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Naturally Black Stones for Aquarium Use

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4.9K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Karebear13  
#1 ·
Can anyone suggest a naturally black stone that is aquarium safe? The dyed gravel just isn't working for me.. I've gone through 5 gallons of water trying to rinse it and the water is still dusty black.. :\ In the past I've used natural river stones, but I wanted to go with a different look.. proving more of a pain that its worth.
 
#5 ·
tumbled obsidian is beautiful, especially if it's "snowflake" obsidian. it's available in most stores that sell specimen rocks, or semi-precious beading supplies, and usually in a variety of sizes from gravel-sized all the way up to shaped "eggs" about the size of a goose egg.
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#6 ·
Great ideas. I thought about obsidian but afraid 10-15lbs of it would be an arm and a leg.

The pool stuff is cool because it's sparkly.

I think my favorite are the natural black beach pebbles.. if I can find them. I'm in the US.

Thanks!
 
#8 ·
obsidian's not actually that expensive, unless you're looking for large (bigger than a quarter) sized pieces or shaped pieces. i've seen bags of tumbled obsidian in mineral shops for $15-20 that would be just wonderful as a base for a black rock tank, and pebble/bead obsidian in craft stores that's even cheaper. mix those assorted pieces with a bag of black gravel and you've got a nice, upscale, variegated black substrate for a lot less than you'd think.
 
#10 ·

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