I had white sand and I thought it looked really pretty but it did discolor over time. If I get sand again I'll probably go with black just because I've seen some nice planted tanks with black substrate. Actual sand color is another option. You know the beige kind.

 

Definitely white sand, it would actually hide their dirt better. Plus, in my opinion, it looks better.

 

White hides dirt better? I love the white!

 

I like white sand =) I think it looks better, and (depending on the fish, mine are all mostly dark) it gives good contrast. I also suspect it helps with lighting because it reflects it more. Tan color is also good, and maybe looks a little less artificial than paper white sand...

 

Well, it all sounds good, I'm still confused. What about plants and sand, if I have plants, like I hope to... Is sand bad for plants/roots? Again, still very confused, and love all the help, ideas, suggestions... Thank you!

 

No, sand is fine for plants. If you're going to do sand, you might also want to consider going on ahead and doing a soil based tank underneath.
Basically, this involves taking something like miracle grow organic potting soil, getting all the big chunks, mulch, rocks, leaves, sticks out of it, and putting about a 1 to 1 1/2 inch layer in the bottom of the tank. Then, you put another 1 1/2 to 2 inches of sand on top of that as the "cap". (to prevent mud)

This would give you the look of the sand, but it would also provide great nourishment for your plants. Best of both worlds!

 

No, sand is fine for plants. If you're going to do sand, you might also want to consider going on ahead and doing a soil based tank underneath.
Basically, this involves taking something like miracle grow organic potting soil, getting all the big chunks, mulch, rocks, leaves, sticks out of it, and putting about a 1 to 1 1/2 inch layer in the bottom of the tank. Then, you put another 1 1/2 to 2 inches of sand on top of that as the "cap". (to prevent mud)

Sounds really great, but also, when planting in an established aquarium, a bit messy, no? Wish I could get tons of plants- and soil and sand- all right now! Wow- that would be so amazing!!!!

I just need to explore all options before I get started, I need to know what to expect, I wish I knew what I was doing Thanks so much!

 

hands down black sand. i LOVE it.

if you check out my tanks, i have black sand in my 10g at home and black gravel in my 2.5g at work.

 

I know loaches get pretty large, and need largeish schools - so just be prepared for a bunch of inches of fish.

I use white sand, it's easier to clean lol. It does get stained by the tannins I put in my water, but not too badly.

 

I was really conflicted about black/white sand too! I just set up my first tank last week...and I really liked the look of both the black and the white. Eventually I chose white Petco sand, I just really love how bright it looks. Might try black later on down the road, though

On the "Planted Tank Show & Tell" thread I saw someone use both! White on one side, black on the other, and it kinda blended in the middle...a yin/yang type thing. Looked pretty cool

 

I layered the black and white sand... for about 3 days till I did a wc. *womp womp*

 

You actually don't have the mud and sand kick-up that you'd expect with the dirted/sandcap substrate, even when moving plants around. I did my first one just recently, and was really surprised at how neat it stays even when I put in new plants. I get a little cloud right around the root base, but that dissipates in just a few minutes and I'm back to clear.

Just a note about the dirted kick-up. Whatever you are interested in will work, no pressure, lol! If you use just sand, you'll probably need to do some root tabs for crypts and things that root feed, but that's not hard. Just break of a piece of the sticks and shove them down deep under the plant. And most stem plants feed off the water column anyway, so those you don't have to worry about.

 

I love my black sand. You can easily see the poop and left over food on it and clean it up right away. It also makes my fish stand out a bit more (I have neons and albino corydoras) I love watching the albinos sift through the black sand and I can see them devour their food.

 

Sand with root tabs

 

Another vote for black sand. Although my vote is for the CaribSea Tahitian Moon.

 

I've had both, though only in the Petco brand, and I personally prefer black. It looks pretty sharp.

Plus the white would actually get tinged by algae. Black doesn't have that problem.

