Live Sand

Hello,
I am wanting to start up a 60 Gallon tank and have been researching about everything. Sand has been a thing that I have some questions about though. I am wanting to get a reef/fish set up a Clown, Anonomie (Sp), Chromis, Red Manderian, Dragon Goby, etc.

I have been reading "live" sand from aquariums isn't all that great and alot of times dead for the most part, the store bought bagged sand. I also read someone used sand from the Gulf of Mexico and their live sand and it worked out great. I was thinking about grabbing 50 Lbs. of white sand from my LFS and then seeding it with live rock and live sand. My question is that I live on the West Coast, Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Barbra, Carpenteria area. Can I use sand from the beach to seed it? Something like another 20 Lbs. or so to seed it a make a nice sand bed in my tank. If not any reccomendations where to get live sand? Also I've read people putting live sand in their sumps and some don't, reccomended that I do? How do I keep it out of the pump?

Thanks in advance,
David

P.S. By the time these are answered I'll probably have more questions, lol.

 

hi David

I cant answer the specific question about sand collected from your location
I can say, that I would not want to risk sand collected from any of the locations bordering the sea I have ever resided in (polution, parasites that the fish you get have no immunity etc - these may be inpractical fears on my part, but they exist and thus prevent me adding anything I could collect from local areas)

Sump - best thing in the sump is water and equipment - you dont want any rock or sand in there IMO
If you had a sump/ refugium combination - then sand in the fuge is a good idea as a fuge is segregated from the sump, thus prevents the issue of sand in the pump etc ( water flows over a dividing wall to get to fuge )

if you know any local reef keepers with problem free tanks, asking for a small quantity of sand from their tanks, to add to the dry sand, in order to help seed the dry sand, which will in time become live sand in your tank - is an option
as would purchasing a cup of sand from your LFS in addition to the dry sand and other equipment, you buy from there

you dont need to buy live sand IMO , but if your lucky enough to have a few local reef keepers or a local reef club, then obtaining a small cup of sand from various other hobbyists could really increase the bio diversity in your own sand bed eventually


Steve

 

Thanks for the reply Steve, made things simple and answered my main questions, local sand was just a long shot shooting for the stars.
However, I now have another question. I was at my LFS today and I saw Dr. Tim's brand All in One for Marine tanks, and the owner recommended it and said it shortened his cycling and uses it all the time, owner also happens to be a friend so I know he wasn't bull****ting me. He also said it will seed "dead" sand. Its just a bacteria cocktail and what not pretty much.
So I've read about using and I have used sand from Home Depot and Lowe's for my Freshwater tank, is there any sand from Home Depot or Lowe's that would work in a Marine tank? I want a nice sand bed in my tank around 4"-5" around 150 Lbs. I know in my 350 I got a good sand bed in there for less than $50 bucks 350 Gallons and like a 4" bed for cheap, so yeah.

Thanks again,
David