I am setting up a 450ltr African ciclid tank the tank has a black lid and cabinet I was thinking of getting black sand but do you think this would be too much black what about the golden sand or the white sand any suggestions welcome thank you

Black sand looks good it allows the fish to be the focal point of the tank as they contrast nicely against it.. But I guess it depends what type of african cichlid you are planning on doing?

Got some 1-2mm marble chip today from stone and water world in Ellerslie. $28 for 25kg sack. Great for buffering and looks good!

I paint the back of my tanks black and use sand from a lake edge. I think it really sets the tank off . It is cheap and fun to collect.

I have done plenty of tanks with white substrate but I am a fan of the darker stuff now.. I would suggest doing a google image search for african tanks or malawi tanks or tang tanks and just seeing what pops up and what you like..

Got some 1-2mm marble chip today from stone and water world in Ellerslie. $28 for 25kg sack. Great for buffering and looks good!

that's what i use & it's great. that price is awesome, i think the stuff i got through my LFS was four times that price.

coral sand is good for buffering and easier to keep clean than calcite sand but there are other ways to buffer a african tank , i have grey marble chip its not enough for buffering on its own so i use coral pieces , calcite(in mesh bags) and dolomite in a large cannister filter