Questions about Sand

[nicoudib]

I am very new to the hobby of reef keeping and am considering what size/style tank to get. Ideally, I would like to stay small. I just got back from St. Lucia and brought 4 litres of volcanic sand from the beach with the hope of using it in my new tank. Will this sand work for a reef tank?
Thanks for any advice, and if anyone wants to get rid of a <30 gal reef system, or some live rock, let me know.

[Angela Short]

Welcome to MTRC! I am glad you are asking questions first, you will save yourself a ton of money and headach by doing it this way. Be patient and the good deals on a tank, rock and livestock are out there. I am not sure of your sand question though. You should try and make the meet at my house Sat. you do not need to be a member to attend and you will learn so much just meeting and talking to the members.

[waynesworld]

Welcome If you dont mind a larger tank I have a 55 with a stand nothing special but it is cheep. I have some rock comming in that you can get real cheap and use it for the base and get some live rock to seed it. If you have any questions on the tank or rock let me know.

[Angela Short]

55 is a great starting point if you have the room. Most people want to upgrade out of the 20ish range real quick after getting started :)

[nicoudib]

Thank you both for your replies. I probably won't make the meeting this Saturday, but keep me posted on future meetings! As to the tank, I really want a bigger tank, but I am newly married, and the wife says "NO". So I will be confined to a smaller tank which I plan on keeping in our laboratory or my office. I have been looking at a 15 gallon (24x12x12) so that I can use a 24" light system. I know that the water chemistry might be more difficult, but I am a scientist, so hopefully I can maintain it.

Also, I will be moving within the next 2 years, so I don't want to go too big until I move. I am really looking forward to meeting all the MTRC members and honing some skills with a small tank before moving on up.

Again, thanks for the feedback, and I am still wondering about the sand...