black sand in seahorse tank?

[bluekoi]

Hey all,
I'm starting up another tank and was wondering about using black sand as my substrate. I plan to have lots of caulerpa and gorgonians to add color. My question is, would that really freak the SH's out?
thx!

 

[JLynn]

I don't see why it would. For one thing, seahorses don't spend a lot of time looking down. And if barebottom tanks don't phase them, then black sand shouldn't either.

 

[kudagirl]

I've seen some sh tank with black bottoms and as you say you are going to add some colour it should look vey nice.:wave:

 

[syrinx]

While some fishes will show different colors based on substrate color-I have not noticed this in sea horses. What I will say though, black sand is horrible when it comes to scratching tanks. It can be magnetic, so magnet scrapers are not able to be used. Pretty much any algae pad will also pick it up, so you are limited to a razor blade to scrape. This is not from a single experience-I have seen in many, many times- it makes a glass tank seem like acrylic!

 

[dixiegirl21191]

I have black sand in my SH tank and I love it. It is magnetic and I am still able to use a magnetic algae scrubber without scratching my glass up. You shouldn't have a problem as long as you aren't jamming your scraper into the sand. If you happen to get sand stuck to it, use a tooth pick and a tooth brush to get it out.

 

[bluekoi]

I really do love the look of the black sand! So, the only real concern with it being magnetic is that it will stick to the scrapers, etc? No concerns in regards to the health of the critters living with it?

 

[dwalker]

There are at least two or three kinds of black sand. I have more of a beach sand type in my nano reef, and it is magnetic. It has been running for 5 years, and no problems I'm aware of.

In my seahorse tank, I have a combination of "IndoPacific Black" (which is a combination of black and white), and Tahitian Moon. That looks more like a volcanic sand, and doesn't appear to be magnetic.

 

[Seahorses]

Make sure it is VERY black! I bought some, put it into my 56, and when I filled it up with water and turned on the light it looked like dark dirt.