Black Sand?

So, I've decided I'm going to go ahead and get another tank. I love my 30 tall, but I know I will outgrow that, so a 55 is in the very near future. My question is what are the pros and cons of blck sand? This will be a reef tank of course. Hubby will build the stand with pallet wood for the outside. Thinking LED lighting.

 

Black sand looks nice. The only complaint I've heard is that it shows dirt, algae, etc more than white. IMHO, that can be avoided with an occasional light vacuuming of the surface while removing water for a water change, which I recommend for any substrate to help control nutrient levels.

As for the tank, I don't believe you'll be happy with a standard 55. I know I wasn't. They're too skinny for their height and length, which make them difficult to scape. A lot of folks go for the extra width of a 40b, 50b, or 55c when upgrading.

HTH

 

Cand you explain the b and c after the gallons? Yes it does help about the black sand. Makes sense about seeing the dirt more, kind of like when you get a black car.

 

b=breeder, c=cube.

 

I agree, a standard 55 is a difficult tank to do right.

 

went to a 40 gallon breeder tank and was a lot happier, easy to aquascape and offered a lot of room for any fish you would put into a 55. Plus when Petco has there 1 per gallon sale you can pick one up for 40 bucks

 

I had black sand in a standard 55 for about 2 years, it really makes the colors pop on corals. It doesn't stay completely black for very long, most live rock comes from the ocean( or tanks) with white sand, so it can be annoying if your a little ocd. Also I used aquarium decorative sand when I started mine and there were quite a few magnetic particles in it that would stick to the mag float, make sure to use high quality black sand. I eventually change out all the decorative sand to caribsea black sand and didn't have anymore magnetic issues. Like it was stated it takes a frequent cleaning to keep it detritus free but it can be quite stunning.

 

They are have their buck a gallon deal now!!! Going to heed the advice I've been given and get a breeder tank. Thank you everyone!!!!! I'm also going to go for it and do the black sand.

 

I had the more pebble sized sand in a nano I had setup a while back and to be honest it was a pain. If any got into the sump more then likely itll fly straight to the return pump and stop it because I think it's mainly carbon based. It was easier to clean using a water vacuum and just sucking all the crap out. I did not ice that it does absorb light a lot and it made good for fragging shrooms and zoas. I use to cut the shrooms in half or pop off a few zoas and just throw them on to it. Great for wanting a garden of them.

 

I tried black sand in my bio cube to see what it would look like and I don't care for it. It shows every little thing! Food, detritus, ect... I do weekly water changes and everyday there was something on the sand bed you normally wouldn't notice with white sand. I liked the black look but even food on the sand bed was a bad distraction to me but then again I'm a bit OCD when it comes to the tanks.