has any here used black sand as a substrate? I am wanting to try it a few tanks in the near future but don't know much about it. Liek where can I get it? I have seen it in the "That Pet Place" catalog but it is nearly a dollar a pound and I'm going to need 200 lbs or so. I've heard of a black sand blasting sand called Black Beauty. Has anyone else heard of this brand?
Black sand?
- Thread starter Rare Cichlids
- Start date
See if your LFS will order it for you? I know someone who ordered the CaribSea Black sand. Supposedly, its a REALLY nice substrate.
The CarinSea sand is the sand that was $1 per lb.
I just talked to my uncle about it an hour ago (he does sandblasting), and he confirmed there is a black sand called Black Beauty that I can get for about $3 per 100 lbs. just a couple miles from my house. So now, if I could get some info on the Black Beauty sand I would be grateful. Latazyo, is this what you have? How does it affect the water hardness and pH? And is it jet black? Do you have a picture of your tank?
Thank you
I just talked to my uncle about it an hour ago (he does sandblasting), and he confirmed there is a black sand called Black Beauty that I can get for about $3 per 100 lbs. just a couple miles from my house. So now, if I could get some info on the Black Beauty sand I would be grateful. Latazyo, is this what you have? How does it affect the water hardness and pH? And is it jet black? Do you have a picture of your tank?
Thank you
to be honest, I haven't checked the pH, I will and I will get you a pic in a few weeks, but black beuty doesn't really sound familiar, I willgo to Menards and find the exact name of it (I am home for the holidays, so my bag is sitting in another city, but I will look at the Menards here and get the brand name of it for you)
Raiseing the pH to that level would be fine, as the fish are Central American lake cichlids that come from rather hard and salty water.
Thanks Latazyo, that would help a lot. Does your sand look really black or is it greyish, because I am wanting very black sand if possible. I'm so glad I found out more about the blasting sand, as I was going to have to wait a while if I went with the CaribSea because of price. Actually now that I found out how cheap the blasting sand is, I may be buying few hundred more pounds for other tanks.
Thanks everyone
Thanks Latazyo, that would help a lot. Does your sand look really black or is it greyish, because I am wanting very black sand if possible. I'm so glad I found out more about the blasting sand, as I was going to have to wait a while if I went with the CaribSea because of price. Actually now that I found out how cheap the blasting sand is, I may be buying few hundred more pounds for other tanks.
Thanks everyone
I felt the same way, it all started when I found 50# of pool filter sand (brown and black mix) for 12 bucks, then I found even better, I have a 75g with white sand and the 20g with black sand
and I was pretty picky about the pitch blackedness of the sand, it had to be very black and this is a good sand, again II"ll give you some pics in a few weeks whenever possible
and I was pretty picky about the pitch blackedness of the sand, it had to be very black and this is a good sand, again II"ll give you some pics in a few weeks whenever possible
I found some info that states Black Beauty as being copper slag, very high in iron, sharp, very small, and magnetic. Which would not be good for aquarium use. On the same page the guy says he prefers 3mm Quartz Silica blasting media for his aquariums.
Copper slag abrasive products include Kleen Blast and Tru-Grit which are two of the most common. Black Beauty and Black Pearl are recycled coal slag abrasives. All these abrasives contain various minerals/metals. Their content is highly variable. The physical form of the blasting media is a function of the way the material is processed as well as its chemical properties (hardness, structure, etc.).
I tried to find useful information on aquatic toxcity from black beauty but couldn't find much that was directly useful. Studies often don't (or couldn't) distinquish between fly ash, bottom ash, and slag with slag being the most inert of the three. Other people's experience with black beauty is probably your best bet here.
I tried to find useful information on aquatic toxcity from black beauty but couldn't find much that was directly useful. Studies often don't (or couldn't) distinquish between fly ash, bottom ash, and slag with slag being the most inert of the three. Other people's experience with black beauty is probably your best bet here.