# White or black sand and why???



## merkey (Nov 26, 2008)

i am going with sand in my new 180 my 55 currently has black I am going to keep my background black and was wondering should i go white or black with the sand.I think if i go white i am going with dark rock piles and if i go black i am going with white and colored rock piles.looking for that show tank look.also i heard white sand looses it apeal after a while is this true?


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## srook23 (Feb 21, 2009)

I just did my tank with sand and had the same delima. I ended up going with the sand colored sand. I'm glad I did...looks really good and looks really natural.


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## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

I have had both black and white sand at differant times and I liked the look of both. Right now I have white sand with black lava rock. It looks very nice. It almost has the look of an ocean volcanic cliff. The only thing I don't like about the white sand is it shows waste a lot quicker, the black sand hid the dirt a little better


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

It also depends on which fish you are keeper. Some species pop over black, others look better over white.


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

White rocks will cover more readily with algae than white sand.


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## acrosstic (Mar 24, 2008)

Depends on the look, the fish, etc.

I personally LOVE the look of black sand with white rock. The white rock does show the algae sooner, but the white sand shows the waste sooner.

Black rock gets lost against a black background, so you might want to go with the darker substrate and lighter rock.

However, black or odd colored sand is hardly natural, so if you want it to look natural, consider the lighter substrates. If you want the fish to pop, consider the substrate based on the fish colors.

Two schools of thought: Darker Colored fish, darker colored substrate and background because the fish tend to mimic the surroundings. Or Darker colored fish, lighter substrate for more contrast.

I guess it is matter of personal opinion. I like the black sand because it doesn't throw light into the room as much, with really makes the tank itself pop in the room as the single brightest entity.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

There is nothing natural about white sand, and probably there aren't many areas that have black sand. However, black looks more natural than white. In addition, in any given area the rocks and sand/gravel generally match since the rocks are usually the source of the sand/ gravel.


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

I couldn't decide either....I have one of each....Which ever one you pick...you'll always wonder about the other until you get it.....click on my tanks to take a look... Just get 2 tanks and do both and you'll be happy...


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## merkey (Nov 26, 2008)

I went with white in my 180 because i have black in my 55.it is a big difference i dont have any water or background in it yet but the white sand is not pure white it has several specs of darker colors.where as the black is pure black.i kind of regret the white but to late now.


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## ddarden90 (Mar 16, 2009)

i used black sand for my 135g tank with black lava rocks and i love it, this setup makes my fish stand out more. so it all depends on what kind of fish you are putting in, if it is bright colored fishes like red zebra then you should go with dark colored sand if you getting dark colored fish then you should go with white. there are plus and minues for using either kinds of sand so the best choice to go with matance wise is a tan colored sand.


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## RedKestrel (Jan 3, 2004)

Isn't this an age-old question? Really, there are some spectacular set-ups with either, but somehow, I always keep going back to light silica sand (almost white) and medium- to dark-grey rockwork.

It seems as if the light from the tank reflects nicely off of the light sand, but the dark rocks pops the colors (like colored pencil on dark paper, which is what I love to use) and it also seems to keep the fish with darker colors from washing out. I remember someone on this site a few years ago pulled his light source all the way to the front of the tank so the depth of the tank is exaggerated and fish even at the front of the glass are fully-lighted, and when I added a black felt background, the tank seems to just fade back into nothing, especially with the frontal light source. I've been doing using the felt trick for years, and I adhere it to the tank by using clear packing tape STAPLED to the felt, as tape doesn't want to stick to fabric too well... double or triple the easily-ripped tape under the staples to give it a little more stability as well. The matte texture of felt keeps the glare down, too.

If I had Frontosa or other fish that lived deeper in the lakes, I'd go with a greyish substrate and dark rockwork with an off-center spotlight that faded back into the dark so they could decide how much light they wanted for themselves.

Anyhow, I digress. I'm sure you'll be happy whichever way you go, but I'd suggest poring over as many setups as you can find in the "Your Tanks" section and deicde what appeals to you. Best of luck!

~ Amanda


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