Black pool filter sand?

[George9]

Is there such a thing? I would like black sand but don't want to pay a lot.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I really doubt it... I've never seen it. I can't imagine why they would make it black, since it is, after all, designed to be put in a filter for a pool. They do have some that's darker than what I've always used... kind of a speckled look... but I've never seen it around here.

 

[George9]

Alright, I'll just buy some kind of black sand made for aquariums. Thanks!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Blasting sand works, or so I hear. From what I've seen, it's not nearly as fine as most 'aquarium' sands. And it's also a cheap option like PFS. Black Blast is what I've seen some people (big jim?) say they used. Again, no firsthand experience with it.

 

[jcolon]

Alright, I'll just buy some kind of black sand made for aquariums. Thanks!

I agree with mfdrookie516 in that PFS is usually silica sand since it is so abundant. While you can find black sand, I'm not sure you'd find it as PFS.

Lately I've been hearing of using Black Diamond sandblasting grit for substrate.
About the same size as PFS.

 

[toddnbecka]

If there's a Tractor Supply close by you can pick up a 50 lb bag of Black Diamond blasting grit for $8/each. I just finished rinsing and adding 100 lbs of it on top of 50 lbs of fine-grade gravel similar to pfs in my 220. PetCo sells black aquarium sand in 20 lb bags for $18/each.

 

[George9]

Thanks guys! I'm going to look into the blasting sand, and if I can't find it I'll just go to PETCO and buy it.

 

[jetajockey]

While I've seen lots of success reported with the cheap blasting sand, the composition of it concerns me so I wouldn't use it personally.

Here's an excerpt from a site that sells black beauty sandblasting media Abrasive Blasting

Black beauty abrasives also known as coal slag, black diamond, black blast and boiler slag is an inexpensive media. It is one of the safer forms of abrasive media, containing less than 1% or no silica. Black beauty media also produces little dust, however, may release hazardous air pollutants (HAP) into the surrounding air.

Black Beauty abrasives are made from crushed liquid coal slag from utility boilers. The abrasive contains iron (Fe), Aluminum (Al), Magnesium (Mg) and Calcium (Ca). The media comes in sharp angular grains ranging in many sizes including coarse, medium, fine and extra fine grained. The coarser grains can be used to remove heavy rust and provide a high degree of profile, good for coating attachment and bonding. The finer grains can be used for cleaning surfaces and for smoothing surfaces. The media is used on many applications including steel, buildings, railroads and bridges. Coal slag is a fast-cutting media with a hardness of 6-7 on the Moh's hardness scale. The media is non-recyclable.

 

[bigbanker]

+1 on the black blasting sand! Tractor supply store or "freight" place will have bags of it! Give them a call.

Easy to clean and looks great.

 

[toddnbecka]

I got curious, and a google search turned up this link: Coal Slag Explained
From what I read the stuff is completely inert and insoluble in water. Should be safe for fish, plants, etc., but not something you want getting to your hob filter impellers.

 

[jetajockey]

Nice link, looks like it is pretty good and according to that site it shouldn't affect gh/kh at all. Does it have to be rinsed a million times like sand? Is it sharp?

 

[toddnbecka]

Not as bad as sand to rinse, I just used a 5 gallon bucket and hose. Split the bag into thirds, stirred by hand and rinsed until the water was clear. I did see a small amount of oil on the surface of the water at first, but not thick or heavy, and no more came up as the grit was stirred.
Not sure about how sharp it is, but I don't see where it's much different from sand as a substrate.
Particle size is variable, I flushed out the finest bits when I rinsed it. Remains to be seen how it falls back out when siphoned, but I'm thinking it will mostly stay on top of the fine-grade gravel in my mix.

 

[bigbanker]

I haven't had any issues with the water quality in the time I've been using the blasting sand. The weight is perfect! Once stirred up it settles VERY quickly. So when the fish slam into a bit goes up and comes right back down. I've siphoned it and pick up minimal amounts when I get too close, but being that it is so cheap it is very easy to replace.

It was very easy to clean! Just don't forget that if you're adding clean sand to a tank that has fish in it, make sure the sand is warm and not cold.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Another possible substrate is black tahition moon sand.. It looks nice, completely inert, and settles well.

 

[mfdrookie516]

TMS is wayyyy too fine for me. If you stick the gravel vac down in it, it sucks it up... where with PFS and heavier sands, it won't.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Oh, i didn't know that you could clean the sand that way with a course substrate, I just did circles around the top of it and did get a little bit of sand but it wasnt horrible.