Can I use silicon-based beach sand?

[JT101]

Hello all,

I established my AquaPod 24 with 20lbs. of live "sand", which was actually aragonite. I like the look of this "sand" but I am considering replacing much of it with some beautiful local beach sand from the East Hampton NY area. There are stretches of beach out there that are only accessible by 4X4 vehicle and are many miles away from even the slightest amount of civilization, so the water and sand there is really pristine. There are numerous small shells, beautifully colored, mixed throughout it, but essentially it's all silicon (i.e., rock-based). However, I am concerned about a few things:

1. Since this beach sand is very fine (as opposed to the slightly more coarse aragonite) will it compact to the point where it will prevent nitrifying bacteria from growing in the sand bed?

2. Being a fine sand will this also limit the available surface area for water exchange?

3. Last but not least, being silica-based this sand has almost no calcareous qualities. Is a calcareous medium mandatory in a reef tank, or is it just "nice to have"?

Thanks
John

[AQTCJAK]

I would advise against it because you whould have to sterile it because you dont know what had been in it on it. Secondonly fine snad has its own issue vicki has fine sand in a 24 & it is a mess every water chage is a fine sand storm corals shrivel fish hide for days

[BigAl07]

John you're just a gluten for punishment aren't you? First natural (local) sea water Nice local seawater -BUT......!! and now local sand? I give you high remarks for your enthusiasm for trying to use local stuff but you're really setting the stage for some issues later on buddy. I guess the best advice I can give you is to do what other reefers who live close to these resources do... Don't!

Good luck

Allen

[cracker]

I'm with BigAl! Somebody, JT needs another tank! LOL

JT, Seriously, have you thought about setting up another tank stocked with local fauna? It would be inexpensive & give you a way to experiment with the beach sand & nsw. Lighting & filtration would not need to be too involved. You have a steady supply of nsw. The tank could even be out on the back porch! I suppose you would have to break it down before it freezes solid ! LOL A shot of live sand from that marsh would give it a jump start for sure! I bet there are all kinds of interesting local fish & inverts to collect .Have you looked into the regulations for collecting marine critters in your state? I'd be interested in what the regs are on collecting rock/lr in your state. Here in Florida, even taking an old cinder block out of the water is forbidden! My concern is any water or sand is full of organisms adapted to the local envirnment & wouldn't survive long in the aquapod. It kinda defeats the whole purpose. IMHO that beach sand needs to be quarantined before adding it to the aquapod. I have also used nsw & beach sand. I'd like to hear how it works out for you.

[DrHank]

Gosh. I think you guys did a great job in completely and accurately answering that question. I guess all I can say is DITTO!!!

[kathywithbirds]

Originally Posted by cracker

I'm with BigAl! Somebody, JT needs another tank! LOL

JT, Seriously, have you thought about setting up another tank stocked with local fauna? It would be inexpensive & give you a way to experiment with the beach sand & nsw. Lighting & filtration would not need to be too involved. You have a steady supply of nsw. The tank could even be out on the back porch! I suppose you would have to break it down before it freezes solid ! LOL A shot of live sand from that marsh would give it a jump start for sure! I bet there are all kinds of interesting local fish & inverts to collect .Have you looked into the regulations for collecting marine critters in your state? I'd be interested in what the regs are on collecting rock/lr in your state. Here in Florida, even taking an old cinder block out of the water is forbidden! My concern is any water or sand is full of organisms adapted to the local envirnment & wouldn't survive long in the aquapod. It kinda defeats the whole purpose. IMHO that beach sand needs to be quarantined before adding it to the aquapod. I have also used nsw & beach sand. I'd like to hear how it works out for you.

Yeah, I'd be interested to see what happened in a completely local source tank. I'd do it if I were closer to the NJ beaches.

[JT101]

Thanks everybody for the advice (AND the well-deserved ribbing!!!). I'll try to be a little less adventurous for now and stick with more conventional methods !

[JT101]

Originally Posted by cracker

I'm with BigAl! Somebody, JT needs another tank! LOL

JT, Seriously, have you thought about setting up another tank stocked with local fauna? It would be inexpensive & give you a way to experiment with the beach sand & nsw. Lighting & filtration would not need to be too involved. You have a steady supply of nsw. The tank could even be out on the back porch! I suppose you would have to break it down before it freezes solid ! LOL A shot of live sand from that marsh would give it a jump start for sure! I bet there are all kinds of interesting local fish & inverts to collect .Have you looked into the regulations for collecting marine critters in your state? I'd be interested in what the regs are on collecting rock/lr in your state. Here in Florida, even taking an old cinder block out of the water is forbidden! My concern is any water or sand is full of organisms adapted to the local envirnment & wouldn't survive long in the aquapod. It kinda defeats the whole purpose. IMHO that beach sand needs to be quarantined before adding it to the aquapod. I have also used nsw & beach sand. I'd like to hear how it works out for you.

Thanks for the good cheer. Actually, though, my reason for wanting to use local beach sand has nothing to do with looking for an alternate biomedium. It was strictly a cosmetic issue. I like the look of my agagonite but I like the local beach sand even better. So, aside from the possibility of introducing hazardous/unwanted biological elements into my tank from the introduction of local beach sand, what are the other ramifications of using it? I know about the fine-ness of it and that it can get stirred-up too easily if hit with a blast of water, but what about the silicon base? Does a calcareous DSB contribute to the water's calcium level and, if so, will a change in the composition of a DSB hurt that element?

Thanks
John

[JT101]

Originally Posted by kathywithbirds

Yeah, I'd be interested to see what happened in a completely local source tank. I'd do it if I were closer to the NJ beaches.

Thanks Kathy !

I was wondering about doing the same thing until I realized that most of the local livestock lives in rather cool waters around the NJ/NY area and I was concerned that a tank environment would be too warm what with filters, protein skimmers and lights going all day. A "local" tank might need a chiller, no?

[spanko]

I will look for the information but I believe I have read that silica based sand used in a marine tank actually promotes the growth of nuisance algaes. Seems like I remember it being in reagards to using play sand from Home Depot or something.