Black Sand

[m00se]

Hi all,

I'm looking to start up my second tank in the near future (was gonna do it sooner but had some fairly major cashflow issues), and have long ago decided on a dwarf puff setup. It strikes me that a heavily-planted, sand-substrated tank would be the best option, and I've been looking at sand types. Regular argos playsand is cheap and cheerful, without doubt, but some of the pictures of the black sand substrates like Tahitian moon sand just look stunning and really bring out the fish colours (and I think the DP yellowyness on the black substrate would look awesome!).

I'm asking mainly about what black sand I should be getting. Is the more expensive Tahitian moon sand the only one, or am I missing a cheap version?

Thanks in advance lovely people

 

[JohnRossDele]

Hi all,

I'm looking to start up my second tank in the near future (was gonna do it sooner but had some fairly major cashflow issues), and have long ago decided on a dwarf puff setup. It strikes me that a heavily-planted, sand-substrated tank would be the best option, and I've been looking at sand types. Regular argos playsand is cheap and cheerful, without doubt, but some of the pictures of the black sand substrates like Tahitian moon sand just look stunning and really bring out the fish colours (and I think the DP yellowyness on the black substrate would look awesome!).

I'm asking mainly about what black sand I should be getting. Is the more expensive Tahitian moon sand the only one, or am I missing a cheap version?

Thanks in advance lovely people

I've got sand in my 240 litre and it looks good but it dosent bring out the fishies colour
im setting up a 100 litre have no fish in it yet tho and it looks better

so IMHO go for the black sand

 

[OldMan47]

Your planted puffer tank is flawed if my memory is serving me correctly. I thought that a puffer needed a brackish aquarium and most plants will not be able to live in brackish water. I am probably wrong since I have never kept puffers but that is what I thought I had read.

 

[m00se]

I always thought DPs were freshwater puffers. I may be very wrong

 

[Curiosity101]

Nope, they are 100% freshwater.

And to add to that REALLY appreciate a densely planted tank.

 

[m00se]

Nope, they are 100% freshwater.

And to add to that REALLY appreciate a densely planted tank.

Good to know I'm not just being a retard

As for the plants, this is a 3" tank, I was thinking about planting it densely and what that means, and where best to get the plants from - possibly just get the biggest selection from plantsalive.co.uk that they do and plant up like anything? Otherwise my local MA does pretty good deals on plants, so I suppose I could go there. Saves time and effort I guess

 

[Curiosity101]

That's basically what I'd do if I was starting a new planted tank from scratch.

I'd go for one of their collections. They're very well priced and I've pretty much only heard good things about them.

 

[m00se]

I got one collection from them a few days ago (the 24" to add to the existing stock in my current tank) and they were very good. Plants were very healthy, delivered in very good time, and look excellent. In fact, come to think of it, the only ones that melted were the red cobombas I got from MA

 

[Curiosity101]

Yeah but to be fair you were asking for trouble with red cabomba without having upgraded your lighting!

 

[m00se]

I know, I know, I just got carried away

 

[Sean W.]

idk if this helps, but here is my tank back when it used to be a DP tank... black gravel.. not sand, but it should give you an idea any way...