question about sand in saltwater tank

[discus510]

ok a lil about the past i had a tank tat was setup and i wanted black sand so i went ahead and used black beach live sand which isnt black its more like black and brown and now im setting up another tank and i wanna use a sand as black as possible so i was wonderin if anyone has experience with using black beauty sand or the 3M quarts tats black and wats the pros and cons of it
thanks

[E36328i]

The 3m black sand has been used successfully in F/W aquaria for years now... And as far as I know, it is the same thing as the Tahitan Moon black sand (which works fine in saltwater and reefs). You might want to keep in mind though, most sands we use offer some buffering capability and the black sands will offer nothing in this regard.

Cheers!

[brycerb]

Black beauty is iron slag used for sand blasting, I would guess it would rust. It also has very sharp edges/points, not good for sand sifters. 3M sand is totaly inert.

[Palting]

I wouldn't go with any freshwater sand that is not also deemed safe for saltwater. If you want black, you can go with Arag-Alive sand. They come in two types in black. Not cheap. But, I don't believe there is any non-live sand recommended for reef/saltwater that is black. I have Hawaiian black in my tanks.

[discus510]

ive went witht he argo black live sand they called it black beach its not really black its like black and brown mixed together its not as black as i want it to be was just wonderin if i got other choice out there

[Stuart60611]

Be very careful with the black sand. It is known for causing scratching of glass it caught in a magfloat, etc.

[lordofthereef]

Just thought I would add my two cents about the buffering comment. This has pretty much been debunked. For there to be any real buffering, pH levels would have to go far lower than what any of your livestock can withstand. In other words, it really shouldn't be a part of your decision process when picking sand.