Black or white?

[FishNutty]

Yes, yes, the black or white question. Again. Sorry!
I have plans in the works for a 5.5 gallon nano reef, and I'm trying to decide between black and white, not only for the sand, but some other fixtures as well. My room(which is where this tank will be) is all pink/white/green shabby-chic, so I'm not sure if I should go black or white. My plan is to buy the Tetra aquarium kit, which is basically a AGA 5.5 gallon tank, I think.
Black-leave the hood black, maybe add black-painted molding to the top/bottom braces, paint the back black, black sand.

White-Spray paint the hood white, add white-painted molding to top/bottom braces, white sand, ? on what to do with the back[blue?].

Black/White-Spray paint the hood white, add white-painted molding to top and bottom braces, black sand and black background.

I really like the idea of the black sand/background, but I'm not sure if it'll look weird with the white hardware? I just really like the way the black looks, but my room is so light and airy if I do the hardware black too I'm afraid it wouldn't look so hot. So I'm looking for some input. Should I just skip the black all together? I don't want it to look all washed out, either!
I'm going nuts trying to figure it out on my own:spin1::spin2::spin3:

[clownfreak]

You could go rimless, and paint the stand to match colors of your room or have a nice light wood. You can also go without a hood. Personnaly I have a tank with black trim and a black hood on top of a wood nightstand which I don't think conflicts with the room "decor" (orange paint) at all. JMO

[yongpanda]

I agree. the best look for a nice room with those nice colors should be given a nice rimless nano.

[Lavish62]

I'm thinkin white with warn edges. Shabby chic:)

[mak3mydae]

Rimless with black sand. You might want to take into consideration, some black sand can stick to your magnet.

[Spssteven]

I like black, I just changed mine to black a few months ago. Looks really cool check it out.

[FishNutty]

I originally wanted rimless, but with two cats always getting into everything.....not such a hot idea! I was thinking about the Marina aquarium kit style5(got2envy has style10 and it's got black silicone+it's rimless!), but I can't find it hardly anywhere online, and nowhere local!
So to go rimless, I'd have to take the top brace off an aga, hope that the edges are smooth, then buy some sort of glass or acrylic to make a cover, something like this (http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=34002). BIG pain, and more $$$, I think.

[mak3mydae]

Totaally useless what i'm about to say, but theres this brand of tanks where you can easily take off the top rim of a 10g. i think you can take the bottom off too, but its alot less hassle. Hm. With a small tank, you may not want to get a mesh top since i believe that still allows evaporation and your sg would swing wildly because of the size of the tank. You way want to stick with a regular tank the more i think about it... but black sand :)

[cherubfish pair]

How about a black background with white polka dots?

[FishNutty]

Totaally useless what i'm about to say, but theres this brand of tanks where you can easily take off the top rim of a 10g. i think you can take the bottom off too, but its alot less hassle. Hm. With a small tank, you may not want to get a mesh top since i believe that still allows evaporation and your sg would swing wildly because of the size of the tank. You way want to stick with a regular tank the more i think about it... but black sand :)

If I tried that I was planning on using the system shown for holding it on, with a few modifications, and using some sort of glass or acrylic and hinging it in the middle:idea::dance:

Is that the marina kit that got2envy has? Way cool, without a doubt, but I can't find it local! I think I'm actually going to end up doing a 10 gallon, but I also can't find black sand! Where did everyone get their's? I've checked local petco/petsmart stores and two lfs and no one had any in:sad2: