Black sand .... To do or not to do??

[SoGaReefer]

Have any of y'all tried the black sand ? Anyone have pictures ??
Do you feel it makes your tank look smaller like it does rooms ?? Especially if the back is painted black also ???
I like super bright colored corals and I think it would make everything really pop and contrast really well. But if it did it so well I feel like more people would do it and it doesn't seem to be the most popular option.
Post some.pictures please !!

 

[Fish Fan]

I had for a long time considered using a black sand, but I’ve not been 100% sure that such sands are reef safe:

Is there a Coral/Motile Invert Safe Black Sand? CaribbSea Hawaiian, Yes Or No?

Hey all! I'm posting this question here in the Chem section to get hopefully some real science and more than just anecdotal observation. RHF, please feel free to move this to the Aquascaping section or wherever it's more appropriate if needed :-) I have always liked the look of black sand, and...

www.reef2reef.com

Good luck!

 

[UncommonSense]

I made the mistake of buying a few bags of marine black sand years ago, from Caribsea if memory serves correct…

It turns out that the darn stuff is ferrous!! -- it would “jump” to my magnetic cleaner from over an inch away and immediately start scratching the viewing panes…

 

[vlangel]

I have never used the black sand because I heard about it scratching the glass. I also heard that dirt and detritus looks worse on the black sand than it does on white.

 

[Cheezeits]

I made the mistake of buying a few bags of marine black sand years ago, from Caribsea if memory serves correct…

It turns out that the darn stuff is ferrous!! -- it would “jump” to my magnetic cleaner from over an inch away and immediately start scratching the viewing panes…

The Hawaiian Black Arag-Alive sand is magnetic, so if you use a magnetic cleaner it can become an issue for sure. Its the major downside of it.

 

[Fish Fan]

The magnetic properties are one thing - it's a great way to scratch your glass with a magnetic scraper. But there's also some other potential issues with inverts dying, etc. Take a look at the link I posted above where although some used the sand without issues, many had a lot of trouble with it, some of which was verified with ICP testing.

I have like five old bags of CaribSea Hawaiian Black sand in my garage, if anyone wants them I'll make you a great deal

 

[sjfishguy]

Detritus would make it look like a real mess. I wouldn’t do it

 

[JumboShrimp]

A black car shows all the dirt.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

The only reason I have not used it is that it can scratch your glass more easily than other sand types.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I completely advise against black sand if you don’t want scratches to the tank, even glass. It is volcanic ash, and has iron in it. I had it for 4 years before getting rid of it all. Also, if you don’t vacuum it regularly, it turns white from detritus anyway.

 

[trini2debone]

I've had it in my tank for years no real issue, sometimes it could get caught in between the cleaner's blade and scrtach your glass. My inversts are fine, my diamond goby loves it. If you like it get it...

 

[Toszinator]

I’ve had it in my kids 25 gal lagoon tank for over 2 years. It looks great and corals are thriving. I do use a hand scraper near the sand bed just in case

 

[SubmarineTrucker733]

Have any of y'all tried the black sand ? Anyone have pictures ??
Do you feel it makes your tank look smaller like it does rooms ?? Especially if the back is painted black also ???
I like super bright colored corals and I think it would make everything really pop and contrast really well. But if it did it so well I feel like more people would do it and it doesn't seem to be the most popular option.
Post

I like the looks of Black, although if I would have known about black Sand instead of the CaribSea Agra-Alive Hawaiian Black Gravel, I would’ve gone with the Black sand instead. Because, no matter how much I try, it scratches the glass SUPER easy and it’s fairly magnetic. Meaning if you drop a magnet on it, it takes a bit to get the gravel off the magnet. That and being Gravel it’s a lot bigger than my yellow watchman goby wants to try and sift or that my Wrasse would try to dive into. It’s also difficult for Nassaris snails to get into. I think it looks great though. Here’s some pictures

 

[Pome]

Have any of y'all tried the black sand ? Anyone have pictures ??
Do you feel it makes your tank look smaller like it does rooms ?? Especially if the back is painted black also ???
I like super bright colored corals and I think it would make everything really pop and contrast really well. But if it did it so well I feel like more people would do it and it doesn't seem to be the most popular option.
Post some.pictures please !!

The only natural black sand I’ve encountered, is in New Zealand & volcanic, so Hawaii probably has it too. Being volcanic, it’s probably full of various metals, good and bad. It’s also incredibly fine, to the point it’s like slime on rocks, when still wet. Most other black aquarium sands seem to be coated white sand, or crushed black glass. Neither of which sound particularly appealing.

 

[apac]

Basalt, iron and magnesium rich lava, is this not what’s in black sand? I believe there to be particles of it in AquaForest Life Source mud. I use that but attach a magnet to my mixing bowl when preparing it. It picks up a lot of ferrous material in just a 10ml scoop of mud.