Black sand pros and cons

markw

Member
I am about to start my 100gal and I have to say..you guys really help with choosing:
White, no black, no white, no black, no white. Great help lol. No really, i liked seeing the pics. Great aquariums!
Mark
 

silverdak

Active Member
wow love the black sand! I am going to start working on mt 10 gallon set up!!! and my 3G nano! both will have some black sand in them!
 

sprinter144

Member
Wow I'm really enjoying the pics of the black sand. I thought it would look great and you guys sure have proved that. Love the skeletons too!
 

aztec reef

Active Member
Whatever floats your boat.. Its your tank its your choice>
Imo, blacksand makes tanks look like catfish set up
..or fresh water set up..
"Black sands" indicate mineral-rich composition, u can even find gold in there.. black sand are volcanic sand grains, such sands can be found near/around a volcano,and thus were created through the grinding of lava rocks via wave action.. transforming lava rocks into coarse black sand grains through weathering (aka erosion process)and by basaltic igneous rocks that have different elements and mineral composition.
They're rich in minerals, driving people to believe theres gold!
thats the #1 reason, oppurtunists have mined black sand beaches for the gold content they believe it holds.
they go so far as to mined and smelt them into iron..
Pros: black sand caumoflages with green,brown,red algeas..fishes will exibit their color more..making pale/dull fish look more rainbowtic
.(i just made this word up
)
Cons: black sand will swallow lights, having no reflection to distribute back to the tank..
Black sands are mainly composed of:Iron rich mafic minerals
Basalt
Gabbro
Magnetite
Silica
Traces of metal such as:
Thorium
Titanium
Tungsten
Zirconium
Traces of gemstones such as:
Garnet
Topaz
Ruby
Sapphire
Diamond
However, don't be scared to use it!! it has been used many times with no problems..especially in FOWLR tanks.
VIVA LOS FIREWORKS!!!!
 

steve24

Active Member
Originally Posted by sprinter144
http:///forum/post/2675834
Any impact on pH or Alkalinity?
none
here`s a pic of mine with the "gray coast" sand that been up and running for two and a half yrs now ...

yes, some of the dirt and tiny pieces of LR shows but i still like it
 

silverdak

Active Member
ahhh I was just looking at "Gray Ghost" sand yesterday... wasnt gonna believe it would turn or look black.. but now I do! thanks!
 

sprinter144

Member
Originally Posted by steve24
http:///forum/post/2676209
none
here`s a pic of mine with the "gray coast" sand that been up and running for two and a half yrs now ...
yes, some of the dirt and tiny pieces of LR shows but i still like it

Good I was concerned because of all the minerals listed, none were carbonate. Very nice. You do get more of a sense of watching marine fish from a volcanic island.
 
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