sand at the beach

[mossyfrog]

hey guys, so i'm wondering - can you actually use sand from a beach in a sump or main tank?

[rusticfox]

I wouldn't risk it mate, too many potential issues with pollutants and disease. The grain size of beach sand can also cause problems, compacting into a solid bed that'll likely go stagnant over time. To be honest, it's just not worth the risk of losing everything to save a bit of cash - aragonite's the way to go.

[zeno9]

I agree with Buddy, the risks just aren't worth it. Pollutants, parasites, pathogens - you just don't know what you're getting. And if I'm not mistaken, British beaches have silica-based sand, which would likely cause you a world of problems with diatoms.