Black sand?

[nynikki]

Is there some reason it is not as readily available? Is there some challenge in using black sand that doesn't exist with white sand?

 

[AquatiCreations]

Black sand is not normally used in marine aquaria because it hides the vibrant colors of the fish.

 

[nynikki]

I thought it would look cool, but after a trip to our favorite LFS, we quickly decided that I wasn't planning to vacuum it every day and if I didn't, it would look bad most of the time. So the black is out! =)

 

[AquatiCreations]

White also reflects light, which is a great bonus if you plan on keeping any type of coral.

 

[EliWhitney314]

I have black flourite sand and haven't looked back since. hahaha

 

[Ace25]

Black sand = scratches on glass. That is the #1 reason it isn't used nearly as much as white. There is a newer type called Black Tahitian Moon sand that is supposed to not have the rough edges and be as safe as white aragonite sand.

 

[fsn77]

There are some sand dwelling corals that look great sitting on black sand (mostly various brain corals).

I've never put black sand in a sw tank myself, but one of the LFSs here has a coral holding tank with black sand in it. The tank itself definitely appears more dim (visually), but many of the corals look great on the black sand.