Black Sand

[nitrogen15]

I've got this scheme to use black sand for a tank of multies so they stand out better. Are there special issues with black sand, such as Tahitian Moon or Seachem Flourite that make it unsuitable for diggers? Googling produced mixed reviews saying it can damage filters, or that the grains are too large, while others said it was great, so I thought it was worth checking first.

 

[BigAlsTanks]

Sand is sand it'll be fine for digging. As long as the end of the filter is at least 4 inches above the sand you'll be fine. It wouldn't hurt to get sand that would buffer the pH either. I've got Caribsea Aragonite sugar sized sand and love the color. Some will get in the filters but it's so fine that it won't mess it up. I've had it for about two months now and have no problems with my filters whatsoever. The filters I have are Marineland Emperors 400.

 

[ctsv510]

I use caribsea tahitian moon sand in one of my tanks and now I really wish I used it in the other instead of the gravel. It looks fantastic, stays very clean and my pictus catfish seem to like it. It has caused no problems with my filter, my intake is 4-5 inches above the sand. I would definitely recommend it.

 

[nitrogen15]

Thanks for the helpful replies! Got some sand today. I'm doing a gradient of smooth black gravel to black sand. Hopefully it'll look nice.