Where Do I Get That Cool Black Sand Everyone Has?
- Thread starter Amour
- Start date
usually black will make their colors pop more. I have white sand in my 75 gallon and i have noticed my chiclids colors don't pop as much. The darker the substrate the more the colors are shown usually.
I don't think it'll dull it... but if your sand is light-colored, more light will reflect off of it which may wash out the color in the fish. Black absorbs light, pulling out all the colors in your fish. This is just my opinion 
There's also speculation that bright/white sand could stress your fish, making them pale...
There's also speculation that bright/white sand could stress your fish, making them pale...
You might want to rinse it a few times first to get rid of the dust particles that will float in the water. And then if you have an inch or more you need to stir once every . . . I'm not sure . . . to prevent bad bacteria from building in the air pockets.
Also it might not hurt to get a bag of black fluorite to mix in depending on how many gallons you are planting. But ask someone to double check everything I said.
Also it might not hurt to get a bag of black fluorite to mix in depending on how many gallons you are planting. But ask someone to double check everything I said.
Rinse, rinse, and when you think you're done - rinse again. Put amount of sand in bucket, stick hose in bucket and allow water to overflow. Swish sand with your hand to release dust & light debris which will flow out with the overflow.
I highly recommend malaysian trumpet snails to help keep your sand aerated - also do not make layer deeper than 1". This is fine for planting later. If you choose root-feeding plants later, you can simply get root fertilizer tabs which are pushed under the sand next to your plant. Lasts 3-4 months. I have healthy crypts using this method.
If no snails or rooted plants, stir up the sand lightly during water changes to keep the sand from compacting - but 1" isn't too bad.
I highly recommend malaysian trumpet snails to help keep your sand aerated - also do not make layer deeper than 1". This is fine for planting later. If you choose root-feeding plants later, you can simply get root fertilizer tabs which are pushed under the sand next to your plant. Lasts 3-4 months. I have healthy crypts using this method.
If no snails or rooted plants, stir up the sand lightly during water changes to keep the sand from compacting - but 1" isn't too bad.
i use black diamond its a black sand blasting media its prolly a lil on the fine side but its cheap $17 for 50 pounds. i use it in my 72 gallon bow front and my 75 gallon and i have no problems with it other then its hard to vac off the unwanted
Mine is TCC Material's Black Blast for sandblasting. I got it at Menard's (it's like Lowes or Home Depot) for $7 for a 50 pound bag. I'd originally gotten just Flourite Black Sand for a tiny planted only tank, but the Black Blast was actually smoother/softer and blacker than the Flourite Sand. The Black Blast has a nice shininess/sparkliness to it as well. It also needs to be rinsed well, but I thought that it didn't take as long to rinse as the Flourite. It has an oily coating that needs to be rinsed off, but it hasn't had any effect on my plants or betta in my 5.5g or the puffer, bumblebee gobies, and mollies that were in my brackish 29g (the brackish was torn down this morning to house the betta that's coming home from work).
