Show Tank Substrate….

[oceanparadise1]

What does everyone suggest? Black sand? White sand? what does everyone use and why. I want my colors to really POP

 

[BradT]

Just an FYI if you are looking for black sand..... I thought it was a solid deal. I have 3 bags being delivered tomorrow.

http://t.petco.com/product/121752/C...aspx?CoreCat=MM_FishSupplies_GravelSubstrates

 

[twilliard]

What does everyone suggest? Black sand? White sand? what does everyone use and why. I want my colors to really POP

Your colors will be mainly determined by your water chemistry and available nutrients in the water.
Black gives good contrast but I personally am not a fan of sand substrates.
If you get too deep you can end up with anaerobic areas in the sand and when disturbed releases some pretty toxic stuff.

 

[oceanparadise1]

Your colors will be mainly determined by your water chemistry and available nutrients in the water.
Black gives good contrast but I personally am not a fan of sand substrates.
If you get too deep you can end up with anaerobic areas in the sand and when disturbed releases some pretty toxic stuff.

So what would you suggest?

 

[twilliard]

So what would you suggest?

I would say personal preference and if you do sand keep it shallow.
I use coral substrate and my pistol shrimp keeps it all turned over

 

[DenverReefer]

Black is cool. I have it in my tank. It seems to make the corals "pop" a little bit more. Whichever you choose, do not pick anything that is too small. The smaller stuff will blow all over the place. CaribSea makes a good product. The Fiji pink is a good size.

 

[Elegance Coral]

One word of caution with the black sand. All of it, that I have used, is attracted to magnets. If you get the cleaner magnet to close, the sand can jump up off the bottom and get between the magnet and the glass. I put a huge scratch across a 120 gallon red sea max because of this.

I always suggest this sand. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...856ymiB2VV2lYaejg&sig2=QE5SWeTM6v2r5qqv9RmRqw

It's not real fine, so it doesn't blow all over the place. It's not huge, so it doesn't trap large particles of rotting organic matter. It's kinda a mid grade sand. It's also easy to clean with a gravel vac.

 

[oceanparadise1]

I have used black for so long but it's usually so fine, and with two mp60s don't want to have to worry about sand storm. That stuff looks good

 

[dlogfx]

I like Flamingo Reef, it's not super fine and not too corse. Plus I really like the pink accents in the sand.

 

[oceanparadise1]

I'll have to look that one up

 

[Jimbo662]

I've been using Agri-live special grade sand. Big enough grains that it doesn't cause sand storms but still small enough for anything that likes to play in the sand.

 

[Fin]

A lot of people use Tropic Eden Reef Flakes. It is what I plan to use in my new build.

I have used the black sand before and found it difficult to keep clean looking. Also had the issue with the magnetic particles, as mentioned above.

 

[oceanparadise1]

Would black not be easier to keep clean looking them white? I feel white shoes more? No? Yes! Lol help haha

 

[Fin]

Not really. Snail poop, fish poop, broken pieces of coral skeleton, or anything light colored that settles on the bottom really stands out. That was my experience with it anyway.

 

[oceanparadise1]

Good point!

 

[oceanparadise1]

Tropic Eden Reef Flakes

for a average sand bed in a 180, how many bags of this should i purchase? thanks!

 

[Fin]

Don't know the dimensions of your tank, but for a 72" x 24" tank, you would need about 180 pounds for a 2" bed (based on a calculator on another forum). I usually use about 1 pound per gallon, so that sounds about right. There will likely be differing opinions here though.

 

[czdiver]

Black sand does look cool but if you are going to keep corals, white sand will reflect the light which creates more light for your coral growth. Also, several people have mentioned making sure the grains are large enough not to cause sand storms but it was suggested I read an article called "Sand Bed Secrets" by Dr. Ron Shimek. He explains that the more surface area your sand has, the more beneficial it is and smaller grains actually have more surface area. I know that sounds backwards but he explains it well in the article. It also explains the benefits of a deep sand bed and how it actually works to filter and feed your tank. I was almost talked into a bare bottom tank until I read this article and now I'm convinced a 4 or 5" sand bed is for me and I will either go with a white or pink Fiji sand.