# Sand, water and/or rocks from the ocean?



## MHarris9252 (Jan 15, 2006)

Is this possible? Do they work in a SW tank? I live 5 minutes from the ocean and this could possibly be a great way to save some money. 

Any experiences with this from anyone? 

thanks!


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

Don't use any of it. I won't go into detail on it unless you want me too because i have to get off the computer lol and i'd be typing for a long time.

STuff like that can introduce stuff to your tank basicly and plus collecting live rock is illegal almost everywhere.


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## MHarris9252 (Jan 15, 2006)

Makes sense but I have heard that the water is fine to use, the sand has too much algae I'm told. Red algae is real bad down here so I wouldn't use that, but what about the h2o?

anyone?


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## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

Unless you are prepared to put that sand in a tumbler then dont bother....

imagine those ppl spitting in the water and then all that suncream and chemicals lodging in the sand,you wouldnt want to use it as substrate . same with the water


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I used to be the Senior Aquarist at the Gulfarium near you, so I suppose I can give you some tips, since we used such things all the time.

They were nothing but trouble.

The brown diatom algae just LOVES the silicate & phosphate levels of the water in your area. The stuff normally just goes away in most people's tanks, but if you put FWB sand in your tank it will never go away no matter what you do. It's the plague of every florida aquarium still using natural sand & water.

Some of the best live rock in the world, if not THE best, is found just 4 miles from Destin. Unfortunately you can't have it, since they made collecting it illegal.

As for using the water, yes, you can use the water. The trick is not to use the water at the beach, since it's slam full of junk you don't want. If you can't use a boat to collect the clear water a few hundred yards offs****, then your next best bet is to go to the pier and wade out about 60 feet. After those first two sandy hills which trap all the plankton near the beach in the deep valley, you'll find yourself in a shallow spot again with clear water. Alternately you could just lower some buckets down on a rope from the pier into some clear spots you find.
Naturally, you'll want to do this at a time when the water IS clear and not full of jellyfish swarms, sargassum mats, and of course, the red tide. Wintertime is pretty good.

Fill some containers full of water and take them home. Pour the water through a coffee filter into some other containers, and then store this now much cleaner water in a dark closet for 3 weeks. If you do this right it won't stink at all, but if you don't it will.
Finally, use a siphon hose to remove the water from the containers from the middle of the containers. That is, don't get any water from the bottom of the containers or from the top scum into your new container, and thusly into your tank.

Yes, it's a lot of trouble, but if you don't go to this trouble your tank will be a disaster.

Now, aren't you glad they invented Instant Ocean?
In all honesty, I like to use 20% real ocean water to 80% synthetic for the initial fill of the tank. It has a nifty quick seasoning effect.

You won't really save much money, but it is more fun to set up your tank with stuff you collected. The Shalimar Yacht Club lagoon jetty is a great place to snorkel for stuff. There are about 20 fish species present at any given tme, as well as a lot of nifty inverts like colorful pistol shrimps. The nearby grass flats are always full of stuff, too. Another great spot is under the bridge just as you're heading into Destin from FWB. LOTS of stuff of every sort, and very different from what you find at Shalimar. It's hard to find, but the remains of a long-gone pier are a bit east of Destin, and even more stuff can be had if you can find it. I wouldn't recommend trying to snorkel under the active piers at FWB & Navarre, though, since between the sharks & the fishhooks & the pounding surf grinding you into the barnacles it's too hard to accomplish very much.


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## CMonroe (Dec 20, 2005)

TheOldSalt said:


> I used to be the Senior Aquarist at the Gulfarium near you.


You just moved up several notches in my book TOS, what are you doing these days if not at the Gulfarium?

You had a job that I wanted when I got out of College with a degree in Aquatic Biology & Chemistry. Didn't get it, and eventually moved into IT 

Hmmm... $30k / year working for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept, or $60k / year working in IT? Wife, what do you think? 

Ten long years in IT later, I'm having trouble killing algae in my saltwater tank, but my wireless home LAN is humming right along 

CMonroe


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

HAHA!

Now I work nights at WalMart, sad to say. Aquarium jobs don't pay well, and wouldn't you know it, they're always in those places where you can't afford to live without big bucks.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

TheOldSalt said:


> HAHA!
> 
> Now I work nights at WalMart, sad to say. Aquarium jobs don't pay well, and wouldn't you know it, they're always in those places where you can't afford to live without big bucks.


try the new atlanta aquarium tos, it isnt to expensive to live with a small comute. (spelled it 3 times and still didnt look right haha)


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