Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is the best substrate I have ever used. Not only does it help the plants, but it also helps from detritus from sinking to the bottom. I use this in my 48"x18"x36" 75 gallon aquarium with a 2" bed. Yes it doesn't look completely black when illuminated in water. It looks more like a charcoal black. I have never seen it listed as being pure black. Yes it looks lighter as detritus starts to pile up on it. This is where scavengers, sand sifters, and water flow are handy. People also say that this product is very dusty. This can be true. It all depends on how it is handled. The more the grains collide with one another, the dustier this product will be. This is the same concept as two pieces of charcoal colliding with each other. If properly cleaned before placement in the tank, there will be no dust and it can handle stronger water flow without blowing everywhere. To properly clean the sand I recommend doing the following: 1. Get an unused bucket. 2. Fill bucket half-way with sand. 3. Stick hose into bucket. 4. Use hands and hose to stir sand. 5. Keep performing Step 4 until the water running over the bucket is clear. For those that do not have power-heads to keep the detritus stirred up until it can be taken out by the filter, I suggest getting some sand sifters. I have two different types in my tank and they work wonders. I have two Dojo Loaches. These can grow to be 6" long and about 1-2" around. These work good for bigger tanks. I also have two Kuhlii Loaches. These get to be about 4" long and 1/2" around. These work good for smaller tanks. Both of these types of loaches are regularly seen sifting this sand in my tank. With that said, I can almost, 99%, guarantee this sand is harmless for sand sifters. Even with a 2" bed in my tank. If you take a flashlight to the bottom, you can see plants roots spreading across the tank in all directions. The plants definitely like this sand as well. My tank is fully planted with Amazon Sword, Moneywort, Wisteria, Ludwigia, Rotala Indica, and Chainsword. Most of them need to be trimmed at least once per month. If I don't the light at the bottom starts to diminish and the fish start running out of free room to swim. As a side note, I am not currently adding any chemicals to the aquarium and the only types of filter I use are for mechanical and bacteria. Another very beneficial reason to use this sand is due to its grain size and black color. With it having a small grain size and color, you do not have to worry about algae growing within the substrate. With gravel, there is enough pockets of little to no water moevement, that algae can grow freely. With some lighter colors of sand, algae can grow just beneath the top with relative ease. By using this color, black, it is deprived of that light. All-in-all, I am very pleased with this product. If my fish and plants love it, and I can stand looking at it, I see no reason to try anything else. I have used 3-4 different plant substrates in the past and none have worked as well as this product. As you can see from the two photos, the plants grow really good in this substrate. These photos were taken about one month apart. As I said, this is without any additives. This includes any form of CO2 additive.