Ocean sand

[underpar]

Is there any reason natural ocean sand cannot be used as substrate for a reef tank?

Thanks, Fred

 

[theatrus]

As long as its well cleaned sand from under water and not illegal to collect (which it is in many areas), no, no problem at all. The sand we use in our tanks was once natural ocean sand as well

 

[Gerad]

clean it. do not use it as live sand. remember you don't know what is in it. not all hitchhikers are good

 

[sir_dudeguy]

ya you cant just go to the beach and pic some up. Not safe. Also, when i was at rocky point (in mexico) i picked up some pieces of rock from when i went snorkeling...maybe a pound max..it was more just rubble. But it was nonetheless in the sand at about 16 ft of water at some island...well i've got it in my 2.5 nano, and i'm starting to see these weird little bug type things...kinda like pods i guess. But they kinda remind me of those rolly polly bugs (idk..thats what i called them when i was a little kid lol). Well they're burrowing in the sand and everything and i do remember seeing them in the sand. They're about the size of copepods but different. Anyways, i was watching them one day and i saw a few of them tackle and kill a normal copepod that was in there...so i'm guessing they kill pods and arent so great, tho the corals in there seem fine.

What i'm tryin to get at is, you gotta be carefull. I, as of now, dont know what exactly i got, but i'm under the impression that they werent so good. So you gotta be carefull.

But i'd say take a boat out and dive to get any sand that you want for your tank...just too risky getting it near shore cuz of all the polutants now.