i'm debating whether or not i want tahitian moon sand for my 10 gal tank. i want the tank to be planted (low light). i really like darker substrates. any thoughts? will tahitian moon sand be ok with plants? i've heard it looks bad because you can see every spec of dirtiness on it. is this true? can tahitian moon sand be vacuumed like gravel? i heard that PFS can be vacuumed just like gravel, which is one reason why i was going to go with it. some cons with PFS--the light color, and i can only seem to find giant bags of it and i only need enough for a 10gal. i don't mind paying a little more for black or dark sand. any suggestions for similar priced (to the moon sand) dark substrate?
tahitian moon sand
- Thread starter mommytron
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Lowryder
Aquarium Advice Addict
How bout eco complete?
i just looked it up. i like the black. is it sharp or pointy though? i'm planning on having cories...are you suggesting eco complete because you are opposed to tahitian moon sand? if so, what are your reasons? just curious because i think i like the look of sand better, but if there are too many cons i may go for something like eco complete
taylorodw
Aquarium Advice FINatic
The most common things I've heard about Tahitian Moon Sand, are first the price. One of the most expensive substrates I've heard of. Secondly, I heard that it loses it's deep black luster and fades a bit with time. I believe some TMS users are on the forums though, that might be able to weigh in.
i'm actually finding it less expensive than the eco-complete. but like i said, it's only for a 10 gallon tank. i'd much rather pay 15 bucks for a bag i will use almost all of, than pay that much for like 50lbs of PFS that i don't even like as much, then have a ton of it left over to sit around.
mellawson
Aquarium Advice FINatic
HUKIT
Aquarium Advice Addict
I have TMS in all of my tanks but one. I was tired of washed out colorless fish. I use Caribsea's instant aquarium which requires not rinsing. The black has not faded at all and the fish waste is not nearly as visible as the lighter sand. The best part is the dark substate really brings out the color is the fish. I use T5HO's in all the tanks because the black really soaks up the light.
mgamer20o0
Aquarium Advice Addict
go with fluorite sand. its black and cost about the same amount of price. never had TMS fade though. at least fluorite black is a little helpful for plants.
tw0lves
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
When I get next year's tax return I will be in the same situation, setting up my 37g planted, cories, therefore I wanted to use sand. I think I will end up using the black flourite sand for it so I can hopefully avoid having to use ferts, or keep it to a minimum, but still have sand for the cories.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
I didnt read through the replys, but I'll give you my two cents on black sand. I've got tahitian black moon sand in one of my 10g's. It looks great.... when it is clean. It gets dirty so easy though. I'm constantly struggling to keep it clean and I do not overfeed, and i do a thorough gravel vac and 50% pwc weekly. I've also noticed that with a decent current in such a small tank, it tends to blow around alot, and vac'ing is very difficult because it is so light compared to pfs. Again, that's just my opinion, but I honestly dont think I'll ever put it in another tank.
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
I really love the PFS right now, but this sounds like really pretty sand. The PFS is easy to vacuum, it is just like vacuuming gravel. Not really any gets sucked up at all. It doesn't even cloud the water. It is really awesome. If you do decide to go with TMS I would like to hear all about it though! Good luck 
yea, we're close to positive that we will be using PFS and going for a natural look in our 20H. i've heard too many good things about PFS and too many not so great things about TMS. we also decided with the type of fish we want they may stand out more with a lighter substrate. plus it's a heck of a lot cheaper and gives us more to spend on decorating! thanks for all your input everyone!
