can i use beach sand??

[fI$H_FaCe]

well i am wondering if i can use beach sand and stones from my local very sandy beach that is near my house in my SW aquarium???

why or why not?


thanks

-Brad

 

[Mickslack]

well i am wondering if i can use beach sand and stones from my local very sandy beach that is near my house in my SW aquarium???

why or why not?


thanks

-Brad

[snapback]924916[/snapback]​

Yes if it is marine or brakish, however if you are tropical you will kill your fish as beach sand and rocks have a extremley high salt content

 

[Dragonscales]

I wouldn't use it. Beach sand can contain many contaminates from polution, oil spills, etc, etc. There is also the possibility of unwanted hitchhikers.

 

[fI$H_FaCe]

is there a good process of cleaning beach sand form contaminants?

i am using an 80 gallon tank and going with SW, i live in Newfoundland, Canada (most easterly place in North america, and is an island) so we have easy access to tonnes of different types of beach stones and sand almost everywhere you go.

any good ideas of what else i can use for decoration that you could find while strolling around on a local beach??

anything to stay away from ??


thanks

-Brad

 

[Mickslack]

is there a good process of cleaning beach sand form contaminants?

i am using an 80 gallon tank and going with SW, i live in Newfoundland, Canada (most easterly place in North america, and is an island) so we have easy access to tonnes of different types of beach stones and sand almost everywhere you go.

any good ideas of what else i can use for decoration that you could find while strolling around on a local beach??

anything to stay away from ??


thanks

-Brad

[snapback]924923[/snapback]​

I would use non toxic play sand for infants it is about £2.50 from argos it is wot i use and it is cheap enough to throw away when used. Also it is alot finer and is good for palnts to grow in and only needs a light rinse

 

[Dragonscales]

I would really stay away from beach sand altogether for freshwater or saltwater.

If you are going to set up a saltwater tank then you are best going with aragonite sand, coral sand, etc. You want something that will buffer the PH in the tank. Take a look in the saltwater section of the forum for lots of topics related to this sort of thing, they will give you a fair idea of what to look for and what to avoid.

 

[orientmatt]

Isn't it illegal to take home rocks etc... from beaches in Britain.

(wahey 100 posts!)

 

[Monte20]

Isn't it illegal to take home rocks etc... from beaches in Britain.

(wahey 100 posts!)

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i know its illegal here in the US. no sand or rocks can be removed. i found that out myself this past weekend....

 

[illusion54]

Isn't it illegal to take home rocks etc... from beaches in Britain.

(wahey 100 posts!)

[snapback]925100[/snapback]​

i know its illegal here in the US. no sand or rocks can be removed. i found that out myself this past weekend....

[snapback]925254[/snapback]​

Haha i went to mexico to do that. They are too distracted about the 4 wheelers on the beach to care about some rocks.

 

[dwarfgourami]

A couple of stones should be no problem, as long as you boil them thoroughly, and test them with vinegar (should not fizz or disintegrate). I have some in my tank brought home from a holiday in Ireland long ago. Might have some from Sweden too; it's ot illegal to take stones there unless you're in a nature reserve.
I'd stay off the sand though; harder to be sure you've got it clean. Make sure anything you take from outside is boiled though; that will keep you safe from hitchhikers.

 

[Mr Miagi]

It might pay to check with your local parks and wildliffe, or council on the law regarding the removal of rocks, sand, and water from your beaches.

Here in Aus it is illegal to take anything from the intertidal zone, and beneath the water to a depth of 20m. (Within memory).

A few rocks and decorations can make a diiference. S make a simple call

 

[freddyk]

To use beach sand I would:

Dry it.

Sift it for any unwanted foreign material.

Rinse it very well under very hot water, many times.

Salt dissolves and will run off when you rinse them under water. Foreign creatures won't survive the rinsing in hot water.

The effort of cleaning the sand is probably not worth it because you can buy it pretty cheap, and it's illegal in most places to collect, but I would hardly say it's not possible.

 

[nino]

i actually asked my dad about using beach sand recently, out of curiosity. he told me that when he was younger, he'd tried it once thinking it would be ok (this was long before internet forums were available!) and found that when the sand was immersed in water that there was lots of little critters living in there.

if you want sand, it seems it would be cheapest to buy it. not to mention time saving since it does not require such a thorough cleaning job.