# black beauty sand?



## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

im thinking of buying this sand but the seller doesnt exactly know what it is.\
the ad says black cichlid sand.
is this the black beauty type of sand and is this any good?
thanks


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## Cento (Mar 30, 2005)

Hey Mel,

Looks like my sand (Caribsea: Black Tahitian Moon)... Where did you buy it? What are those red bits? :-?


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

so i take it that this is good.
do you have pic of your tank with the sand? i'd like to see it.
i may put them in the 75g if i end up buying the sand.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Black beauty sand always scared me off...I thought it had sharp edges. At the time I was shopping for substrate I was very concerned (perhaps unnecessarily :lol: ) about smooth edges for catfish bellies and barbels.

You will have your substrate forever. I'd buy one of the sands recommended like pool filter, or a substrate made for aquaria (like tahitian moon sand). Why take a chance?


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

yeah if it's unknown i wouldn't risk it

did you know they make a black flourite sand? that's somehting to think about


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

thanks for all the reply.
i think i will buy the 3M quarts instead.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

I'm using a black blasting sand that is nickel slag, with my Tapajos, without any problems. $7.50 for 50 lbs, $10 for 88lbs.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

how long have you been using it and what size is the grain?
where do you get them?
let see some pics.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

The problem with "Black Beauty" is that it is a waste product, often from mining operations and of unknown origin (doesn't specify on the bag). With all the possible heavy metals and other toxins in mine run off it would be a big risk. SInce it can come from several different sources a bag in Ohio might be just fine, while a bag fro the coal mines in PA have al sorts of stuff in it that could wipe out your tank.

Here is a an excerpt from an article our oun fmueller wrote on his web site about black substrates.


> Since I have never seen Black Beauty marketed as aquarium substrate, there is also no reason to believe that it undergoes any quality control to ensure its suitability for this purpose. Maybe my background in chemistry makes me over-careful, but I am not convinced that some batch of it couldnâ€™t leach toxins into the water. Even a trace of heavy metal salts could kill off your fish in no time, so even if some people report long term success with Black Beauty in their tanks, this doesnâ€™t mean that you will be fine with the batch that you happen to buy.


Here is the whole substrate article: http://www.fmueller.com/home/aquaristic/240g/decorations/substrate/

I use the black 3M colorquartz in a couple of my tanks and love it. There is also supposedly a black flourite substrate that I read about, but since I don't have any live plants didn't really look into it.


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## Cento (Mar 30, 2005)

Of course we need to differentiate between Black Beauty and Caribsea's Black Tahitian Moon (mostly for my own peace of mind  ), right?

I'm pretty sure Caribsea's product isn't industrial waste product, correct? Anyone wanna comment? No really, I'd like to know, cause I was curious myself. Their catalogue doesn't say its source... :-?


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

You are correct. Tahitian moon sand is not black beauty. Caribsea's Tahitian moon sand is black valcanic sand like you would fine on the black beaches in Haiwaii. It is completely inert.

The post about the black blasting sand was what triggered my Black Beauty comment. It is not meant for aquarium use and you take your tank in your own hands using it. Sometimes its just fine, but sometimes it not and you can tell just by looking at it. Slag is what is leftover when manufacturers melt metals from raw ore. Its the gunk they pull off the top that has all the impurities. Its great for sand blasting and other industrial purposes.


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## Cento (Mar 30, 2005)

Thanks MalawiLover... With a name like _Super Naturals_, I thought that's what it was, but I wanted to make sure... whew! :lol:


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