Fiji pink sand or hawaiian black sand???

[Kehaulani]

Hey everyone!
I'm curious what type of sand you all have in your tank? I have white sand in my 48 gal now but will be soon be adding sand to my 75 gal and was torn between fiji pink sand and hawaiian black sand. What are the pros and cons on both types and is one better than the other? I'm also not sure if the black sand is fine enough for gobies to sift... any thoughts? If you guys have pictures of your sand beds I'd love to see them to get an idea. Thanks in advance.
Kehaulani

 

[Cjsanders757]

Pros
Fiji good for sand sifters and reflects light upward.
Hawaiian not so much but is heavier, bigger grain size so it isn't easiest blown around and shows dirt much easier.

 

[pdiehm]

I was leaning toward Fiji pink until someone steered me toward Tropic Eden Reef flakes and Miniflakes. Just another option to consider.

 

[VicD81]

I have them both. On my 29 biocube I have Fiji pink and on my 72 I have Hawaii black. I like them both for their own reasons but i do like the way the corals, rock and fish look in the black. Sand sifters have no prob burring themselves in the Hawaii Black. It does show when it is dirty but then again Fiji pink dont hide cyano or GHA very well either. Not sure if you have ever seen it up close but the Black does have some "Jungle Fever". There are small white sand particles in it and because its small they tend to settle at the top. If you want Jet black you are better off getting just reg black aquarium sand.

 

[reid429]

Black sad has magnetic parts to it so it will get caught up in a mag float

 

[saltyphish]

I use Fiji pink but will mention the grain size is a little small and is easily blown around. Other than that no problems.

 

[Kehaulani]

VicD81 can the gobies sift the black sand though? I know they can bury in it but sifting? Is that a problem?

 

[Kehaulani]

Can you guys post pictures of your tanks?

 

[VicD81]

I dont have gobbies yet but ive heard that they can. the grains are not that coarse.

 

[VicD81]

Hawaii black in a 72G

 

[Kehaulani]

Oh wow that's s great looking tank

 

[VicD81]

Thank you. The black does make everything pop.
I'll take another close up when I get home.

 

[Kehaulani]

Ok awesome. And yes it does make everything pop. Where did you buy your sand from?

 

[revhtree]

Tropic Eden Reef flakes is by far my favorite sand over the years! Premium Aquatics carries it.

 

[Kehaulani]

Do you have a picture of you tank revhtree?

 

[Kehaulani]

Also what's the difference between the hawaiian black sand and the eden reef flakes? are the grains smaller or?

 

[brchapm]

I am currently using Fiji pink and would not use again simply because it is so easy to get blown around in a flow rich tank. Not the best choice, in my opinion, for an SPS dominant tank.

 

[Wiz]

My only suggestion is to use a sand that is pretty fine. It will cloud and be a little bit of a pain at first. But is much more fit for microlife that will help clean. Bigger pieces will make it harder for worms and such to navigate and build homes.

 

[Kehaulani]

How fine is fine though. The hawaiian black is 0.25-3.5. I don't want a sand that is powdery because then it will blow all over the place. Will this grain be to big for organisms to live in?

 

[Wiz]

How fine is fine though. The hawaiian black is 0.25-3.5. I don't want a sand that is powdery because then it will blow all over the place. Will this grain be to big for organisms to live in?

Most sediment-dwelling organisms appear to have similar precise preferences. However, most will also live at least marginally well in mixed-sediments with sizes around their optima, and most sediment particle size optima seem to be in the range of 0.050 to 0.200. Consequently I suggest a range averaging about 0.125 as a good compromise. It isn't specifically the best for most infaunal species, but it will allow a diversity of species to live pretty well. ~ron shimek