Best black substrate that can also buffer water?

[Aquariumarcade]

I would like to buffer my water with something else besides crushed coral.  In most tanks I have a mesh bag with crushed coral because I don’t want to mix it with my black substrate.  Is there any type of black crushed coral or will a dark Cichlid type substrate work.  I have a lot of guppies and plants with black diamond blasting sand and would like something black just to add to the tanks for buffering.  I know you can add it to hang on the back filters but I want to get away from those and just use my sponge filters.  Any advice would be great.  Thanks

[CT_]

if you have a HOB or canister you can put CC in there.  There's probably a black calcite mineral rock out there too, but it would have something else to make it black. 

 

I wonder if a table spoon of CC in the center of a sponge filter would work too.  I'd be curious to know if anyone tried that.

[MarkM]

My concern with the cichlid substrates is that long term it wouldn’t maintain the buffer and I doubt you want to keep throwing out substrate to replenish it. 
 

When I set up my mbuna tank 5 years ago I used the Carib Sea white and black sand mix (4x 20lb bags in a 65 gallon tank). This was long before I knew anything about kh/gh so I can’t say if it raised them at the time.  But I can say it is not helping buffer now. Water parameters are the same in that tank as my others with different gravel and bare bottom. 

[Aquariumarcade]

On 2/18/2022 at 8:54 PM, Aquariumarcade said:

I would like to buffer my water with something else besides crushed coral.  In most tanks I have a mesh bag with crushed coral because I don’t want to mix it with my black substrate.  Is there any type of black crushed coral or will a dark Cichlid type substrate work.  I have a lot of guppies and plants with black diamond blasting sand and would like something black just to add to the tanks for buffering.  I know you can add it to hang on the back filters but I want to get away from those and just use my sponge filters.  Any advice would be great.  Thanks

I have used the hang on backs for crushed coral but want to get rid of them.  I like the idea of adding CC to the sponge filter but I don’t think it would be enough to make a difference.

 

I appreciate the comment about the cichlid sand not lasting.  I wonder if another type if cichlid substrate would work like CaribSea Eco-Complete African Cichlid Zack Black Substrate?  It says it maintains a high ph for cichlids but I have not read anything or heard of anyone using it like crushed coral.  I am just tired of mesh bags and like black substrate the best and want something I can add to my already black substrate to buffer the water.

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

The reviews on the zach black cichlid sand is that is has some white flecks in it. The back of the bag onlime mentions aragonite so im assuming the flecks are the crushed coral / aragonite.

Full disclaimer I have not buffered to african cichlid levels but my set ups use those old school box filters with some crushed coral in them for limited buffering. In theory a box filter in tank with a bunch of crushed coral in it should work the same as the substrate buffering. I only run that bit of coral at the bottom but you could likely fill the whole deal where the rings and floss are with crushed coral and buffer water as effectively as substrate. This is a typical setup for the puffers. Have you considered something like that ?

I view anything that is buffering as a consumable item that at some point will need refreshing. The cichlid black substrate seems like it would just loose the flecks and become essentially blasting media over time. 

 

[Mmiller2001]

You could just add buffer to the water. There are several commercial KH boosters out there or you could add things like baking soda, potassium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate.

Edited February 19, 2022 by Mmiller2001

[MarkM]

On 2/19/2022 at 3:00 AM, Aquariumarcade said:

I have used the hang on backs for crushed coral but want to get rid of them.  I like the idea of adding CC to the sponge filter but I don’t think it would be enough to make a difference.

 

I appreciate the comment about the cichlid sand not lasting.  I wonder if another type if cichlid substrate would work like CaribSea Eco-Complete African Cichlid Zack Black Substrate?  It says it maintains a high ph for cichlids but I have not read anything or heard of anyone using it like crushed coral.  I am just tired of mesh bags and like black substrate the best and want something I can add to my already black substrate to buffer the water.

Just To be clearer I used the CaribSea Eco complete African cichlid sand. Which makes the same claims as the zack black substrate. 
 

[Aquariumarcade]

Thank you for your response.  I guess I can just give the cichlid substrate a try and test the water and see.  If I need to replace it after awhile I guess that’s okay.  I would rather try a different substrate that can buffer instead of using chemicals because I think that is a losing battle.  I have high GH coming from the tap but lower KH and I have always worried about a ph crash if I don’t buffer the water a little.  I am just getting tired of mesh bags with crushed coral in my tanks.  Lol

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

You could maybe try putting a small black divider in the back of the tank, just a little higher than the substrate, and put CC there separate from you black sand, and then hide it with plants/hardscape.