Black Diamond Sand??

[Wailing Banshee]

I am getting 3 new tanks today (I went a little auction crazy)... A 90, 55 and a 29 tall. I want to put sand in these. I love the look of black sand, and heard of others using Black Diamond from Tractor Supply but read about bad experiences. Am I better off just paying for for Tahitian moon sand? One tank is for some German Blue Rams. I will be putting pool filter sand in the 90. I plan on adding live plants to all tanks.

 

[MMantelli]

Yes you can use the black diamond blasting sand from tractor supply. Fyi they have 3 grit sizes I would reccomend at least the medium grit one the larger would be better though. The fine grit will get stirred up to easily. That stuff looks awesome as a substrate.

 

[Wailing Banshee]

Yes you can use the black diamond blasting sand from tractor supply. Fyi they have 3 grit sizes I would reccomend at least the medium grit one the larger would be better though. The fine grit will get stirred up to easily. That stuff looks awesome as a substrate.

Maybe the grit makes a difference. Some people said it takes 4 hours to rinse and repeat.

 

[MMantelli]

Maybe the grit makes a difference. Some people said it takes 4 hours to rinse and repeat.

It took longer for me to do the aragonite in my cichlid tank. Just do small batches and you should be good.

 

[AngelFishGirl]

It does I am getting that sand. I takes forever to clean but looks BEAUTIFUL!! I can't wait!! I too have been wondering what size to get.

 

[Wailing Banshee]

It does I am getting that sand. I takes forever to clean but looks BEAUTIFUL!! I can't wait!! I too have been wondering what size to get.

I listened to MMantelli and paid attention to the grit. I bought the medium and not the fine. I washed each batch repeatedly and the tank is cycling. There is an oily film at the top. I hope that doesn't mean I need to drain the 75 and start over.

 

[reefdiver]

Recommendation here get a cheap breathing mask. I've heard people having problems breathing the fine dust particles.

 

[Wailing Banshee]

Recommendation here get a cheap breathing mask. I've heard people having problems breathing the fine dust particles.

I didn't notice that with the medium grit. On another thread, someone read it has sharp edges and can kill fish when they sift it through their gills?

 

[Mebbid]

I would replace the water in the tank. That oily film needs to go away.

As for how sharp it is, I have it in my 55g and I would avoid things like cory cats, loaches, and cichlids that are prone to digging. Other than that it's perfectly safe for fish.

 

[Wailing Banshee]

I would replace the water in the tank. That oily film needs to go away.

As for how sharp it is, I have it in my 55g and I would avoid things like cory cats, loaches, and cichlids that are prone to digging. Other than that it's perfectly safe for fish.

What fish do you have in your 55g with it? I was going to put baby discus in my 75 g until they grow out.

 

[Mebbid]

9 praecox rainbows, 7 harlequin rasboras, 5 assorted plecos, dwarf gourami, 2 sae, 50+ shrimp

 

[Wailing Banshee]

9 praecox rainbows, 7 harlequin rasboras, 5 assorted plecos, dwarf gourami, 2 sae, 50+ shrimp

So, a Lake Malawi tank would be out of the question? Hmmmm...

 

[MMantelli]

From what I understand peacocks don't dig much my mbunas are constantly rearranging my sub.

 

[mikem691]

I know some people use this but I have done custom metal work on off road vehicles and used sandblasters The media i have used is sand, almond shells, glass and slag. Thing is its all bagged at the same place with the same equipment. This equipment cant really be cleaned because there can not be any moisture in the media or it will clog the sand blaster tips. so what im saying is you never know what may be mixed in the bag and the slag is treated with a silicone to prevent rusting and moisture. Here is a post i read a while back. If you want to go cheap I really would go with either pool filter sand or play sand.
I have learned that what I think is a cheap way to go ends up costing more in the long run. Just my thoughts.

I found this on another website..

"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."

(goes by 'black beauty' also)

 

[Mebbid]

Yeah, I knew it contained iron since it was magnetic. But the rest of the stuff aside from aluminum makes it a good plant substrate