# Black blasting sand...looks too stark



## minorhero (Mar 28, 2019)

I don't like black substrates for this very reason. I find they do not look natural enough for me. I have pool filter sand in one tank with small bits of gravel. That would be my recommendation. Nothing more natural then sand. Pool filter sand is cheap as well. 50lbs cost you around 15 dollars or less. Try to get the HTH brand if possible, not sure if that's available in Canada.


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## Asteroid (Jul 26, 2018)

What else do you have or plan for the tank? Light or dark it really depends what your trying to do as both have adv/disadv.

Once your put plants in and lighter hardscape a black substrate shouldn't look stark. Light colored substrates like pool filter sand are great, I use them all the time, but they also show everything and can become an eyesore if the tank isn't maintained properly. Dark substrates also make many fish and plant colors pop more.


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## Newbie Tankard (Dec 28, 2018)

I have 3 tanks with BDBS, I like it and it makes my plants and fish pop. Though some darker colored fish may not pop as much, some corydoras kind of blend in with it. I am going to start a smaller tank soon with pool filter sand as soon as I find some then my darker corydoras will go in that tank.


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## mboley (Jan 26, 2018)

Add some Flourite Dark substrate to the black. It's a natural looking brown color and looks good mixed with black.


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

This stuff looks great mixed in top layer and scattered around in small piles on top of black. But yea, any substrate that's to homogeneous in size and monotone in color to me needs help to look natural.










This stuff looks great scattered around top of black also.

https://www.amazon.com/Granite-Mini...aynooth+Natural+Granite&qid=1576283578&sr=8-1


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## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

As someone who grew up in the woods, with streams and rivers, that looks very nice. Thanks for sharing. I think I am going to get a bag of this.


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## TheUnseenHand (May 14, 2017)

Just get yourself a nice carpet. I forget I even have BDBS as the only substrate in my tank.


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## Newbie Tankard (Dec 28, 2018)

That's a good suggestion with the pea gravel, I bet that would look nice, I'll have to remember that if I want a change of look in my tanks.


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## Newbie Tankard (Dec 28, 2018)

Wow that's a nice looking tank, might I ask what kind of carpet you got there?


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## TheUnseenHand (May 14, 2017)

Newbie Tankard said:


> Wow that's a nice looking tank, might I ask what kind of carpet you got there?


Micranthemum "Monte Carlo"


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## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

Do you have an underwater lawnmower, or a zamboni?

That's a super-soft carpet. 10-ply.


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## TheUnseenHand (May 14, 2017)

Streetwise said:


> Do you have an underwater lawnmower, or a zamboni?
> 
> That's a super-soft carpet. 10-ply.


I have trimmed that damn stuff down to roots several times. It just keeps coming back faster than I can trim it, so I said "screw it" and have just let the stuff go. It's like a pillow when I'm working on the tank.


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## Asteroid (Jul 26, 2018)

TheUnseenHand said:


> I have trimmed that damn stuff down to roots several times. It just keeps coming back faster than I can trim it, so I said "screw it" and have just let the stuff go. It's like a pillow when I'm working on the tank.


That's one of the thickest MC carpets I've seen, but those two holes (eyes) and the mound beneath them (nose) is freaking me out.


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

Asteroid said:


> That's one of the thickest MC carpets I've seen, but those two holes (eyes) and the mound beneath them (nose) is freaking me out.


Ha! I was thinking the exact same thing!


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## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

I was trying for a Letterkenny reference.


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## TheUnseenHand (May 14, 2017)

Asteroid said:


> That's one of the thickest MC carpets I've seen, but those two holes (eyes) and the mound beneath them (nose) is freaking me out.





Grobbins48 said:


> Ha! I was thinking the exact same thing!


Haha! There are rocks under there that I decided I wanted to try to expose again, so I cut a couple exploratory holes but wasn't able to find them.


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## drenon88 (Dec 18, 2019)

TheUnseenHand said:


> Just get yourself a nice carpet. I forget I even have BDBS as the only substrate in my tank.


