# Black Substrate



## Nzac

I am looking into black substrate, I currently have black gravel in one of my 75's but it seems the black is gradually wearing off after only 3 weeks. Is there any black substrate that is not painted? I am not sure I want the hassle of sand (at least it sounds like a hassle), but I definately want black, or at the very least, very, very dark substrate.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Eco Complete and Flourite come in black if you want more of the gravel look but they are kinda pricey since they are meant for planted tanks and there are a few options for black , it really depends on how much you're looking to spend.


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## Nzac

well wasn't looking to spend a ton but I believe the health of my fish are at risk with the colors coming off the gravel like it is. That outweighs the cost to me. I do currently have some black flourite as a target substrate where I have my live plants.


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## e46markus

Flourite may be your best bet, I've yet to see a natural gravel that is completely black. There is black sand but you mentioned your trying to avoid that. The flourite might be just a bit more expensive then black sand anyways.


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## Nzac

ya it is a little spendy... $25 for 15lb but may be worth it.

after seeing the color coming off this gravel like I am seeing I wonder if that is what killed my 8" rhom 3 weeks ago in this tank(the day I changed the gravel) was the color coming off the rocks. He was just hanging out gasping. all water parameters were/ still are fine, but I put his replacement in there yesterday, after about 2 hours he was just hanging out gasping so I put him back into my divided 55 and he finally stopped gasping almost 10 hours later. Throughout these three weeks I have had 8 cichlids and a large pleco in there that have seemed fine.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Sand isn't really a hassle, I'm not a fan of the Tahitian black moon sand because I don't like the tiny grain size, but if you have a Fleet Farm local to you, they sell a black silica blasting sand that has larger, more uniform grain size so it sinks right back down when it gets kicked up and you don't really need to rinse it beforehand.


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## CLUSTER ONE

Like joe said some blasting sand, pool sand, soem dark gavel from a garden center will rpbably be your best option on a budget though you have to be more careful as to what is in it. Moon sand looks nice though I personally can't justify spending like 200$ for sand in a larger tank. Mayby a tank under 30g but not something like 75g plus. I also prefer a natural look and I can get that with some play sand and natual rock from home depot with a total cost of like 20$


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## Nzac

thanks, for now I just went back to the gravel I had it there before(blue, green, black/ sea mix colors they call it). I will try the sand thing on one of the other tanks I have not set up yet to see how I like it.


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## Talonfal

ive got black tahitian moon sand in my 55 gallon and i love, it looks fantastic and i actually prefer the smaller grain


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## Nzac

maybe I'll try some moon sand when I set up my 30 breeder.


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## Briaan

I got some black flourite in my 50 gal, I like the way it looks, it settles very quickly after being dusted around, but it's rather pricy compared to taitarian moon sand, $30 for 15lbs


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## JeFFLo

3M has this stuff called spectraquartz. its like black pool filter sand. $22 for 50lb bag. just call them and tell em how much you need. they'll hook you with a dealer in your area.


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## Sylar_92

JeFFLo said:


> 3M has this stuff called spectraquartz. its like black pool filter sand. $22 for 50lb bag. just call them and tell em how much you need. they'll hook you with a dealer in your area.


oh, lol should have waited til I read this thread. Do you know if they have any dealers in Canada?


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## JeFFLo

[/quote]
oh, lol should have waited til I read this thread. Do you know if they have any dealers in Canada?
[/quote]

sorry im not really sure. best thing to do is call the number on this site: http://solutions.3mcanada.ca/wps/portal/3M/en_CA/About/3M/ and tell them what you need. gl


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## Co. Caines

I got the black Tahitian moon sand in my 180g. I took 7 20lbs bags to fill my tank. It came to about $200 after taxes and I can't say I regretted any penny of it. It looks beautiful especially with red rocks or plants in the tank. The contrast of co ours makes it all worth it.


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