Sand from the beach

[Jaap]

Hello,

is it ok to get sand from a beach and rinse well and then use it in a freshwater planted aquarium?

Thanks!

 

[GillesF]

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Sea sand contains a lot of salt and I'm not sure how your fish and plants would react to it. You can buy good sand very cheap in DIY stores. My father used "Rhine sand" for his Malawi aquarium.

 

[Gary Nelson]

yes I would be a bit cautious of this, sand is not that expensive... just to be on the safe side too.

 

[gmartins]

If thoroughly rinsed with freshwater I would think it would be ok. However, it is very likely that it will have lots of small pieces from shelled animals. This may raise your kH and gH a lot which is great for african cichlids. But let's what other people may say.

cheers,

GM

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I don't think salinity will be a problem, salt is very soluble and sand is mainly silica, so it will wash out completely.
Shell fragments are more of a problem, if you live on the west coast of England or in Wales, Ireland or Scotland you will have a lot of shells (often actually coralline algae fragments) in the sand, but if you live along the South or East coast it will depend on the origin of the sediment. If you have heath at the back of the beach (like around Poole harbour) it may be all right.

cheers Darrel