I'm interested in going with a Monte Carlo carpet, but I didn't realize it would do so well in blasting sand. What do you do in the way of fertilizers or nutrients for it?


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## TacitBlues (Aug 4, 2016)

For a while there my 40g tank was just BDBS but I also had a lot of black lava rock just from the big orange hardware store that was piled up and around in it.










I think that looked pretty nice, though the lava rock really seems to attract green hair algae something terrible. 

I've recently been transitioning it out of just being a shrimp tank and making it more of a hillstream tank, so I've added a bunch of smoother pebbles and rocks as I find them, though I'm still trying to keep them relatively dark colored in general (and forgive me for using this picture again, it's been in several threads at this point!)










At this point I'm getting so overgrown with anubias that the substrate isn't as visible anyway!


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Streetwise said:


> I was trying for a Letterkenny reference.


You're 10-ply bud.


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## NotCousteau (Sep 25, 2014)

DaveKS said:


> This stuff looks great mixed in top layer and scattered around in small piles on top of black. But yea, any substrate that's to homogeneous in size and monotone in color to me needs help to look natural.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow; this stuff looks really, really good. I know this might sound stuffy, but most gravels at pet and fish stores look so incredibly unnatural. I find that substrate is the biggest challenge in an aquascape. You can get great-looking driftwood and larger rocks, but substrate options are too monochrome, too uniform in size or too unnatural looking. (I also think all-black sand looks glaringly unnatural.)

Pool filter sand is the best option in my mind, but it still can look too uniform. You can mix in some gravel with the sand, but it can be hard to get gravel that is similar enough in color to really make the mix look natural.

Ok; I think I just revealed how anal, particular and obsessive I am about substrate.


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

drenon88 said:


> I'm interested in going with a Monte Carlo carpet, but I didn't realize it would do so well in blasting sand. What do you do in the way of fertilizers or nutrients for it?


I have been keeping a monte carlo carpet in my 55 gallon high tech with BDBS for ~2 years now. If you are interested check out my journal about it in the link in my signature.


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

NotCousteau said:


> Wow; this stuff looks really, really good. I know this might sound stuffy, but most gravels at pet and fish stores look so incredibly unnatural. I find that substrate is the biggest challenge in an aquascape. You can get great-looking driftwood and larger rocks, but substrate options are too monochrome, too uniform in size or too unnatural looking. (I also think all-black sand looks glaringly unnatural.)
> 
> Pool filter sand is the best option in my mind, but it still can look too uniform. You can mix in some gravel with the sand, but it can be hard to get gravel that is similar enough in color to really make the mix look natural.
> 
> Ok; I think I just revealed how anal, particular and obsessive I am about substrate.


I’m same way. I’m the guy that will dig around in bottom of rock/wood bins to find those little broken of chips and small stones to throw around top of substrate as jewelry that will tie the rock and substrate together or pick through a bag of pea gravel pulling out all quartz based pieces that fit certain color range and size and just randomly drop/scatter them around tank.


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## Desert Pupfish (May 6, 2019)

varanidguy said:


> You're 10-ply bud.


So I just had to google Letterkenny, and now I'm hooked. Can't believe all my Canuck snowbird friends had been holding out on me...

Damn you both!


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## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

That's what I appreciates about you!


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Desert Pupfish said:


> So I just had to google Letterkenny, and now I'm hooked. Can't believe all my Canuck snowbird friends had been holding out on me...
> 
> Damn you both!


If you got a problem with Canada gooses, then you got a problem with me, and I suggest you let that marinate!


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

varanidguy said:


> If you got a problem with Canada gooses, then you got a problem with me, and I suggest you let that marinate!



With the exception of your improper plural-- "geese" are great! :grin2:


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Discusluv said:


> With the exception of your improper plural-- "geese" are great! :grin2:


LOL Have you seen the show Letterkenny? The quote is taken from there and that's how they say it..."gooses." They're essentially a bunch of Canadian hicks, dropouts, burnouts, etc and the way it all comes together is quite hilarious. I'd suggest giving it a watch!


