Substrate? / Water?

[dillonsshop]

Ok, here is the situation. I now have tank, sump w/ skimmer, lights, pump, and location. I feel ready to fill the tank and start the substrate. Sonny (doesn't post often) tells me to start with clean, real ocean water and sand from the beach if possible. And goes on to say that the stuff you buy in the stores is just an immitation of what mother nature already has perfected. Is this a viable reality? The beach is just 18 miles away from the house and I have a large industrial pump that I could pump several hundred gallons in one hour, but I'd like y'alls oppion on the matter.

[captexas]

Well I would say don't listen to Sonny on this one. While most stuff in the stores may be a immitation of mother nature, it is an immitation of mother nature in it's purest form which you won't find along any beach or coastline here. Our coastlines are polluted with waste water run-off from oily parking lots, chemical plants and refineries all along the coast, and all the trash that is dumped just a few miles off shore. Even if you could find a secluded area I would not risk it, at least with the water. You can probably get away with the sand as there are people that do that if you collect it from a seldom traveled are where it will be cleaner. You should still heavily rinse it before putting it in a tank. Definately no on the water. Just buy a decent salt mix and add some RO/DI water. Your tank will be much happier.

[dillonsshop]

Would sand at the beach be considered LIVE ? I was considering using some crushed coral (pea size) that I aquired with some other fresh water stuff. And then topping off with live sand of some sort. How many inches of substrate Should I use?

[captexas]

No, dry sand on the beach is not considered live sand. Live sand is like what's on the ocean bottom or from an established saltwater tank. It has all sorts of little critters living in it that help break down the different excess nutrients and food. You can use the dry sand and then try to "seed" it with some live sand from another persons tank. It's fairly common to swap a cup or two of sand with other people to help get a new tank's sandbed going. The depth of the substrate is really up to you. Whether you are looking to gain the benefits of a deep sand bed (which is debated by some) or just want something to cover the bottom and give it a more natural look. It is really a matter of preference although a DSB can help with tank filtration if set up properly and maintained. There is a lot of info out there on different ways to set up a tank and none of them are 100% right or wrong.

[dillonsshop]

Well I was going to harvest from the sand-bar about 20 yards from shore. I understand the idea but would I really get cool stuff like sanddollars out of a bag at the store? The other thought is that the color of the sand in a bag is not as natural as the sand on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. I really like the idea of generating a close to natural environment in the tank.

[mathias]

just go with sand from store and get a couple cups from a fellow reefer.... now the question is rock from the ocean is that legal?

[Thunderkat]

The only place I have heard that it is illegal to take rocks from the water is Hawaii. Its best to check with the laws in the area you are thinking about taking from.

[Polkster13]

Depends on where you get it. Any rock collected off of Florida without a special permit is illegal. Anything collected in a Marine reserve or Park (Federal, State, Local) is illegal. Different states and different jurisdictions have different rules and regulations for collecting. Your best bet would be to ask the Fish and Game Department of the State where you wish to collect. Heavy fines, confiscation of equipment (including boats and vehicles) and prison time is not worth a couple of pounds of LR.

[GaryP]

The other problem is that there is no natural rock along the Texas Gulf Coast, at least not on the inshore areas. What you find there is from human dumping or jetty building. It is not going to have the porosity of coral based live rock. Its the same issue we hear all the time from folks wanting to use limestone in their tanks. Most of the jetties in Texas are made from hill country granite.

There is some fosssilized remains of giant worms in the bays up around Corpus that are generally called rocks, but they are not coral based.

[mathias]

Garyp but sitting in saltwater for that long and such it would at least make some kick *** base rock????? but I would fresh water dip it for hitchhikers...

[dillonsshop]

For those that don't know, the jetties at Boca chica Beach are teaming with life and several people have based their tanks on suck life. I was just wondering what everybody else thought.

[Thunderkat]

For those that don't know, the jetties at Boca chica Beach are teaming with life and several people have based their tanks on suck life. I was just wondering what everybody else thought.

Translation please, I am sofa king we Tod did :(