp, they might scratch the skin of fish that bury in the sand like wrasse or that sift the sand like some gobies.

Personally I would not choose this sand for my tank.

I'm not quiet sure what kind. I can do some searching. It definitely has alot of crushed shells in it.

 

[lilfish717]

the reason I like the offers above is bc rinsing takes out animals that aren't adapted to a tank and w just die over time.

animals adapted to reef tank mud are hardly ever found in the samples of sandbeds we take apart for cleaning in the sand rinse thread, its usually just mud.

that's not to say there can't be an errant worm here or there, but they seed from live rocks and will reseed new sand just the same. I have a pic in the srt of my own tank pre rinse, with worm tracks, and then after a total bed swap (not just rinse) a new worm track is in the bed within a month. Live rock seeds live sand pretty well for the things adapted in our tanks

rinsing isn't antimicrobial, so even after a tap water rinse there will be living scums and bacteria galore stuck to grains. Importing those isn't harmful and starts with nice diversity of bac anyway.

Whether or not this vectors in fish disease/sep matter

Yea I would definitely sort through it or filter it for large pieces/glass or creatures. Would also probably cure like I would live rock.

 

[lilfish717]

The only thing I wonder - and this is a question as much as a comment - is what type of sand is it? We all use calcareous sand like aragonite etc.. What kind of sand is found on the beaches of Maryland?

To answer my own question - it looks like it is not calcareous (unless it's ground up limestone) (https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/2017/06/09/sand-types-east-coast/341961001/) I don't think you want this in your reef tank, as it probably will not help to buffer the water and neutralize acids and contribute to maintaining a stable PH. A secondary concern could be if the grains are too sharp, they might scratch the skin of fish that bury in the sand like wrasse or that sift the sand like some gobies.

Personally I would not choose this sand for my tank.

After looking it up. I'd like to think it's biogenic sand. Do not quote me on it though.

 

[iDeath]

I grew up in OC and the sand is silica based. Most reef tanks do use aragonite sand but I actually prefer silica sands, particularly the jet black ones. The only issue I ran into with my reef tank was that you will have a much larger diatom bloom to start and for longer periods than other aragonite sand based tanks. So just be prepared for that. I don't think sand as a buffer is very important as your ph would have to be pretty low for that to happen... I mean like calcium reactor low . So just go for it, wash it, and be prepared for the diatoms. Wrasses love the stuff as it never gets clumpy like aragonite sand which happens from precipitation of alk/ca. This stuff always stays fluffy for them to dive into. G'luck!