Black sand?

[Travis55]

Hey all. Im planning on getting my sand tomorrow and was wondering how many people have used black sand? I REALLY wanna but im not sure how it will look. Annnnd at petco all i see is sand with nutrients to help plant growth... is it ok for saltwater? Thank you all!!!

 

[Crabs]

It might look good. But it would b a major mistake and I'm pretty sure u would b changing it out fairly quick. U need to c what's going on in ur tank. And with black substrate, it would b hard to gauge the conditions. Algae, diatoms, cyano bacteria, etc. Do yourself a favor and just go mainstream from the beginning

 

[Sharkbait54]

It might look good. But it would b a major mistake and I'm pretty sure u would b changing it out fairly quick. U need to c what's going on in ur tank. And with black substrate, it would b hard to gauge the conditions. Algae, diatoms, cyano bacteria, etc. Do yourself a favor and just go mainstream from the beginning

What's mainstream?

 

[maestromad]

I use black sand but it's in a freshwater tank. I love it and think it looks good not sure if its different for saltwater though

 

[Nubster]

I used Gray Coast in my SW. It's a dark gray, almost black sand that is for SW tanks. I had no issues with it. I also use black in my FW tanks, again, no issues. IMO, if you need to see algae and diatoms to judge whats going on in your tank, that stuff will be growing on your glass and live rock as well, just use those to judge and get whatever sand color you want.

Petco should have their own brand of sand and it comes in black. Only problem I see with it is that it's inert so you will not get the buffering ability that you would by using a SW specific substrate. But then again, some people use regular sand in there SW tanks too so it's probably not a big deal to use the inert stuff. I would stay away from the stuff that is nutrient rich and intended for FW planted tanks.

 

[MacDracor]

Petco does have some dark sand, and it looks pretty good. The one in Lakewood, WA has an 8 gallon nano reef tank in the back, just to show people what can be done with smaller tanks, and it has black sand.
Crabs does have a valid point, that it will make certain things harder to see, but depending on how diligent you are about routine maintenance, that may or may not become an issue. My instinct is to recommend the standard white sand, at least if this is your first SW tank.

 

[mr_X]

I just don't like the black sand simply because it's not reflective. It's going to cut down the amount of light reflected to the rock overhangs and crevices that aren't in direct light.

 

[Travis55]

I just don't like the black sand simply because it's not reflective. It's going to cut down the amount of light reflected to the rock overhangs and crevices that aren't in direct light.

I think that you have made a great point with reflectiveness. I think ill probably just do white.

Now, i use a fine grade sand from quickrete. Yes, the cement company. Lol you can get a 50lb bag for $4... it just takes a ton of rinsing. I missed a good deal on some live sand locally. I hat e rinsing the quickrete but its dirt cheap...

 

[carey]

I used black sand in my pico awhile back, and while it looked awesome it was tough to keep clean. I wouldnt use it again even though it looks nice. LOL

 

[mr_X]

I would buy dry aragonite based sand from your LFS. It's more money, but will help buffer the ph.

 

[TheTrav13]

I use black sand and I have a couple neon green and red corals in my tank that really brings out the color. It also looks nice so depending on how you want your tank to look and what you're going to put in it should help make your decision a little easier.

 

[Crabs]

I also use a mixture of whit and black sand in my African FW tank. I mixed it to to the shade that suited me. But I used quality sand. I noticed no 1 mentioned the fact that inferior sand can consist of silicate sand. Correct me if I'm wrong. But u don't want silicate sand in ur aquarium

 

[MacDracor]

Mr X took the words out of my mouth. Reef Aquarium sand is made of, well, the same stuff sand by a real reef is made of, and for a reason. You could probably get by with cheap sand from the cement company, but aragonite sand isn't THAT much more, and it does bring a lot to the table, from a chemistry perspective. Essentially, it'll make life easier in the long run.

 

[Crabs]

Don't know where u purchase ur aragonite fm. But it ain't cheap. But worth it. Get the sugar grain size for maximum benefit. And rinse the H--L out of it.

 

[Travis55]

Don't know where u purchase ur aragonite fm. But it ain't cheap. But worth it. Get the sugar grain size for maximum benefit. And rinse the H--L out of it.

How many pounds do u think will suffice for a ten gallon tank?

 

[Crabs]

This is another topic for debate. I prefer the shallow sand bed. Less than 2". So for a nano, get the smallest bag available and go fm there. Tends to lose weight after u rinse all the silt out. But a 15lb. bag should b plenty for a 10gal. tank. Ok everyone, feel free to jump in

 

[MacDracor]

For a small tank, I would agree. I used 10 lbs for my 29 gallon. But I switched to a deep sand bed when I upgraded to a 45. It's a matter of preference, but there are differences in the aerobic/anaerobic properties of shallow vs deep sand beds.

 

[Travis55]

For a small tank, I would agree. I used 10 lbs for my 29 gallon. But I switched to a deep sand bed when I upgraded to a 45. It's a matter of preference, but there are differences in the aerobic/anaerobic properties of shallow vs deep sand beds.

I just got a 5 lb bag for my 10 gal. Is that enough?

 

[MacDracor]

Probably. Just depends how deep you want the sand bed. That's plenty if you don't want a deep sand bed, I should think.

 

[FTMMWS]

I love black sand ..Use it in all my tanks...They are all SW..
This is what i use
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+9805+21432&pcatid=21432