white, black or white black?

[FishMad]

Which colour sand would be preferable for a reef tank with fishes?

[shahril]

Hye ... im also a newbie.. but im using white.. i believe most of us here use white. Make tank look brighter and more natural at least from my view. Maybe experts can chime in.

[FishMad]

Yeah, i was thinking about that too, but would black make the colours of the corals and fishes stand out more? Hmmm..

[FishMad]

Oh, another thing i would like to ask, coarse vs fine sand, which would be better?

[shahril]

I got no experience with black. But before i start into this hobby i do read bout white vs black sand. Most say white. Reasons as above mentioned. Im using white for 1.5 years and just love the way it look. Maybe any1 using black sand may give some feedback. Prefer not too fine and not too coarse. Reason being too fine u will have tons of sandstorm. Powerhead placement and power also play a part. Too coarse u may risk detritus being trap inside acting like a sink. I use not too fine and no problem so far. And my sandbed is only 1 inch deep which i vacuum every water change. Regarding fish n coral colour i think is their health n lighting play a major role. Again im a newbie. Still got lots to learn.

[Snoopyhamburger]

Black sand cannot see the dirt on it Wanted to get that out there.

[shahril]

Haha.. totally agreed. Grain size also depend on what livestock u wanna keep. And also what best for your eyes.

[james72]

White help to reflect light

Cheers,

James

[Planted]

White can turn black.. over time... haha. Black cannot turn white over time.. :X I chose white cuz it's easier to get.

[james72]

White will turn black becos of husbandry issues. ...

Cheers,

James

[Shawn Chua]

Black look cool..

[Stryder78]

You can try mixed. I too am newbie and I just recently startup my build thread. You can see photo of my tank.

[FishMad]

Okay, i guess I'll try white first then! (:

[FishMad]

Oh, another thing, what about the depth of the sand, any recommendations?

[shahril]

Hye.. its me again.. a newbie too... i like to keep it below 1 inch.. certain area maybe 1/4 inch n some area maybe 1.5 inch the max. Due to lazyness to even out the sand after siphoning. But kinda look natural also to me.. But i siphon all the CRAP out weekly. But very little gunk. Maybe bcos i doi it weekly and also got good flow to prevent dirt from settling down.

[shahril]

Although at times when i see deep sand bed 4 inch n above in reefers tank .. looks great. But im a newbie so dont dare to play with fire and anaerobic zone in a glass box is too risky for me.

[calvin f.h]

I like it black. Back sand really bring out the beauitful colours of the coral and fishes under led lighting

[dr evil]

personally i like both the Caribsea Hawaiian black or the Indo Pacific Black sand.......... very unique to have a nice black sand bed....

[bomber]

I am a newbie too..i wonder anyone know where could i get non-alive black aragonite sand?