This beautiful Black Sand Substrate is perfect for growing plants and shrimp tanks!  The medium grain size is ideal for roots and also small creatures like shrimp to not hurt or cut themselves.  This substrate is our recommended choice for keeping any bright colored fish or shrimp varieties like Crystal Red Shrimp.

I PRE-WASH all the sand so that it is ready to go directly into your tank.  This type of sand is inert and does not leech any chemicals into the water, however often through manufacturing it can collect harmful residues or chemicals that would be dangerous for many aquarium inhabitants.  Because of this, I always prepare the sand prior to shipping, so that it is ready for use to the same standard I keep my shrimp tanks in.

I personally prefer this product to any form of zeolite substrate available on the market (things like Amazonia Aquasoil).  I have had many tanks over the years and this sand maintains its quality and grain size year in and year out.  Zeolite products and many 'enriched' sand products have added chemicals or minerals that have temporary effects on water chemistry but then over time lose their effectiveness.  Zeolite in particular has a tendency to break down into mud or sludge over time that is undesirable and causes many anaerobic pockets to form in the substrate.  This can lead to many issues for tank inhabitants as toxic gasses are steadily released into the aquarium.

I recommend roughly 1 lbs per gallon of aquarium.  This may vary based on your tank's dimensions.

10 Gallons - 12 lbs

20 Gallons - 25 lbs

40 Gallons - 45 lbs

55 Gallons - 60 lbs

75 Gallons - 80 lbs

125 Gallons - 120 lbs