Digging sand from the ocean

Is that aragonite sand, or the same useless silica you can buy at a quarry for 50 dollars a ton?

 

I've seen this question asked on other forums and the answer that would sway me is this.  Do you know what is in that sand or what it might be contaminated with?  In the long run, I wouldn't want to risk unknown things going into my expensive set up (and almost ANY setup ends up being expensive.)

 

I'd be interested in hearing what the Floridians have to say on this.  I wasn't trying to come off as sounding negative but if down the road, you had unexplained problems, you would forever wonder if it was something in the sand or at least I would.

 

Having been to a couple of Old Castles sites down south you would be amazed the garbage that was in the water around the area where they were collecting the Southdown Play Sand. Personally I would not use any sand unless it was collected at a very clean remote location where I knew the water was very clean. Anwhere around the coastal us is not one of those places. Florida is horrible about piping sewage out a few miles, which leads to increased levels of nitrates and phosphate and all the lovely things that come with that.

I would likely use the commercially collected aragonite sand to be safe.

 

Please dont use gulf sand!!!! Trying to save you some heart ache... OFFSHORE OIL RIGS!!! Oil floats on h2o any shore sand will have petrolium distalates imbedded in it. Let alone everything else. Reef sand must be collected at or near the base of a reef! At least 1-2 miles out. Its getting to be a dirty place around here!!!