# Flourite Black Sand



## angel_fish (Jan 25, 2007)

I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this stuff. I am switching the play sand in my 125 to the Flourite Black Sand tomorrow and was just wondering how it has worked for other people. I had originally intended to switch to regular Flourite Black, but the LFS screwed up and ordered the sand instead . I decided to go ahead and try it. Hopefully I won't regret it.

I tried doing a search, but didn't have much luck. I have read about sand having problems such as anaerobic pockets and compaction. Does this seem to happen much with this product? I don't mind stirring it if I need to or adding MTS. I think I am really going love the look of this stuff, I just don't know what to expect from it.


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## rusticitas (Mar 10, 2004)

Where did you find the Flourite Black Sand?


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## angel_fish (Jan 25, 2007)

My local LFS ordered it for me. The owner cut me a deal because I ordered 10 bags. I paid $22 a bag. He normally charges $28.

I would really love to here about other people's experience with this stuff. I am curious if it developes anaerobic pockets or if it compacts very much like other finer sands.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Seachem is a very reputable and very skilled company, so when they sell something as a planted tank substrate I suspect it will always work well as such. But, no, I don't have experience with it.


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## SimplyOrange (Oct 5, 2007)

im thinking about that or eco-c for a 10g. PlanetFish here in Sac has them. do you think it's just finely crushed and colored fluorite?

i've considered finding or making something to poke holes in the substrate. kind of like those shoes with spikes to aerate the lawn.

when do you expect it to arrive or setup angel_fish?


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## angel_fish (Jan 25, 2007)

Well I picked it up from the LFS yesterday and I changed my substrate over to it today. I'm actually just finishing putting all the plants back in. It is very fine, I would say that the largest particles are 1mm with a lot of it being smaller than that. It made a huge dust cloud which I probably could have avoided if I had rinsed all 10bags, but my back started protesting after the sixth. I filled and drained the tank several times and it is already almost completely clear. I have to say that I absolutely love how it looks.

I figured with it being a Seachem product that it would be pretty good. I just wondered if it would cause any particular issues because it is so fine. From what I have read, the preferred particle size is a little larger than this stuff.



> do you think it's just finely crushed and colored fluorite?


I'm not sure what you mean by colored fluorite, but it is naturally black. I think it's the same as fluorite black but really finely crushed.


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## SimplyOrange (Oct 5, 2007)

sorry i didnt know there was a regular fluorite. i thought the sand was the new one but black instead of multicolored. hmmm, now im not sure if i want sand or the reg kind.


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

I know this may be a little off topic, but I agree with Hoppy. I have had nothing but good results using Seachem products, whether it was Purigen or Onyx Sand. I know some people don't like the Onyx Sand because it buffers the water to a higher than ideal PH. I Experimented with Seachem Onyx Sand as a cap over a layer of peat moss, mulm and leonardite in setting up a low tech, low light, non-c02 Tom Barr type tank, and experienced explosive plant growth. At first I thought that the rapid plant growth was due to the leonardite and mulm but a similar tank I set up at work with a cap of Tahitian Moon sand instead of Seachem Onyx Sand(with all other things being equal), did not experience nearly the same level of growth, so I am convinced that the growth I saw was due to the Seachem Onyx Sand. 

I think you made a good decision going with Seachem sand and will get good results. Unlike that high buffering capacity of Seachem Onyx Sand, I am sure that the nutrient makeup of fluorite black sand and Seachem Onyx is likely to be similar but this can be confirmed with Seachem(they have a tech support specialist in the Seachem thread who could probably confirm). From my understanding, Seachem Onyx sand is identical in makeup with respect to nutrients as Seachem Fluorite. The only difference is that the Onyx sand will buffer the water to a higher PH and has a smaller grain size. I believe that the Fluorite sand is identical to the fluorite, does not buffer the PH of the water to a higher level, and is a smaller grain size. If you are worried about anaerobic pockets, you can use some chop sticks, to occasionally poke holes in the substrate. I would always do this or coordinate it with water changes as there is always a possibility that you could release ammonia into the tank, especially if you do it when the tank is fully planted.

Good luck.


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## Trail_Mix (Nov 12, 2011)

I know this post is from 2007, but when doing some quick research, I somehow stumbled upon this thread, and the fact that there is this question as to the difference between Flourite, Flourite Black Sand, and Onyx Sand is kind of ridiculous to me. Idunno, maybe back then Seachem didn't have a website? Cause the entire nutrient breakdown is listed on their website now, and they're quite different...


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