Sand or Black Gravel....

[-Chewy-]

Ok, as you all know, I am going setup a 30 gallon tank soon. And am undecided whether I should use sand or black gravel?? Sand looks really nice and corys love it....(does it cloud water??) Black gravel is also great because the darkness make fishes produce more intense colors....
Anybody got any suggestions??? Sand or Black Gravel???

-Chewy-

 

[Stryker]

I'd choose sand every time..... but then again I'm not a fan of black gravel

Sand will not cloud your tank IF and only IF:

1) You buy the right sand. Dont be cheap, buy sand thats sold as aquarium sand or another popular choice seems to be pool filter sand.

2) Wash your sand in a bucket. Then when you think you've washed it enough.... do it again.

3) When filling your tank use a plate sitting on the bottom to save the water stiring it up.

4) Take the time to massage your sand. You could stir it in 1 min flat but then you will be waiting hours, maybe days (depending on sand) for it to clear.

I'm new to sand and I'm sure there are other more experienced keepers who will have loads to say on this...... oh yeah, your fish will love it also, if you get plants, try and ket the kind that feed through their leaves and only use their roots as anchors.

 

[-Chewy-]

Thanks for the info stryker, sand sure makes a tank look nice...
Now lets hear the other side of the story.... does anyone ever used black gravel b4??? Does black gravel bring out colors in fishes?

-Chewy-

 

[jams.alaskan]

Hi Chewy, Why not the best of both worlds - BLACK SAND. I have black sand in my ten gal, it was called black onyx sand and I got it at my lfs. I have to guess that if I found it in my poorly stocked, local lfs in the middle of nowheren North Pole then you should be able to find it around you. I also used the Bio-complete substrate in my 38 gal which is black (no rinsing at all, and plant friendly). It is more course then sand and smaller then many gravels...
Does that help?

ALASKA

 

[Moe]

I have black gravel in a 20g and I do not like it. It totally does not look natural. I've read that black gravel brings out the color in fish but I'm not convinced. I've moved fish from the 20G with the black gravel to my daughter's 10G with bright purple gravel and somehow the fish all look better in her tank. I'd go with the sand.

 

[-Chewy-]

Black sand....good idea alaska....i'll go check what my lfs has....

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Another black sand it tahition moon sand. I believe there is also a blasting sand that is a dark charcoal color.

 

[jjsdad]

I have black gravel in my 25g S.American tank.
My rams look great against it.
I am planning a large Tanganiykan tank and will definitely use sand in that one, not sure if it'll be light or dark though.
FYI that black blasting sand cichlidaddict mentions is actually iron slag and may contain trace elements of other stuff too. People have used it sucessfully but I always think better safe than sorry.

 

[drobbins27]

Heres what I would do:

1) Go to local hardware store, pay 5.00 for a 50lbs bag of play sand.

2) Bring it out back, put it in an old pillow case, then put the hose in. Run for 10 mins!

3) Add sand to EMPTY tank, add a couple inches of water.

4) Stir up sand and remove water.

5) Do these 2-3 times.

6) Completely fill tank and fun filters (no biological filtration, remove it, especailly BIO-Wheels).

7) Wait one night for water to fully clear up.

8) Add ornaments/decor.

9) Add fish onnce tank is clear.

 

[heresmike]

I agree with the play sand idea from drob. I have two tanks with play sand (but I paid less than he did ). To me, it is a very natural looking substrate... reminds me of a river bed. I used a little different method to wash mine though. I just put some in a shallow tub (or a bucket would work too), added water, swished it around, and dumped out the water... repeated 'til the water ran fairly clear. Then added it to the tank, and added the water to the tank, pouring the water onto a plate so the sand didn't get disturbed.

To answer your question on whether it clouds the water... after the initial settle-down after adding water, my water has stayed crystal clear!

 

[susangc]

I use black gravel in my teeny tank -- it's okay, but I would have preferred Tahitian moon sand. I decided against it, though, because it's expensive, even in the smallest quantities I could buy, which was still way too much for my teeny tank.

The greatest thing about Tahitian moon sand is that it's coarse, which means it won't overcompact. And of course, it's got a great sheen to it.

When I get around to a bigger tank for home (I'm starting to shop now I just need to convince my husband) it's Tahitian moon sand for me all the way.

Susan

 

[jams.alaskan]

So Chewy,
What did you find? Are you still going black?

ALASKA

 

[-Chewy-]

So Chewy,
What did you find? Are you still going black?

ALASKA

I went to my lfs to check the black sand, and the employee said that she never heard of black sand before! Anyway, I still went to check the gravel section of the lfs, and all I could find were white sand...
I also never heard of black sand b4...if it is poosible, alaska, could you get me a picture of your 10 gal and post it in the aquarium picture section of the forum?? that will be a great help....thanks in advance!

-Chewy-

 

[jams.alaskan]

I can try for the pic tonight, the sand I got was bagged "Black Onyx" sand, the "Tahition Moon Sand" is very popular too - maybe even more so. Maybe you could do a search on google and find it that way.

ALASKA