Real sand from the sea!

Can I use real sand from the sea? I live on a tropical island and the water is pretty clean here. If I can use natural sea sand should I get the sand from the beach, about 6ft of water or from about like 20ft?

 

You can do this....
I guess it depends on where you are and what type of inhabitants are local to you. ( good or bad )
Might you be better off if you take the sand and let it dry or possibly heat it to kill off all inhabitants and then use it? Then maybe seed it with some live sand?

Jim

 

I've done this a couple times in the last few years... it's hit or miss.
The first batch was really good and I never had issues, but then when I switched tanks, I went out and got another batch. This batch had constant problems with algae for over a year. I eventually dumped it for some store bought stuff.

I didn't get it from far out, but rather right near water's edge. Very risky, but it was an isolated beach so I took my chances.

So I'd say maybe take precautions maybe like Jim said. Or roll the dice. Or avoid it all together.

 

Umm, most LFS' live sand is real sand collected from the reefs. Sand from the beach will not have crap on them as the temps on there vary from deep water reefs. You would have to go down a coral reef and collect some from there.

 

My LFS "live sand" comes out of a commercial bag which they put in with their liverock and fish. They sell it for $2.00 a pound.

Jim

 

I live in jamaica.... I'm kinda new to this so I don't understand a couple things......

I have to get the sand out of the ocean cause there are no stores that sell it here. What is LFS..... and when you say live sand...... what's that? I thought that would be sand from the sea......

The sand we have down here is always diffrent but there are three main kinds..... One kind is light and looks like quaker oats I think this is made from shells. It's about the same size as dry oats too.... the next time is fine like sand in an hour glass..... like small round balls.... The third type is like broken up shells.... really pretty about the size of a third of a rice grain and if you look good you can actually see that it looks like broken up shells.... which one woud you recommend I try?

And If I heat it to kill the stuff in it... and I don't have a shop down here what can I seed it with?

 

More information!!! I like it.
I would use the fine grain sand. Sift it and rinse it really well to make sure there are no undesirables in it to make your life mesiserable later on. The sand will become "live" on it's own as you cycle the tank and the bacteria begin to grow.

Jim

 

LFS=(Live Fish Store) If the sand you are collecting has bad bacteria it can come back to haunt you in the form of algea, worms, and other stuff that will be hard to get rid of in the future. I live in florida and the first time I set up my tank I had green algea all the time because I used sand from the beach. What the others are saying you can use the sand but rinse the sand a few times before using it in the tank. While it is cycling the good bacteria will start to grow in the sand making it "Live sand"

 

I would prefer the third kind of sand you mentioned above the 1/3 the size of rice one; rinse it and maybe sift it and just look through it and throw away any undesireables. Gl to you

 

Can I bake the sand? Like throw it in the oven and roast it..... that will steralize it. I plan on using salt water from the sea as well and for that matter live rock and coral and fish.... there's no stores here for that but the sea is like right there lol....... I'm going to try and start with a homemade eco system filter. With mongrove mud and calupra from down here... The mud is EXTREMELY rich and fertile.... I'm really new to all of this so ANY advice is welcome...