Make or Collect salt water? And collecting sand?

[JohnnyDanger]

I'm about to fill up my 55 and I was wondering if it would be better to start out with real sea water or make it in a bucket.. I have a boat and I live by the water so I can very easily head out a mile or two into the open ocean and pump some water up into a couple garbage cans and bring them home.. And also, could I go out to a reef and collect my own sand and put that in my tank or should I just buy it from a fish store.. I plan to let my tank cycle for a few months before adding any life anyways..

 

[Bifferwine]

If you collect ocean water, it should be done a couple miles out to cut back on the risk of bringing in contaminants (the water closer to shore could have higher levels of oil and stuff from boats, etc.). It's probably easier just to make your own. Then you don't have to worry about stuff in it. Same thing with collecting sand -- it's up to you what you want to do, just be sure to check with your fish and wildlife department; some of them have rules regarding collection of rock, sand and livestock.

 

[JohnnyDanger]

Yea I have the FWC regulations sitting on my desk.. I plan on collecting a lot of stuff the ocean since it's right there.. You can't take live rock but I don't see anything about sand.. I'm staying away the reef though I don't want to disturb anything.. I'll grab sand from the areas around it if I can..

 

[cvcdrk]

I'm glad I don't live near any reef systems. I would be way too tempted to take some cool rocks and stuff. I'm sure you're not likely to get caught.

Still, it's best people don't touch them.

 

[little_fish]

I wouldnt take any sand from a near by beach, i think that would be also highly polluted and dirty. Like the water, i would take some from a few miles out

 

[JohnnyDanger]

I'm not planning on taking sand from the beach.. Our reefs our about a mile out and the gulf stream is 3 miles from our coastline so we have great flush on our reefs.. And yea I don't touch the reefs but I wouldn't mind taking some sand from the outskirts of one on our patch reefs. I grew up on the ocean fishing and spear fishing and I would never do anything to harm the reefs..

 

[Bifferwine]

Sounds like you've got a plan. I don't see any problems with what you are doing.