you are getting into the argument of whether silica based sands are ok for tanks. initially, the concensus was no. then people started having success with silica and everyone decided it wasn't as bad as everyone said. i recently read an
article that scientifically researched the effects of using silica based sand and the leaching of silicates, and the answer was bad again. who knows?... nearly all beach sand in the US is silica based. there might be varying amounts of coral based sand mixed in, but i think all the pure
aragonite sand we use in aquariums comes from the bahamas.
personally, i wouldn't do it for the silica reason. add to that the potential for contaminants to be in the beach sand, and i'd definitely say no. if you are starting a tank just to see if this works and don't mind tearing it down if it doesn't, then give it a try. you might also check if it is legal to take the sand from the beach. there are so many rules limiting what can be collected these days...
craig
I mix twinkies and ding dongs all the time, in Europe they call it a Dinky -- Homer Simpson
