Any large tanks with black sand?

[sonofgaladriel]

Looking for pics of large tanks with black sand bottoms. I'm considering it for the 240 cube.
Thanks

[chad508]

they look good for a while but as sson as they get trash on them they are a pain to keep clean. i went with the indo pacific black and it is no better imo.

[mcox33]

I'll try to get you one I'm using indo-pacific sand. I like it

[chad508]

you can look in my gallery if you want to see one with indo black

[Bryan89]

I am considering using Black Tahitian Moon sand epoxied onto Starboard for my 400 gallon.

[birdman204]

Chad508, I think maybe they're talking all black, not a mix.



Cool look though, definatley different. I'd like to see a completley black sand bottom on a large tank, seen nano's w/ 'em.

[chad508]

yea i know, someone else said they would get a pic of there indo black and i was just saving them the trouble.

[massman]

The problem with black sand tanks is that they do not appear as bright. Because white sand reflects a lot of light and black absorbs it, it doesn't look as bright.

It also doesn't look as clean and crisp. JMO

[billpa]

I set up my 180g reef tank with tahitian moon. Here is a photo about two weeks ago:



I am in the process of transfering all my livestock from my 44g into this tank. I'll have to post a recent photo as it looks much better...just actually added my first fish, a one spot Foxface.

Overall I really like the black sand. It was actually a requirement of my better half. She wanted a black substrate. The only true black substrate is the tahitian moon sand. There is another black substrate called Onyx which is made by Seachem. Its more of a dark gray color and comes in gravel or sand size. I didnt really like the look of it at all so I went with the Tahitian Moon.

As far as brightness goes, it is probably darker than a white sand bottom...kind of a no brainer. But it does look great...I really like the contrast and Im planning on getting some very colorful plate and brain corals that will reside in the sand. I think the colors will pop really well in the black sand (Ive seen some impressive nano tanks that have done this).

A few things to consider if and when you get this sand:

1. The grain size is pretty big and the sand is sharp...like tiny shards of glass. You must be careful not to get this stuff stuck in your cleaning magnet as you will scratch the crap out of your glass or acrylic.

2. The sand can be very silty. It varies from bag to bag. If you grab a bag that looks more gray than black, try to choose another bag. And definitely rinse this stuff before putting it in your tank...its pretty "dirty"

I'll try to take some new photos tonight so you can take a look. Im running 14ks on the tank and its bluer than I anticipated. I think I will switch to 10ks next time.

hth,
billpa

[billpa]

Oh...btw.

If you can rinse off your rocks before you put them in, it will go a long way as to not dirty up the black sand. You can see from the photo above that there are a few white specs from the rock. I picked those out And I redid the manifold above so it wasnt as visually obstrusive. I'll definitely take some new photos because it looks much better now

billpa

[sonofgaladriel]

Thanks billpa. That was the photo I was hoping to see. It does look nice and I'm sure the corals will stand out nicely. Please post some more updated pics when you can.
But, I've decided to go with a white faux sand bottom though.

[Psyire]

I'm setting up my 180g with black sand as well. I have a 50g running with black sand, I really like the contrast personally.

[chad508]

don't get me wrong i love the look of an all black bottom. but for me there is more cons than the one pro of looking good. one of the main cons is no buffering with the black sand.

[billpa]

Originally posted by chad508
don't get me wrong i love the look of an all black bottom. but for me there is more cons than the one pro of looking good. one of the main cons is no buffering with the black sand.

If you think white sand buffers then you are mistaken. Your PH would have to be very very low in order for sand to buffer. So low that nothing would be alive to witness it

billpa

[billpa]

Here are a few photos...sorry they arent the best...my camera is a POS. The light on the right side of the tank was off when I took these but you get the gist. Only thing I have to do now is get a few pieces of rock in the corners to stop the sand from shifting to the center.

[chad508]

what makes you say that reef sand does not buffer?

[offsprg0]

it's silicate sand not cal carbonate sand

[billpa]

Heres your answer:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...ht=sand+buffer

[Psyire]

Billpa, very cool! How many lbs. of rock is in that tank?

[Fliger]

I do not have black sand, but I do have a black acrylic bottom. It looks nice, IMO. I did it since I intended on going barebottom. It does get covered in coralline, but still looks better than white, IMO.

[cowcio]

one of the main cons is no buffering with the black sand

Correct!

This is common knowledge.
Although white sand MIGHT not always buffer... the black sand WILL NOT.

[billpa]

Originally posted by cowcio
Correct!

This is common knowledge.
Although white sand MIGHT not always buffer... the black sand WILL NOT.

Common misknowledge. It's more likely that your white sand (ie aragonite) will not buffer, add calcium or raise alkalinity. Please see link above.

Psyire,

Thanks for the compliment! There is around 180 in there and about 40 more still left in my 44g tank that needs to be added.

Lets try and keep this thread dedicated to black sand or black bottomed tanks and not about whether black sand will buffer your tank. It wont...and neither will aragonite

[Jiddy]

Bill i like the black sand, its pretty nice, i was curious of cost and where you got it? Do you have a link for us all?

[billpa]

Thanks for the compliment. Product is made by CaribSea. Its called Tahitian Moon Sand. I believe it cost me around 10-12 dollars a bag. Ended up spending around 100+ dollars for my 180g. Just search for CaribSea Tahitian Moon and it will come up. I got mine at That Fish Place if that helps (although I work ten minutes from there so no shipping)

Bill

[Warnberg]

My new toy..... all black acrylic stand and hood