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

varanidguy said:


> LOL Have you seen the show Letterkenny? The quote is taken from there and that's how they say it..."gooses." They're essentially a bunch of Canadian hicks, dropouts, burnouts, etc and the way it all comes together is quite hilarious. I'd suggest giving it a watch!


I haven't seen it, but I knew you used this as a reference to the show --- I was joshin' you.


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## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

Squirrelly Dan and the extras s, except for sushi. Bonus points for the correct response to this post!


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## TheUnseenHand (May 14, 2017)

drenon88 said:


> I'm interested in going with a Monte Carlo carpet, but I didn't realize it would do so well in blasting sand. What do you do in the way of fertilizers or nutrients for it?


So as not to derail this thread any further than I seem to already have, I would suggest checking out my tank journal thread (link below).


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## JCombra (Oct 11, 2018)

I had a Beautiful M.C. carpet in BDBS for a year or so. Then it started lifting, no matter how short I kept it. Finally it just started pulling itself out of the substrate entirely. I miss that carpet something fierce !!! .....


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

JCombra said:


> I had a Beautiful M.C. carpet in BDBS for a year or so. Then it started lifting, no matter how short I kept it. Finally it just started pulling itself out of the substrate entirely. I miss that carpet something fierce !!! .....


Happened to me as well- keeping it short helps, but seems like once a year it is good to rip it out, mix up the sand, and replant piece by piece. 

I did this a few months back and have my carpet back now. Going to need to do the same again this/ next month as I move to a new tank.

IMO, just part of the cycle of keeping a planted tank long term!


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## TheUnseenHand (May 14, 2017)

Grobbins48 said:


> Happened to me as well- keeping it short helps, but seems like once a year it is good to rip it out, mix up the sand, and replant piece by piece.
> 
> I did this a few months back and have my carpet back now. Going to need to do the same again this/ next month as I move to a new tank.
> 
> IMO, just part of the cycle of keeping a planted tank long term!


I've thought about doing this several times because I can't trim the stuff fast enough, but for some reason it's had to bring myself to do it.


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

TheUnseenHand said:


> I've thought about doing this several times because I can't trim the stuff fast enough, but for some reason it's had to bring myself to do it.


I was the same way- wouldn't do it, but the the whole MC matt lifted up and a rainbow fish got caught under it. I saw it in time to save him, but that was it for me. Now its routine. Sure, looks rough for a few weeks, but it comes back strong!


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## Desert Pupfish (May 6, 2019)

Discusluv said:


> With the exception of your improper plural-- "geese" are great! :grin2:


If you like the gooses, google Letterkenny & ostriches.....


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Desert Pupfish said:


> If you like the gooses, google Letterkenny & ostriches.....


HA!!! Allegedly!

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


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## JCombra (Oct 11, 2018)

Grobbins48 said:


> I was the same way- wouldn't do it, but the the whole MC matt lifted up and a rainbow fish got caught under it. I saw it in time to save him, but that was it for me. Now its routine. Sure, looks rough for a few weeks, but it comes back strong!


That's what happened with mine as well, only it was my Corycats !!! They'd work there way under there and just move along helping to lift it all up ! One of the first things you have to get over when starting out is, other than algae is just part of the process, is that at some point you'll have to take a beautiful plant and cut it down to the nub !! The first few times you do it, it's pretty scary, but then it grows back so much better. :wink2:


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

I have used BDB in my recent 40 breeder and it was nice looking at first and was really cheap. I had mixed it with black moon sand. Now it just looks dirty and bland, and honestly not really a fan of it any longer. I'm debating about dumping it and using something else, just not sure what. I like the idea of a brownish colored plain gravel similar to flourite, but not the best for plants obviously.


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## megatrev62 (Sep 26, 2014)

Lots of input. Thank you all. I removed the sand and will never use it again. I had to try it but really hate the black and water changes were brutal. Never again for me.


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