White substrate: good or bad?

[kookiejar2]

What are your thoughts on this substrate? It's not transparent at all.... though it looks like it is a bit due to the camera flash. It's pretty fine too... average diameter would be around 2 mm.

And I'm not too worried about the jagged edges much.... have kept monster cichlids for more than 4 years in similar black substrate. Thinking of changing it to white for sometime.

 

[star_fire]

looks like white gravel too me. looks nice really. maybe white gravel with some black rocks with green plants and pretty fish? could be quite nice.

 

[LoganBlade]

White looks nice but has washed out the color of my fish when they are around it. If next to a dark stone color is better.

 

[kookiejar2]

Thanks guys. I know white substrate might wash out the fish colour, but I figured the background and light also would matter here. Right now I have similar substrate in black. That looked good with my bright lights and yellow fader FHs and red devils. But since I have changed the lights to something not so bright, the overall tank looks little dark. Moreover I got one thai silk FH, which has become very dark due to the darkness of the tank.
So, want to try the white substrate with few dark rocks. With the low lights it shouldn't wash out the colours that much I'm hoping. Any other ideas?

The existing tank looks like this right now:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=507590&d=1278583784

 

[Moloch]

White could be pretty cool. I'm still new at it all but I had my jack dempsey & two sen's in a 20gal with black gravel, loved the color on all of them (nice black base for the jack, like I'm sure everyone is used to seeing them). I moved them to my 65 about a week ago with light tan play sand...the jack is almost completely white with a tannish/pinkish tint to his base, his iridescent scales are a lot brighter and really show off in the light when he swims across the front of the tank and his black spots are really bold...you can still see the stripes but they flucuate a bit.

Anyways I say that to say that his new colors have REALLY grown on me. I wouldn't consider him washed out, just different. And besides...it seems to me like if you end up not liking it, you can switch back, and the colors will go back to the way they were. I don't know for sure though....

 

[LoganBlade]

How about pouring in the center leaving the out edges dark or vise versa.

 

[Moloch]

How about pouring in the center leaving the out edges dark or vise versa.

That could look pretty badass if you can set up your decor to accent it. You'd probably inevitably end up with some of the white scattered throughout the dark substrate as well, but I'd be it would stay focused in the middle if you're careful with your vacuuming. Could be a pretty sweet effect.......especially if you spotlight so that only the white is lit up.....

 

[kookiejar2]

Thanks for the ideas guys.
After much thought decided to try the white substrate, mostly because I have used the black one for more than 4 years now.... and a tad bored with it.

Putting up the pics for you guys to compare. Definitely the black one with all those driftwood looked great.... but the overall tank looks brighter now and for me a welcome change. Got rid of the wood in the new setup and settled for few river rocks. Easier to see the fishes and easier to gravel vac!

What do you guys think?....

 

[jeep07]

I have white gravel and I love it. Theres a nice contrast with the decorations and the fish as well. Its also easy to tell when you're fish leave a mess after eating lol. At work, we have that natural looking color gravel in our tanks and after a few years of seeing it, white was the way to go lol