Black sand… suggestions

[Uberhoust]

with just a quick search, all I could find in Garnet sand was sand blasting media, with pretty "sharp" edges

Well... poop! I was looking for garnet a couple of years ago. I could have sworn that tractor supply stocked 20 mesh sub angular alluvial garnet but I cannot find it at all anymore. I was going to pick some up next time I crossed into the states. It is used water cutting, sand blasting, and water filters.

I have found that some blasting media, Silca Sand in particular, is not as angular as you would think. For example I did a little bit on the Silca Sand here: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/using-silica-sand-as-substrate.486199/. I am no longer using it but that is more due to me tearing down the fishtank and moving all the fish to my normal living area and out of the basement.

 

[Magnum Man]

@CaptainBarnicles... there were some pictures in the review section, of that link... it looks good to me, though a bit more grey than black... but that's fine for my purposes...

...in fact I'm picking up some back ground, even though the intent of these tanks is kind of industrial, those tanks are in my entry area, & any company ( we don't get much ) will be walking past them, so they at least need to be presentable... but as best I can tell, that sand will look great with this back ground...

Amazon.com

 

[Boundava]

And not really trying to side track my own thread… but isn’t it a natural instinct of most fish to camouflage… many fish, including pleco’s, can change colors so much from their surroundings, that they often get classified as another species… do we really know that black sand stresses out Cory’s??? Maybe they are actually happy, as I’m sure a lot of the dirt / mud from their natural habitat is darker

Black sand is not usually found with many of the species we keep in the hobby so their natural camouflage won't work which is why they become stressed.

 

[Magnum Man]

I've been beaten up badly for several issues lately... so no offense, but I'm just going to let that one go, I'm a lost cause...

 

[Magnum Man]

This neon green aquarium gravel stresses me out...

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5110+PIxbKL._AC_.jpg

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Give me black sand over neon rainbow unicorn sand any day of they week!