Never used the 'live' version, but I have used the black previously and loved it. However there are a few drawbacks;
- less light reflection back upwards
- If you previously had white sand in your tank, you may find you get well mixed sand later down the road.
- It needs less cleaning visually then white sand
- Seems to dissolve at about the same rate, or slightly slower then white sand, requiring less frequent replacement.
And old school shot, ignore the GHA.
