black sand

[Nano_Steve]

ive seen this stuff in a few pictures, especially these new minimalist tanks, im wonderin if this is any diff other than color to aragonite or south down? how do fish like sand sifters react to it?

anyone know where to get some of this thats already cultured?

-steve

[Brett Wilson]

Yes it is different.
It has a larger grain and is sharper. It comes from Tahiti instead of Florida like south down.
I do not *think* I have as many sand sifters, that I can see, as I did with southdown.
But then again, it's black and you can't see them. I seem to have more feather dusters in the sand though.
You can get it at petsmart, but as far as cultured, I have no idea (other than from someone elses tank).
I use it in my 37 gallon tank, it's pretty.
There is concern that this sand doesnt reflect as much light back up to the bottoms of the corals like white sand would, so that may be something to consider.
HTH
-Brett

[Brett Wilson]

I do not have any sand sifting fish, but I do have a ton of necessarius snails that burry in it. they seem to do fine and are multiplying like crazy...

[Nano_Steve]

brett,

thats some great info! i just now noticed your for sale thread and you have your frag tank with it. i am considering gettin some black because like you said its really good looking. i will be having black back ground with black silicone once im done rebuilding the tank and i think this would round off the motiff.

thanks for the tip about petsmart. if i end up getting enough for my tank would u be willing to part with a cup or two of yours to get mine planted?

thanks, steve

[Brett Wilson]

sure, no problem.

[Nano_Steve]

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444178 1393&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030109&ASSORT MENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1086886494 235

is this the stuff???

-steve

[Brett Wilson]

yes!

[DeAngelove]

Steve -
It really does look pretty neat in person, you need to check out Brett's setup if you still have doubts about going with the darker sand. I have a 46 bowfront I am in the process of setting up, and it is a black trimmed and siliconed setup. I have no idea where I got the idea to use black sand, but seeing it in person convinced me to go with that look. Pictures do not do this stuff justice! :-)

HTH

[GaryP]

Steve,

Black sand is volcanic based, whereas white sand is coral based.

I think the only issue with black sand is that you lose the reflective value of the white sand in the lower parts of your tank.
This shouldn't be an issue in a FO tank, but could be an issue in a reef tank if you have corals in the lower parts of your rock scape.

Gary

[Nano_Steve]

thanks for all the comments guys!

its kinda funny, we were actually talking about black sand beaches yesterday in my history course about how its all volcanic based. thats interesting to know.

since this is the case wouldnt it have small holes within each little stone and have a greater surface area in turn allowing for more critters or is the sand finer than that?

speaking of, i have mostly aragonite sand that is kinda sharp and large at about the size of a pin head, how large is this black sand in comparison to what i have now?

-steve

[GaryP]

Steve,

I would think the sand would have small holes in it from volcanic gases. These holes may be microscopic but could be large enough for bacterial colonization in a DSB. I don't know that the resulting surface area would necessarily be larger than that produced by the pores in aragonite. In general, the more surface area you have, the more bacteria you will have. That's how bio balls work. Their shape is designed to maximize surface area for basterial colonization. This is pretty much all theoretical I would guess. You wouldn't have any way to measure bacterial colonization on a hobbyist level.

I have read that volcanic rock is not recommended for aquarium use because of toxic, heavy metals present in the rock. However, I would think a few thousand years of surf beating on the sand would leach out any water soluble metals present in the sand. Most of the volcanic rock you see in LFS is man made "pumice" and not of volcanic origin.

Gary

[Nano_Steve]

very interesting. i did not know that about pumice, i thought for sure that even pumice stones like those used for bathing were from volcanic activity of some sort.

on second thought, pumice is a ton heavier than volcanic rock, i remember going to the black miles in new mexico where its just a long stretch of volcanic rivers that have since cooled and the stones were deceivingly light. i picked up a rock that was about the size of my torso! :O

-steve

again i really appreciate this discussion, some great info and lots to think about. though i have to admit i am leaning towards having this black sand in my tank mainly for looks. :?

[GaryP]

Steve,

The density of volcanic rock can vary considerably. Some "pumice" can actually float because of the air spaces trapped inside. Other types are completely solid. It just depends on how much gas the volcano produces during the eruption. No two volcanos are alike. Black sand is the result of degradation of this volcanic rock. OK, enough geology for today.

Gary