 

Thanks, to all! I'm still trying to figure it out. Got Petco black, may return- it looks like fake sand, it's not smooth. Can ADfrogs handle this ok? I apologize if I've already posted this here, I know- I'm "all over the place"- Thanks to everyone, love the suggestions and ideas- extrememly very much! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! Still haven't figured it out yet, but I will... And then- it will be about the filtering- and what to put on the back-outside- for pretty.... Thanks for all the help to get me through this! Such an amazing community, I love it!

 

white sand hides their waste, but you might want the white rocks to stand out more and it colors over time. Black would make the rocks pop however. Depending on what color betta you end up with, either black or white or even a different color will look better to you. If you are going for natural, I would use white sand

 

You could mix the black and white sand, like 2/3 white 1/3 black. I think if there's more black than white that the white would get swallowed up.

 

YES, I am considering this idea. Wish I could see what it looks like now, though. I shall google and see what I find, if anything...

 

I've got a mixed tank and my girlfriend has a couple - we both like them.

Here's mine.

 

Yes , I like the mixed look. My favorite is more like 10% black 90% white.

My sons tank here is about 1/3 black sand

Sent from Petguide.com App

 

This one is 50/50

 

WOW, very nice tanks/pics! Love that, and really helps me see, I love it!

So, a local independent fs has beige, soft pckgd real sand, I love it, it's just more money. I may go back for that though!

So, I'm getting there! Thanks for all the help! I haven't been able to see many people with exp with Petco sand and ADF or loaches...yet... To completely convince me about the cheaper Petco sand,

So, we'll see. Taking my time to be sure....:roll:

 

Yeah I saw you mention clown loaches earlier. What size tank is this?

 

Yeah I saw you mention clown loaches earlier. What size tank is this?

This is for a 20 Long; I also have 100 gal tank; but realize Clowns are a bad idea with my Betta, in the 20. So.....

Funny story, I was reading about clown loaches with bettas, and with frogs. Hubby asked me what I was reading, I told him about the clowns- and that was the last straw because he is tired of me obsessing over fish. He reminded me (yeah, I tend to remember only what I want to), that when we went to upgrade the Larry Guerry Betta- from 5 to a 10, and walked out with a 20L due to huge sale; that we were ONLY upgrading the Betta. No more extra fish. Wow- seems a shame all that space for one fish- that I am obsessing substrate for a future project.... so now, I'm only concentrating on the one Betta- and with the white rocks I already have, and some real and some plastic plants, for now. Oh and figuring out my filtering. I have a Tetra Whisper 10i coming, I already have a TOM mini (for up to 6 gal it says), thinking about doing these two filters, for now. I tried something similar in a smaller tank, it freaked him out- with too much vibration. I'm hoping that I can fix that for the bigger tank, for now- and do a sponge filter, instead, later or soon....

Ha, I'm back to sorting my "older, have on hand" white rocks. Looks like I have plenty- I wasn't sure- and taking out all the "odd mutted grays and such" out. And Larry G will have to get used to lots of (scary) space all by himself. I'll still enjoy watching him calm down and explore, explore- hide, and explore some more. It's all good.... and MUCH LESS STRESSFUL- to think about "what if do it this way" or "that way" - or whatever - I can concentrate to the "task at hand", getting L G's tank up and running, very soon! OH- I need to ask people, for 20L, how long do I let that run- 2 days- more days.... Just to be sure....

 

I bought my sand from Petland. The brand is Aqua Terra. I find the sand to be very smooth and my corydoras love it. It was about $5-7CND for a 5 pound bag. my first tank has 15lbs of sand in it, my second tank has 10lbs of sand.

This is my first tank:

This is my second 10 gallon that I have set up and waiting for when my supplier has more pygmy corydoras in stock (habrosus corydoras). Fingers crossed for next week!

 

For some things it can be easier to get forgiveness than permission ;-)

You could always divide the 20. Put white sand on one side and black on the other. There's a lot to work with there I think.

 

For some things it can be easier to get forgiveness than permission ;-)

You could always divide the 20. Put white sand on one side and black on the other. There's a lot to work with there I think.

Well, I get what you are saying, but....not in this case. I know that later on, it won't be a big deal to change things around, get more fish- when we both see how empty that tank is going to seem! So, I can wait patiently. I'm just glad for what I have today! It's not a big deal.