Newbie from FL

Welcome fellow Floridian...Yeah I would skip the seawater and sand from beach. I live close to the water too and have thought about doing it. I have friends who have used sand and water from the ocean. Some have worked but some not so good. I'd also skip the canister filters and get a small sump and some LR. If you are just going to have fish and no coral then this with a real good skimmer would work well. Good luck!

 

You do NOT want to use sand from the beach. Notice the foam at the shorleine at the beach? The beach is natures skimmer, and that sand will be full of nothing but wastes and pollutants.
The same goes for the water. Sea water can be used, but it has to be collected in a controlled fashion. Most recommend at least 1 mile from shore and 50 feet down if your going to use it. You do not want to use water from the beach for the same reasons as the sand

 

Awesome info here. Thank you all greatly, possibly saved me from a huge mistake!