beach Sand?

[kirkwood]

so I've been thinking for months about upgrading to a larger tank 100 or 120 bowfront from my existing 55... I am from Sarasota, FL and my beach there is Siesta Key.. If any of you have been, you know the sand there is some of the best, if not THE best in the world... Last year Siesta Key was voted #1 beach in the US... So I'm wondering, could I use this beach sand if I upgraded to a larger tank? My existing sand is aragonite, and I considered using some of it in my sump for the existing pod population... would i need to boil the beach sand or something else to "decontaminate" it from any potential hazards (ie: chemicals)

any experience those might have or suggestions are appreciated..

 

[johniii]

The sand from the shore is where all the contaminates collect. The shore is natures skimmer. I don't know how one would go about cleaning it for use in an aquarium.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[crewdawg1981]

Lots and lots of rinsing.

 

[dakota9]

Rinse in bleach water

Then rinse with RO and Prime (or Alpha)

 

[miami dolfan]

I gt all my sand from Clearwater Fl when I went down there. Not close to the shore though. I constructed a sift and sifted it all to take any potential trash out.

 

[dakota9]

A Sift!?!?!

I should have thought of that.....

That would explain the condoms and old boots in my tank!

Thanks,

 

[jennm]

Dakota9;747163 wrote: A Sift!?!?!

I should have thought of that.....

That would explain the condoms and old boots in my tank!

Thanks,

That post should have come with a "spew alert!" :lol: :yuk:

You forgot about the spent syringes.... (found one of those on a beach at Tybee... )

Jenn

 

[rizmaher]

JennM;747172 wrote:
You forgot about the spent syringes.... (found one of those on a beach at Tybee... )

Jenn

Wow, that is scary, I just took a bloodborne pathogens training course this week..

 

[jennm]

Yeah we didn't want to touch it. We alerted the beach patrol, kept a few curious kids away from it, and the beach patrol didn't want to touch it either. After a few dirty looks, they did, though. I'd hate to think of a little kid getting stuck with something like that while making a sandcastle... It's bad enough explaining the "balloons" on the beach (Refer to Dakota's reference).... :gak:

Jenn

 

[stacy22]

Sand is one of the cheapest components of our aquaria. I would rather spend the $ and buy ready to use sand rather than risk putting nasties in my tank. That's my $0.02.

 

[dakota9]

Some people have preferred sand from a favorite beach to go in their tank.... It's a cool connection I suppose. Bleach and rinsing is about all the "Reef Sand" packagers do...

And Jenn, they're not referred to as "Balloons"...... Let's be adult here... They are Condoms or (my personal fav) "Coney Island Whitefish".

 

[miami dolfan]

I sifted it as I shoveled it into my rubbermaid container. Oddly enough, all I encountered were a few cigarrette butts. Lucky for me!