Can you use beach sand?

[Stefanie]

In a sw tank? Basically in the title. I have a tank set up, and no beach sand, but I've always wondered about regular beach sand.

 

[sasquatch]

you run the great risk of contaminants, every speck of pollution ends up on the beach, pretty risky when you consider the cost of corals and fish

 

[Stefanie]

I figured that was the reason. I wouldn't put it in my tank, but was just wondering

 

[sasquatch]

questioning is the only way to go! last week i didnt even know what h20 stood for lol

 

[dianezoo]

It's the same with getting ocean water, Assuming your close to sea/ beach to obtain sand you may want to do the same with water. But sea water gathered close to shore has the same problems -the closer you are to shore the more contaminants the water has.

 

[Paul B]

Actually the problem with beach sand is not really pollution but the grain size is too small. My first salt tank was beach sand, (they diden't sell salt water aquarium sand them) and it became a mess of hydrogen sulfide.
You don't hardly get any circulation through it.
I am talking north east coast of the US sand.
Other places it may be better.
Sand is usually silicate and easy to clean out any pollution if there is any.

 

[Frankie]

Exactly Paul. It all depends what beach your talking about. I have a friend here in SC who has a local cold water tank. Everything in it is from here including the sand. If you want to use beach sand you need to get it from a remote location and only take the upper top layer. The deeper you go into the sand the less wash out there will be and concentration of pollutants.

 

[lcstorc]

I only know one person who tried it and this was the result.

 

[Frankie]

LOL! I would recomend washing it before adding to the aquarium.......

 

[lcstorc]

She actually did. That was ocean sand and ocean water taken from about 5 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico.
Needless to say she tore the entire tank down and started from scratch a week later and now has an awesome reef.

 

[HowardW]

She actually did. That was ocean sand and ocean water taken from about 5 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico.
Needless to say she tore the entire tank down and started from scratch a week later and now has an awesome reef.

That should've been just fine if it was collected in a relatively remote area. Perhaps something else went wrong somewhere?