black live sand

saminfl

saminfl

Member
Hey, i went to the lfs today and saw a real dark black looking live sand. Anyone has this ? Do you like it? thanks
 
moby

moby

Member
I think the only drawback I can think of is the black sand does not have any effect to PH buffering.
This is because the black sand is really small grandules of volcanic rock.
Also remember Pe'le gets angry when anything is removed from the islands and you'll have bad luck until it is returned!

You have been warned!!

Moby
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
I used the Indo-Pacific so I think I'm kinda safe. I lived on the Big Island and an interesting tradition was when you went out onto the lava flows you had to leave a can of beer or some type of alcohol as an offering to Pel'e....You could actually see lava flowing underneath your feet, visible thru the cracks in the lava. Late at night was best because you had to sneak past park rangers. Here is an interesting link to a website abouve people who have returned chunks of lava http://www.volcanogallery.com/lavarock.htm
 
cjeffrey77

cjeffrey77

Member
I have the black sand in my tank and I really like it, however I never heard anything about it not buffering the ph. I have been thinking about adding a second bag of sand to get a deeper bed though can someone tell me which kind actually buffers the ph? Thanks
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
Any of the aragonite based substrates will assist in buffering the ph and dissolution of calcium carbonate. From what i've read, the black type sands will have no effect on ph as it can be used in either fresh or saltwater tanks and is more of a gravel than a LS.
 
moby

moby

Member
Cool link, very interesting.
I was stationed at Pearl harbor long ago and remember hearing all the stories from the local Hawiians about Pel'e and her wrath.
Never removed any volcanic rock just to make sure, Baaaaaddd juju!

Moby
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
It's actually a myth, even the locals think it's funny. I grow orchids as another hobby and a good percentage of the orchids sold at Home-Depot and around the world are grown in Hawaii, guess what they use for growning medium and the stuff thats in the plastic pots when you buy them? chunks of lava, orchinds don't grown in dirt they grow in bark, rock, etc..you can even buy bags of lava rock.... So the locals in Hawaii gather up Lava to use in planting orchids for shipping. Sorry for getting so off topic
 
saminfl

saminfl

Member
people, lol, i needed advice, not mythology lessons, Do you think i should mix the 2 sands, use just black sand, or just normal live sand. I love the look of the black sand but im wondering if it still acts as a filter or not. Thanks
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
LOL, I can get kinda side tracked on issues, what can I say, I'm a spaz. If you like the look of the black sand, use it. Just increase the amount of LR in your tank. You can also use the indio-pacific LS which is a mix of white and black, most stores will have it.
 
moby

moby

Member
Sorry guy, the black is fine, like maxalmon said just add more live rock and monitor your PH closely. No big deal, only a minor concern over the buffering effect of the coral sand.
I would rather bring it up and let you make your own decision than not to mention it and something go wrong that someone could have given you a "heads up" on.
And as far as the mythology lesson, you never know what you might learn on this forum!

Moby
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top