Sand from the beach?

[snaza]

can i use sand from the beach for my DSB or is it very different?

 

[dwdenny]

As long as you clean it and let it dry out then yeah you can. However it might not be aragonite based and help with buffering.

 

[chrismhaase]

so what is the best approach? mix it with live sand? also, if you let it dry and ultimately kill all the animals wouldnt that cause a nitrate spike?

 

[uscgbeachbum]

I believe "obtaining" beach sand may be illegal. Your best/cheapest bet would be to call your local fill distributor and asking if they have any aragonite. As far as keeping the beach sand live it depends on where you get it from (i.e. near the waters edge or up near the dune). You wouldn't want to keep it live regardless since garbage organics/inorganics are found in the sediment as well as nasty local marine problems such as red tide, etc.

 

[chrisaggie]

I am not sure about other states, but collecting sand here in florida is legal.