Tahitian Moon Sand reviews?

[logan89]

Sorry for another one of these threads....

Anyways, I was just wondering if any of you here have experince with TMS?

Or if you know of any sites where people have reviewed it, or anything like that. Google searches are leaving me empty handed, and the forum search gave me VERY vague answers.

This stuff is expensive (though only $14.99 at the lfs), so I want to know how it settles, how it looks IN the tank, how hard it is to clean, how easily dirt shows, etc, etc.
(Btw the LFS just said it was just a really fine grain black substrate and that was all they knew about it.)

So if anyone here can help me at all, it would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,

-Logan

 

[Sky042]

You need to rinse it just like you would any other sand.

Once you do it settled perfect.

Fish poop will show on it depending on what you feed your fish.

It looks great in the tank I think. I'll probably shoot the tank I've got it in this weekend.

Helps the contrast of your fish nicely. Plants really stand out.
It does make the overall tank look darker than if you had a lighter substrate and it's not ultra fine like estes marine sand. It's a little more coarse than that.

 

[Ricester61]

Looks great in the tank and the fish seem to like it. The silly cories do dig up the leftover gravel bits all the time - it's like they don't want that old gravel in there at all and are trying to show me where it is.

Did seem to take quite a bit of rinsing to get it clean. After 30 minutes rinsing I just added it to the tank and then ran my diatom filter for a few hours. Might not be any worse than other sand, but since it's black you see more of the dust in the water.

Waste does show up more than on the gravel, but the filter flow tends to shove it in the back corners of the tank so it's not that bad. Takes some practice to get vacuuming down - seems if you can just skim over the sand about 1/8" or so you'll get most of the waste without getting too much sand.

Oh yeah - the best part was the wife was thrilled with how it looked in the tank!

 

[Teelie]

I'm using it in a new shellie set up and it does look great, especially under the blue lighting I tested it with but it does disturb easy I've found though the grains willl settle down quickly again. I'm going to buy another bag to keep on hand so I won't have to worry about getting it on short notice. My LFS only recently got it and I don't want to have to wait for them to get it again.

 

[SirMinion]

We have it in a couple of tanks and I have nothing but praise for it.

It's a heavy sand which means that if it gets kicked up it rapidly settles so that it doesn't get in the filter or cloud the water.

Timid fish (such as our Humpback Puffers) seem to like the dark colour because it makes them feel more secure, although their colours have dimmed to blend in with it.

Other non-chameleonic fish such as tetras look fantastic in a black-sand tank, it really brings out their colours.

 

[logan89]

Thanks alot guys, i'm about to head out to the lfs now to pick up the TMS...

I'm gonna get 60lbs for my 55gal, hopefully i'll have a little left over...

Thanks for the comments,


-Logan

 

[LoachLover]

I have the stuff in my one 55 gallon tank, I think it looks good and it's effective. Just treat it like regular sand.

 

[mellowserra]

Thanks alot guys, i'm about to head out to the lfs now to pick up the TMS...

I'm gonna get 60lbs for my 55gal, hopefully i'll have a little left over...

Thanks for the comments,


-Logan

[snapback]849218[/snapback]​

60lbs should do your tank well, depending on how deep you want it. I used 40lbs to hold down a layer of peat/soil in my 75gal and it was good for about an inch.

 

[rdd1952]

I have it in my 75 gallon and love it. I think it even brings out the color of the fish. Also, it is extremely easy to wash. I rinsed 40 lb (2 bags) in about 15 minutes. Also, as SirMinion said, it settles straight back down. Even when you fill your tank to start with, you won't get a cloud.

 

[logan89]

Ok guys, thanks for the replys...

I JUST finished setting up my tank. I have alot of pics, and i'm about to post them in the "member aquarium pictures" (or something like that?) section.

Love the TMS btw...


Thanks,

-Logan

 

[astroboy]

Its quite coarse. There are a few "splinters" of sand that are sharp. May injure bottom feeding fish, i suspect one of my polys got an injury from a sliver, but its hard to say exactly what caused it.

 

[Teelie]

I ran my hands through my sand when I cleaned it and I didn't see any sharp slivers though it might be slightly coarse for bottom dwellers, I'd have to run my fingers over it again to be sure.

 

[logan89]

Nah, its not too coarse, when its wet.