Jestersix

black sand pros/cons

popper

Supporting Member
OK, so the rocks bottom isn't working for me because it's difficult to place the plugs on them. I'm thinking of converting to black sand. Here's my strategy

1. prepare a tank with black sand, fill tank with current tank water, add heater and power head...let cycle for a week. (is cycling sand a good idea?)
2. after a week move everything out of current tank into temporary tank (not the black sand tank...a 3rd tank)
3. move black sand into current tank, fill with water and rocks current tank...
4. let it settle for a week
5. move occupants and corals back

Your thoughts please.

thanks,
Max
 
I’m putting pros and cons of black sand aside for a min.

When your goal is to change rocks or sand out in an existing tank, the easiest and best way to do it is to just do a little every week, in the existing tank. The idea being that if you add small amounts you’ll never have a dangerous cycle, and it will cycle much faster/better anyway with the existing microbes in your tank. Plus it’s a lot easier.

So each week take out some existing substrate and replace it with some substrate that you want. Or for sand you can take out all of the existing entirely over a shorter time then add replacement a little every week.

As far as how much each week, it’s subjective and depends on tank size, but let it take at least a couple months.
 
Indeed, it is magentic. I also have scratches. Just ditched my black sand and went bare bottom in my 20 gallon nem tank...
IT also abosrbs light, so expect a darker tank overall
 
Not all black sand is magetic...

A lot of generic black sand is actually iron slag that's crushed. This is magnetic

Others like aragalive or caribsea tahitian is not. Aragalive black is natural black mixed with aragonite. Tahitian moon is a natural source i believe though don't think it's truly from Tahiti. :)

I use both for various setups.

Pros: colors pop! Against the black.

Cons: biggest is that black absorbs light and has less reflection so some of the PAR is wasted, esp if you want to maintain things like the underside of sps. For things like softies and nems... no biggie.

Aragalive black has some buffering -- in reality prob negligible in most well maintained systems. But Tahitian moon is inert...practically glass. But oh so shiny!
 
Unless they changed it in the last 3 years or so, Aragalive Hawaiian black sand is magnetic. Not all of it but enough of it to make it where you have to be careful when using a magnets.


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I had black sand in my cube. Yes, it is magnetic, so you have to be a bit more careful with the magnetic cleaner. But, there is something very zen about it and @NanoCrazed stated, colors do pop.
 
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