Aquatic Plant Forum banner

Flourish Onyx and black sand

2313 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  gheitman
Has anyone used either of these?
Anyone used both?
What's the difference?
Are these really that beneficial?
Does it cloud up really badly?
Does it sink quickly when disturbed?

I use Estes' Marine Sand in all my tanks (not actually a true marine sand). We are setting up a 60 gallon tank at my work for discus and angels and we are going to have it planted. I am planning on just using the Estes' like always (my plants do really well on it). But I was considering using either the onyx or the black sand from Flourish as a selling point for the product. Any feedback about the differences and benefits is highly appreciated. Thank you.
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
Black Flourite Sand looks very good in the aquarium, if you like dark substrates, as I do. It is very fine by our usual standards for a substrate. I used it only because I trust Seachem not to sell a substrate that isn't suitable for that use. I poured most of it into the 10 gallon tank without washing it, but I washed the top half inch or so to try to avoid clouding of the water. That worked very well, but it is possible it was an unnecessary step.

It was easy to plant in, and it held plants well, unlike SMS which is so lightweight it sometimes doesn't hold plants well. I have never used Onyx Sand, so I have no opinion about it.
I use Seachem's Onyx Sand in one of my tanks. It is gray in color and does well for plants but does buffer the tank pH slightly higher. For that reason, and because Flourite Black Sand is darker, I would recommend using Flourite Black Sand for your discus tank.
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top