Need a black plant substrate

[ScaryFatKidGT]

So I used eco complete, a mix of red and black in my big tank along with some gravel and it looks cool but not really what I'm going for in this nano.

With the nano changing out the substrate wouldn't be such a nightmare so I'm open to whatever.

I have a 7.5g I am scrapping and transferring into a 15g or 20l mainly due to the Fluval stratum, I have shrimp so I thought it would be a good idea but this stuff is like packing foam, nothing stays planted in it, I can't hard scape with it, I can't gravel vac it, about all I can do is pick debris out with a tweezers. Is aquasoil and or brightwell like this? If so I might just use black ecocomplete or florite.

Can tahiti moon sand be used in freshwater? Or would Florite sand be better? Can these be gravel vaced or would it all just get sucked up? How do you clean sand anyway?...

 

[Pseudomugil]

I'm using Tahitian black moon sand in my 56 gallon planted tank.

 

[Wy Renegade]

ADA soil works well for planting it, not sure how it would gravel vac however. It is pretty much black, but it tends to move when adding or pulling water. There is a thread about it here; http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/ada-aquasoil-332290.html

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

I'm using Tahitian black moon sand in my 56 gallon planted tank.

Pics?

ADA soil works well for planting it, not sure how it would gravel vac however. It is pretty much black, but it tends to move when adding or pulling water. There is a thread about it here; http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/ada-aquasoil-332290.html

The stratum blows all over, pisses me off. Like any gravel will move if you dump water in but if I carefully pour a glass of RO water in my tank it moves the stratum around... keeps getting stuck in my filter till I put a pre-filter on it.

Maybe I could use eco complete and then a Flourite sand area for cories?

My plants seem to be doing great tho........... gah idk.