Black Sand

[Marchillo]

So my new tank I'm painting the back black. I'm thinking black sand. Any positive negative reviews? I could go either way. I don't want super fine sand like I have in my current setup. Opinions are appreciated.

 

[cloak]

I've heard that detritus can really stand out on that black sand, but that's about it. I love the black on black look for freshwater tanks, but for some reason it just doesn't do it for me with the saltwater ones. I guess I'm just used to the color of that natural sand. GL.

 

[Marchillo]

I'm completely torn 50/50. Maybe black sand with a black background will just be too much.

 

[cloak]

If you haven't already, you might want to use the SEARCH function at the top of the page. Just type in "black sand" and see what pops up. GL.

 

[Smoke_N_Reefer]

black sand does show detritus, looks nice when its clean. Also don't like the fact that it is somewhat magnetic, always ends up on the magnet cleaner

 

[Johnnycat]

I love the look of black sand. It makes the colors of the tank stand out.

 

[andrew.gimlin]

I love it

 

[cloak]

See that looks nice, but when the back glass & the rocks are covered in Coralline algae and you've got splashes of color from the corals here & there it just looks weird IMO. The contrast is lost almost. Whatever works though. GL.

 

[kentwo]

I've used black colorquartz in my tanks.

You can see some waste, but not that much. It reminds me of the beaches I grew up on in Hawaii.

 

[swhobbie1]

black sand does show detritus, looks nice when its clean. /QUOTE]

^This. Huge bucket of it in my garage for this reason.

 

[CStrickland]

Does it change how the light hits? I would think it'd look shadowier because it's not reflecting back upwards.

I have a mix and it looks cool because the black is a little heavier so you get stripes and it collects at the bottoms of gullies. But mine is from the beach so all the colors are pretty fine grains, not like the store kind.

Does the black variety buffer like aragonite?

ETA hmm, maybe aragonite doesn't buffer after all http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/10/chemistry

 

[JoeVandal49]

I love black sand. IMO it always looks cleaner than white sand, and definitely much cleaner than crushed coral type substrates that can get algae growth etc.

Also, with a black background, it makes everything in your tank pop better, and also gives the illusion of a deeper tank because you lose the "horizon" effect of a dark background against a light substrate.

I also find shadows seem to get embellished, which for me is a good effect and really adds good contrast and depth to rockwork, but im sure some people will not like that effect either.

Its all personal preference. What ever is pleasing to you, may not be pleasing to others.

I will try to get some pics of my setup for you in a bit. I am absolutely horrible at taking pictures of my tanks however.

 

[JoeVandal49]

Sorry for the low quality pics. I have a bit of a cyano outbreak going in the lower left corner, so sorry about that as well. This tank is a recent upgrade and 50% of the rock i made myself so im battling a bit of algae at the moment... Heaters will be going into sump soon, i have just been lazy about sorting and organizing all my cords which are a mess at the moment.

 

[Xxero]

I love the black sand also. I have heard other people mention a magnetic property to it, but I have never experienced this for myself. Just keep good flow, as with any other sand, and detritus isn't an issue. :bigeyes:

117 Days Old:

L.T.A.

 

[thegrun]

I have read (not confirmed) that the edges of the sand are sharp, so it may not work well with wrasses and other fish that burrow.

 

[ReefNole]

I have a recently cycled 29g with black canopy, stand, painted background, and sand. I love the look of it even after I've had some detrius build up and algae growth. I haven't had any problems with it being magnetic, and I have a YWG / candy cane pistol shrimp combo that have an underground castle down there, so I don't think burrowing is a problem either.

Eventually, it comes down to the look of it, and what you're going for. Over time, rocks will erode and create more of a speckled look, so it will never be as jet black as when you first put it in. However, some have had luck syphoning out the top layer over time with water changes and adding fresh on top to preserve the look.

Bottom line, totally up to you, but if you go with the black look, do some research on here to get the kinds that aren't magnetic. I would recommend!

 

[reef_fish]

I'm going to try swapping out my white sand for black. Going to try the carib sea black Hawaiian. I like the white and not sure how the black will really look, but I'm mainly going to try it to tone done the brightness on the sandbed. My sand is so bright, and while watching tv to it's side, I think it might work out better for me. I've had the white sand going for almost two years in this tank.

 

[1MP3R1AL]

Imo black sand makes the tank look fake. Might as well just toss in some fake coral and some fake green plants. Maybe it's just me. Where in the world do you see black sand in a natural reef?

 

[Genera]

Where in the world do you see black sand in a natural reef?

Here? This is in Hawaii.

 

[Johnnycat]

Where in the world do you see black sand in a natural reef?

Last month I dove a lagoon in Fiji that had blackish sand.