Sand from the wild

[didierc]

I wonder if I can collect sand from the wild (Florida keys) to setup the DSB. Is it safe :?:
Thanks

[akula]

one general caution that is usually mentioned when collecting sand is that regular beach sand can be heavily contaminated due to sewege and other stuff that is discharged near the shoreline. as to florida, there were some rules posted somewhere about collecting rules. might have been posted on either TRT or RC.

[wildemon]

Under ARC presentations is a talk about Florida Keys Diving by Terry Whittington. He did not mention sand but the links to official websites is in the text. Most Florida sand is quartz and not calcium carbonite like on a reef. This may make no difference as the bacteria would be the same.
William Fisher

[Harleyguy]

I would think that as long as it is legal it would be OK. With that being said I would treat it like fresh live rock and cure it. I would also hook up some sort of carbon filter and a UV light to the curing tank.

[Daytona955]

http://www.sealective.com/

Hee is a place for all you divers where it is not only legal, they aid you in capturing rock, fish, inverts, etc. They will package it for you for the trip home and have holding tanks as well. My friend and I are considering this at some point next year.

[tdwyatt]

info you need to collect in Florida.

http://www.floridamarine.org/feature...e.asp?id=23440

Actually, contrary to a previous post, there IS a difference between speciation of quartz/feldspar based substrates and calcareous based substrates, much of it has to do with the presence of calcium in the interstitial water and the species that are capable of colonizing these substrates to their advantage. In adition, temperate water substrates have many organisms that require the temperature conditions present in temperate waters, and will fail to thrive or die in constant water temps of 80 to 85 degrees F.

Organisms that live in near shore conditions are also adapted through Darwinian selection to those conditions, whether these are fluctuating salinities or high nitrate/phosphate, etc conditiions, and most often represent what we consider nuisance algal and related species.

Just a few things to mull over when considering what our ultimate goal is for systems emulating tropical Pacific coral biotopes.

I have 150# of sand that came from the sea floor 2 miles North by North west of Alligator Light, Mile marker 90 + or - in the florida keys.
And it bubbles like boiling water when viniger is poured on it.
So contrary to Williams statement in and earlyer post, This sand is not quarts. And it searved me well for two years.

I didn't understand much of what Tom said about it.( most times I don't)

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by mafiaman

I have 150# of sand that came from the sea floor 2 miles North by North west of Alligator Light, Mile marker 90 + or - in the florida keys.
And it bubbles like boiling water when viniger is poured on it.
So contrary to Williams statement in and earlyer post, This sand is not quarts. And it searved me well for two years.

I didn't understand much of what Tom said about it.( most times I don't)

just that there is a difference between quartz eroded silicate/feldspar sand from the coast of tempereate states like SC, Ga, northern Florida as far south as mid peninsula; and the sand found in the subtropical areas of Florida and the tropical Keys. You can tell when you walk on it, as most folks can walk on silica sand beaches, aragonite granules, however, are another story. The organisms that live in those semi-tropical and tropical waters are the ones that will do well in tanks set at our normal aquaria temps at 80 degrees F.

Chris's test for calcium carbonate sands is dead on, if it doesn't bubble, the sand isn't calcium carbonate.