Anyone use Black sand?

92GallonReefer · Jul 31, 2008

was thinking of using black sand in my new tank to make the colors pop, but would like to see if looked alright? Any pics would be great. Thanks

Reef Goddess · Jul 31, 2008

Yes, its nice but the only problem is detritus shows up on it very easily.

oceanparadise1 · Jul 31, 2008

its different but i like the more natural look

maroonytunes · Jul 31, 2008

I have Arag-Alive Indo-Pacific Black if thats the black your preferring to.....

92GallonReefer · Jul 31, 2008

thats good to know, my fiancee really wants the black and i'm in the middle. I guess if she wins then we (I) will have to clean it alot!

oceanparadise1 · Jul 31, 2008

hahha i like the black he has, i just dont like the ALL black

92GallonReefer · Jul 31, 2008

No she wants solid black, but thanks for the help, I do like that though

oceanparadise1 · Jul 31, 2008

Make sure to take pics im interested in how it looks

maroonytunes · Jul 31, 2008

Would love to see pics of all black sand, have seen all black crushed coral, but would love to see the sand.

oceanparadise1 · Jul 31, 2008

yea ive never seen all black sand as well im sure it looks cool as heck thou

reefingbuddha · Jul 31, 2008

I have had a mix like shown above in a 120 and a roommate had black sand and for my taste white sand or white with a little pink looks more natural, cleaner, and makes the tank more striking. There is also some evidence that the white sand reflects more light back up so your lights are slight more efficient and corals are more thoroughly illuminated.

I would go white, I don't think black would give you the color popping effect that your hooping for. Then again, if in doubt, do a test run with a bag of both in a 5 or 10 gallon tank to see how you like it. Its all up to personal preference in the end.

oceanparadise1 · Jul 31, 2008

i have also heard about the white relfection more light, but i didnt know if it was true

Reef Goddess · Jul 31, 2008

I setup a nano tank for an aquarium show once with all black sand, not just the partial black. It looks nice, but its true that the black kind of makes your corals disappear and not show up well. You wouldn't expect this to be the case, but it is. If I was going to go with black sand though, I would go with all black instead of partial black, otherwise whats the pint? ;p

oceanparadise1 · Jul 31, 2008

any chance you have a pic of this all black set up?

paintballer768 · Jul 31, 2008

Hmm more of the darker colored corals (deep colors, purples, duller colors) may be hard to see, but I personally like the black sand. If you have alot of flow and a good CUC, I think keeping it cleaning wouldnt be too too hard.

92GallonReefer · Jul 31, 2008

Not sure which way to go now, i have a black stand and dont really want the sand to be the main focal point but both have there pros and cons does any one have a sand bed calculator?