# Ocean sand



## cavediver (Jul 17, 2008)

What are everyones thoughts on getting sand from the ocean for a new tank setup. I'm a diver so the sand would come from about a mile offshore. also when putting in LR and BR should it placed on the glass bottom. (of course I wouldnt harvest the LR from the ocean). I can get it at lfs for a good price. I have 55 gal. and it seams like a lot of weight sitting on the bottom. 60+lbs of LR and the weight of 2-3 in. of sand. sorry for all the questions, new to SW and need some advice.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

ive heard harvesting sand from an ocean isnt a problem as long as it is far out and deep down. i would make sure it was pre-rinsed well. as for worrying about your tank holding all the weight... how heavy do you think a 55 gallon tank is with JUST water? ( id say about 500lbs if not more ) so as for your 60+lbs of live rock, there shouldnt be anything to worry about. carefully placing rock on the glass bottom of the tank and making sure NO ROCK touches atleast the FRONT of the tank ( id personally make sure it didnt touch ANY glass walls ) because it will SCRATCH your glass, but the bottom of the tank doesnt need to be worried about getting a little sratch or two.. unless you prefer that 100% flawless tank 8)


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## cavediver (Jul 17, 2008)

I guess I should have ask if the rock touching the glass would create a possible area for a crack. and yea saltwater at about 8.5lbs gal. is very heavyin a 55, not to mention anything else in there. but you answered my question about the rock. thanks for your help.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

yupp no problem. and ( its basically common sense but ) dont put the rock in like a wild animal, gently place it into the tank and you shouldnt have an issue.


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

I recommend HIGHLY against harvesting sand from the ocean. There are far too many organisms that can wreak havoc in an aquarium environment. remember, bad things in the ocean have predators to keep them in check. 

As for the rock, it can be placed on the glass bottom, however, eggcrate tile works well to protect the glass bottom from damage, and helps to distribute the weight of the rocks more evenly across the bottom.


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## ohturtle (Jul 28, 2007)

Just curious, what are the legal issues regarding collecting stuff in Florida? If sand is okay, what about fish and coral?


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

I concure with Austin too many factors that are unknown



ohturtle said:


> Just curious, what are the legal issues regarding collecting stuff in Florida? If sand is okay, what about fish and coral?


they very from place to place. you'd have to look into the states regulations as the area.


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