# black sand



## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Possibly. If the container says it is safe for freshwater use, probably. If the person working at the store says yes, maybe. Since you are intending to use it in a shrimp only tank, some carbonate hardness in the substrate would not be as much of a problem. You don't need all that much so I don't see a financial burden in trying it and replacing it later if it doesn't work. In a nano tank it will be obvious very quickly if it was a bad choice.


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

sounds like it's probably black beauty, which should be ok from what I've read about it (a few places there are folks that talk about all the bad things that COULD happen from using it, but not once have I read of anyone who did use it having problems). I say give it a shot, and let us know how it works out.

Oqsy


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## pjhaddock (Sep 21, 2004)

My 75G has if I remember right over 100lbs of black beauty that I got from the local sand and rock place. Like $5 for 50lbs of it! Its a coal slag and is labeled as inert. I have had NO problems with it and it has been up and running for 9 months or so now.

Philip


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Phillip, thanks for the review on the Black Beauty. If this stuff at the LFS is indeed Black Beauty (coal slag), then it is inert (although often laden with ferrous particles, which shouldn't help nor hurt). It is a bit sharp, though, since it is designed for use as a sandblasting media. I've heard of some problems with Corys or other bottom feeders with barbels.

This might not necessarily be Coal Slag, though. I've purchased black sand from my LFS that was simply black silica, which is indeed crushed black glass.


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## pjhaddock (Sep 21, 2004)

I doubt the LFS has black beauty. Prolly the tahitian moon sand or something like that. I thought about it being sharp as well (after I got it of course :icon_redf ), but I have 4 cory's, a rainbow shark, 2 Clown Pleco's, and Clown Loach that sift in it all the time and their barbs look fine still. Thank goodness!


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

for those looking for dark or black substrate for a planted tank, these links are to a few options that have been posted in the past on this and other forums... i'm hoping to do a nano with the exo terra sand soon(exo terra riverbed sand is not really black, but a dark muddy brown, like you'd find at the bottom of a SA river. really attractive, but I wish it came packaged in larger bags. grain size i similar to finer grain play sand)

estes black sand, I'm assuming black quartz:
http://www.petluvers.com/estesultrareefmarinesandblack.html

3m colorquartz aggregate:
http://www.hovertrowel.com/aggregates.html

Exo Terra Riverbed Sand/Amber:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Product...Sand/T1/R04+0171+1197/EDP/39670/Itemdy00.aspx

Anyone that's had a negative experience with any of these products, please let me know, as I'm planning to try them all one day at some point to learn which, if any, would be "best suited" for a planted tank. 

Oqsy


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## fhqwhgads (Jan 18, 2005)

oh yes, i remember now. it was black beauty 40cents a pound. so i guess it wouldnt harm to try it out.


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## fhqwhgads (Jan 18, 2005)

oh yea, i forgot to mention. this is an acrylic tank so should i take some extra measures so this doesnt scratch the tank?
thanks


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

yes... especially when removing algae from the sides! if you have a magnetic scrubber, you really shouldn't use it anywhere near the substrate, because the iron will stick to the magnet like... iron to a magnet  you'll end up with a pretty hazy tank in no time if a grain or two gets under your algae scrubber and digs into the acrylic as you wipe. 

Oqsy


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## Betta (Sep 2, 2004)

…just a plug for Tahitian moon sand.

I use it in a shrimp tank (with neon tetras) and everything is find. The shrimp and neons look great against the black.

I tested it in a cory tank. I set up an area a just used the sand and a little gravel just a 1/2 inch deep. The cories love to dig. Their barbs are doing fine.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Betta said:


> …just a plug for Tahitian moon sand.
> 
> I use it in a shrimp tank (with neon tetras) and everything is find. The shrimp and neons look great against the black.
> 
> I tested it in a cory tank. I set up an area a just used the sand and a little gravel just a 1/2 inch deep. The cories love to dig. Their barbs are doing fine.


Yup it's great stuff, I have it in 4 tanks ranging from 2 to 75 gallons.


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## morinfen (Dec 17, 2004)

Tahitian black moon sand is just basically black sand if i remember correctly, so it should be great for Corydoras, i wouldnt consider it at all "sharp", usually Corydoras dont have a problem unless the substrate is something like crushed coral, crushed sea shells, crushed glass, etc. Also some species of Corydoras actually prefer a dark substrate, so dark and sand? How can you go wrong?


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

I have that crap in my cichlid/rainbow tank and I don't like it at all. It gets sucked up in the hose when I am trying to cycle the tank and it wants to compact, which can cause anaerobic areas. Fish waste just sits on top of it, which is both good and bad. It is easy to suck up, but it also is more polluting to the water column. If I ever take that tank down, that crap is going in the garbage.
-Aphyosemion


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## aquaverde (Apr 15, 2003)

I really love TMS, but I haven't seen it since a month after setup. All I see now is glosso. Planting in it is very easy, and it does take some extra cleaning to keep it attractive.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Aphyosemion said:


> I have that crap in my cichlid/rainbow tank and I don't like it at all. It gets sucked up in the hose when I am trying to cycle the tank and it wants to compact, which can cause anaerobic areas. Fish waste just sits on top of it, which is both good and bad. It is easy to suck up, but it also is more polluting to the water column. If I ever take that tank down, that crap is going in the garbage.
> -Aphyosemion


If you were closer I'd come get it from you, no point wasting it.


