# Seachem fluorite black sand



## <3DwarfCichlids (Apr 4, 2017)

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum, and recently got into planted tanks. I started off with Seachem fluorite and I hate the colour and look of it.
I was hoping someone could help me by listing some pros and cons of Seachem fluorite black sand or advice/alternatives.. 
So far the tank is stocked with 7 cardinal tetras and 1 golden ram incase that makes a difference. (I know the ram would prefer sand after more research, which is what led me to this discision.)
The aquarium is a 20 gallon tall. 24"L × 12"W × 16"D.
Plants are as follows
7-8 corkscrew vallisneria
2 Amazon swords
7 Cryptocoryne willisii
7 Java fern
And 
1 Kleiner bar sword
Thanks in advance.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Are you saying you want to switch to fluorite black sand?

Keep in mind that this would require a complete tank tear down and restart, including a new cycle.

Personally, I would leave the substrate alone, and concentrate on growing your plants well. Once you are successfull with your plants, you can play around with different aquascape layouts, using driftwood or various types of rock. The color of your substrate is not that important.

And to answer your question, fluorite is fluorite. The black sand will have less iron, and will be, well, sand, but those are the only differences.


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## <3DwarfCichlids (Apr 4, 2017)

Yes, I want to switch to the sand for the ram because the regular fluorite is so sharp and I know rams prefer sand. 
I was hoping I could get some opinions of people who have actually used it. I want to know if people find it was too fine, course, sharp, would it hurt the ram? 
Would the plants anchor into the fluorite sand fine? 
It wasnt something I planned on doing right away, I have been doing some research on it and I have not found much on people's actual experience, except that Seachem fluorite is extremely dusty and clouds the water.
I was just trying to educate myself before making a final decision to make a purchase.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

<3DwarfCichlids said:


> Yes, I want to switch to the sand for the ram because the regular fluorite is so sharp and I know rams prefer sand.
> I was hoping I could get some opinions of people who have actually used it. I want to know if people find it was too fine, course, sharp, would it hurt the ram?
> Would the plants anchor into the fluorite sand fine?
> It wasnt something I planned on doing right away, I have been doing some research on it and I have not found much on people's actual experience, except that Seachem fluorite is extremely dusty and clouds the water.
> I was just trying to educate myself before making a final decision to make a purchase.


Plants will anchor into any sand just fine, you do not have anything to worry about in that regard.

It's also natural for sand to be dusty. You can try to pre-wash the sand to mitigate the cloudiness, but that involves quite a bit of work.


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## <3DwarfCichlids (Apr 4, 2017)

Will the excess dust hurt the filter if I didn't rinse it?
I was under the impression it had to be rinsed. 
Thanks so much.


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## w4x (Dec 13, 2014)

I also liked the look of the black flourite sand and have it in my 75G planted tank.

I would suggest keeping some of the larger fluorite as the base layer and then capping it with fluorite sand for two reasons. 1) Sand tends to compact over time and having larger fluorite underneath the sand will prevent this. 2) Flourite Sand is quite expensive and since you already have some flourite, you could save some $ by putting it under your sand.

If you are going to have different levels of elevation in your aquascape, do use some aquarium safe plastic to separate your divisions otherwise your higher hills will eventually move to the lowest point.


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## w4x (Dec 13, 2014)

<3DwarfCichlids said:


> Will the excess dust hurt the filter if I didn't rinse it?
> I was under the impression it had to be rinsed.
> Thanks so much.


If you want to get rid of the cloudy haze you can rinse. But I read elsewhere that your plants especially water column feeders like nutrients in the cloudy haze.

Either way, the cloudiness will settle with a few days and with good filtration your water will be clear within the week.


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## <3DwarfCichlids (Apr 4, 2017)

w4x said:


> I also liked the look of the black flourite sand and have it in my 75G planted tank.
> 
> I would suggest keeping some of the larger fluorite as the base layer and then capping it with fluorite sand for two reasons. 1) Sand tends to compact over time and having larger fluorite underneath the sand will prevent this. 2) Flourite Sand is quite expensive and since you already have some flourite, you could save some $ by putting it under your sand.
> 
> If you are going to have different levels of elevation in your aquascape, do use some aquarium safe plastic to separate your divisions otherwise your higher hills will eventually move to the lowest point.


If I keep the fluorite under the sand would it mix over time?
I was worried about the sand compacting, so I was planning on getting some malaysian trumpet snails, but my LFS doesn't carry them so I'm looking around for some now.
I was planning on having a hill, I do with the fluorite now kind of supported by driftwood, but its not very stable..
The aquascape now is pretty rough, so any advice is much appreciated! 
How would I use the plastic supports to build a hill?
I was hoping to try to find a decent sized rock to build around and incorporate the driftwood somehow, but the plastic supports has me rethinking the idea. 
I'm not overly concerned about the cost, it is only a 20 gallon high I can't see it being too much in comparison to regular fluorite..
Thanks so much.


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## infolific (Apr 10, 2016)

<3DwarfCichlids said:


> I was planning on having a hill, I do with the fluorite now kind of supported by driftwood, but its not very stable..


I haven't tried it myself, but I've seen someone put gravel in a mesh bag and then pour their substrate over that to form a hill. The mesh bag apparently adds stability while also reducing the amount of expensive substrate you need to use.


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## w4x (Dec 13, 2014)

You use plastic supports like a retaining wall to prevent your sand from sliding downward once you put water in. Cover the plastic with lots of sand and even put some rocks/driftwood to cover.

As suggested, putting gravel or larger fluorite into a mesh bag or pantyhose will serve as the base for your mountain/hill which will not compact or slide overtime. Then cover it with sand to get your desired look.

As for mixing, fluorite is fluorite. As long as you don't put tons of the larger sized pieces as a bottom layer and have a good inch of sand above it, you'll never see it unless you are rescaping your tank.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

If you have Fluorite (regular red/brown), I would highly recommend not mixing it with Onyx Sand (fluorite sand), the contrast would be an eye sore. 
There are multiple approaches to create stable hills and slopes; plastic "substrate" supports which are black, black/earth toned lava stones that can be easily separated, or just simply use hardscapes.

I find Onyx Sand fairly sharp, it should be fine for Rams, but you don't necessarily need sand to keep the Rams happy, Mikrogeophagus sp. can go through mediums, but not like the larger Geophagus sp. - as I've seen very healthy and happy Rams in tanks with larger sized substrate. If you enjoy seeing the "sifting", then sand would definitely be a good approach, but I think Onyx Sand may not be the ideal choice for that.

An organic and nutrient rich substrate will always be better for your flora, so if you wanted to switch out your substrate, going with Aquasoil of any brand (aside from Fluval Stratum), would be a great choice for your flora. This substrate will also buffer your water which makes it softer which is preferred by the Rams.


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## <3DwarfCichlids (Apr 4, 2017)

Thanks much for all the helpful replies! 
I've got a lot to consider. 
I'll post some before and after pictures when it's complete once I figure out how, and I'll update everyone once I've decided on a plan and get started.


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