I really want black sand . . .

[Pacmaster]

I have a group of P. watl, and I really want to have a black sandy substrate in their tank.

I know the colored calcium sands are no good to use.
I have an alternative idea . . .

One of my other hobbies is gold prospecting.
As such, I have copius amounts of black sand.
Theres a certain name for what element(?) it actually is, but I cant for the life of me remember right now.
The sand is actually magnetic( called magnetite maybe) and very fine and heavy.
It would stay on the bottom really well.

I doubt anybody has tested newts with magnets, so what do you guys think . . . ?
I mean dont they make those "healing" bracelets with "rare earth magnets", well I have rare earth black sand thats been buried since the dawn of time.

By the time I am done with the "paydirt", it is clean and fine and rinsed and ready to dump in a tank.
It does not rust, and basically comes from deep in the earth and the bottom of streams, and it is not in itself magnetized to itself(it doesnt form a big magnetic chunk of sand) but if you hold a real magnet to it it will be attracted.

Basically, does anybody see a problem with using magnetic sand- short of my newt swallowing a piece of real magnet?

You can see Magnetite in action in this guys video
HERE

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Black sand usually consists of either magnetite or hematite, what makes these two compounds attracted to magnets is the amount of iron ore in it. I think it would be easier to check and see what the effects of iron are on caudates and water quality than it would be to find information on these specific compounds. I think the biggest thing to look out for is the effects these have on the water quality itself. I think the issue with water quality would be more noticeable and detrimental to the newts health than the chemical itself. Regardless, I'd be intrested in knowing what you find out.

 

[Jennewt]

I'd be concerned about the amount of iron that you might get dissolved in your tank water. Here's an article that discusses this issue:
Suitability of Rocks in the Aquarium - A Practical Guide

You can buy fine black sand for fish tanks, although it's not widely available at shops. For example:
Freshwater Substrate - Aqua Terra - Black Sand - 5 lb. | Natural Freshwater Gravel | Gravel & Substrate | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

 

[Pacmaster]

Thanks for the advice and links!

 

[ira]

Black sand is going to be composed of heavy minerals, magnetite, hematite, hornblends, pyroxenes etc etc. These minerals are pretty unstable and also tend to be full of heavy metals. I would personally worry about them leaching lots of heavy metals into the water, espically in a confined area like a vivarium, which could adversly affect the newts. Pretty much just what jen said.