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## Gill Man (Feb 5, 2005)

I've been using something black in my 125g tank for a year now with no problems and I love the look. The stuff that compacts is usually surrounding crypt roots everywhere else it's still loose. Stuff laying on the substrate is more noticeable, like having a black colored vehicle shows the dirt more. I've had a school of 15 emerald green, Brochis splendens without any harm to their barbels. Is the black beauty, slag stuff the one the seems a bit oily when rinsing? That's what mine was like, but it's fine now.


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## FeatherfinFan (Feb 3, 2005)

Just getting into the plant tank scene after many years of just about everything else. I just bought 250 pounds of the 3M colorquartz for my Tanganyikan Tropheus tanks. I've always used a fine silica sand for these tanks in the past but read many good things about the 3m product. Here's a link to a lengthy thread about colorquartz:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=43290
They have 2 grades and many colors, the S grade is very fine like a silica sand but much more uniform in size and color, like micro-ball bearings and the T Grade is a bit chippier and coarser in size. The T Grade is only sold in 4 colors: black, blue, cayman green and I'm not sure of the 4th. The S grade is sold in about 12 colors (I've got smoke, which looks almost snow white under 6500k lighting), they also have a nice looking dark brown and a few unique color like plum and the cayman green. The product is inert and very consistant in color and not dirty at all (at least the color I chose). It settles quickly (I believe it's denser than sand) and the S grade is very smooth. The product ranges in price (the link has different suppliers) I paid aprox $16 per 50 pound sack, so it's quite a deal compared to other commercial sands. I'd definately consider this product if you're wanting a sand type substrate.


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## amber2461 (Sep 26, 2004)

Thanks for the headsup Featherfin Fan

I have been thinking of using sand for my corry tank but I have Seachem Onyx sand. I am just not so sure if it will be okay to use with the corries or not though.


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

ditto on the colorquartz... I just got 2x50lbs bags delivered for about $18 a bag. I chose the black t-grade, and I'm digging the way it looks dry. I can't wait to get my tank setup this weekend. T-grade is irregular grains, and roughly the same size as pool filter sand, perhaps a bit smaller. S-grade is very fine and *supposedly* messier at first. The stuff is quite heavy, at least as much as silica (much heavier than profile) if not a little more. since it's silica quartz crystals coated in colored ceramic material, it should very close to silica sand in weight/mass/density (depending on how you want to look at it, I find density to be the most accurate term, but it's all perspective, isn't it?) 

I've also used tahitian moon in the past and have mixed feelings about it. It leaves the water foamy and dirty for days if not weeks, even after a pretty intense rinsing, is a little too fine for my taste, needs to be "turned" more often than larger grained substrates, and sticks to magnetic algae scrapers (making it a BIG no-no for acrylic tanks where mag-floats are used). It is a very pretty and *dark* black sand, and makes a very strong impression when used as a substrate. Its decently priced for as substrates go, but assuming I don't run into any new problems with the colorquartz, it's a much better deal. 

I've never seen tahitian moon sell for less than $.75-$1.00 / lb., whereas I got the colorquartz for under $.40 / lb. 

I expect 3m is talking to some of the aquarium supply companies about marketing colorquartz for aquariums sometime soon. Their distributors knew exactly why I was ordering 2 bags of t-grade black without me saying a word... "You using this for aquarium sand?" 

Oqsy


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## Clone (Feb 29, 2004)

Opsy how is the colorquartz working out for you. I am slowly collecting equipment and material for a new tank and am considering the black colorquartz t-grade.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Ditto Clone's question.

I am thinking about setting up another aquascape and am very interested in your results.

Mike


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## gsd78 (Jan 13, 2004)

I've had the black T-grade ColorQuartz in my tank now for about six months or so and love it. It looks great and you can use the gravel vac on it without sucking up any of it. It never clouds the water at all either...no matter how much you stir it up. Doesn't even require that much inital rinsing. All around really cool stuff. roud: 

FYI......when I picked mine up the distributor told me that 3M was coming out with any even larger grained sized ColorQuartz than the T-grade. She said it was gonna be small gravel size and said she thought that us aquarium hobbyist would probably really like it. Not exactly sure when its coming out though.


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## Clone (Feb 29, 2004)

From the few pictures I have seen of the T-grade it appears to have a similar grain size distribution as EcoComplete. Is this correct or does it tend to be finer?


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

T-grade colorquartz is working out great. i have a couple pairs of kribs spawning in a tank with it right now... they're spitting it all over the place! no, it isn't the same size as eco complete... s-grade is the finest grain (think playsand), then t-grade is a little larger (pool filter sand), and then eco complete would be a little larger grains than that... however, t-grade *is* similar to eco in that it has an uneven distribution of grain sizes and shapes. s-grade is uniformly spherical and small, whereas t-grade is irregularly shaped (sometimes a little jagged, but still ok for bottom-dwellers) like eco complete.

Oqsy


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## Clone (Feb 29, 2004)

Thanks. Now I have make some phone calls


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

I'm thinking about doing my tank over with a combination of eco complete and T grade 3M Color Quartz. Theres a distributor 10 miles up the road from my house. I've been so envious of all you guys with the black substrate.... I can't take it any more. :icon_bigg 

Marcel


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

here are the kribs and the tank mentioned above... this pair is cleaning a black pipe for spawning.









the one on the bottom left is the most accurate representation of the color of the sand (the others have a bluish hue because of my bad camera / bulb color combination.

Oqsy


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## Clone (Feb 29, 2004)

I just found T-grade Colorquartz for 23 dollars a bag at a pool installation company  Now I just have to scrape a couple of bucks together and get down there. As far as quantity should I use the calculator for sand? The tank is going to be a 58 Oceanic or a 65 AGA.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Any good places to buy sand online? I'm looking for tan or natural looking sand. Fine grade.


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