Sand? Bad or Good?

[JustKenna]

I found a website that said that sand is bad for axolotls and i was wondering if that was true?I know gravel is bad but is sand? What substrate do you use in your tank?

 

[keiko]

Fine sand works great with axies. Though often aquarium sand sold in pet shops is more like gravel so that is not good. The sand should be very fine and smooth without any metals etc. Young axies under 5" shouldn't be kept on any sand.
I use fine sand in my tank.

 

[mmuumi]

I've got aquarium sand + huge flat pebbles (rocks) to hold the plants in place - works great for my guys! I learnt that Coral Sand is no good as it can affect PH, but Silica based sand is perfect (and it's actually cheaper too)
Just make sure you wash it 10 million times before putting in the tank - even if it says 'washed' on the package))) will save you some grief, seriously)

 

[auntiejude]

Sand should be smooth-grained, like kid's playsand. And wash it, wash it again, rinse it and wash it again, then rinse it 3 more times (you get the idea....)

I have sand embedded in aquarium silicone - looks like sand but as easy to clean as bare bottom, and no change of axies ingesting it.

 

[JM29]

Axolotls will swallow a little sand with their usaual food but it's not a problem.
Axies not acustomed with sand will swallow a lot at the beginning, but very little after 1 or 2 weeks.
I'd worry more about gravels which could be swallowed and more difficult to eliminate.

I tested different substrates (gravel, pieces of slate) and I finally returned to sand for axies more than 10 cm (about 4 inches).

 

[allied123]

just out of curiosity, what didn't you like about the slate?

 

[JustKenna]

thanks a ton guys, i do have fine sand and my little guy is almost 5 inches so he should be fine

 

[WineCaster]

I'm aware of the differences between substrates but there's one question that's been on my mind because I never see it mentioned. Natural sand. There's a river that runs through a local area near me and I've always wondered if the find sand in/around it is safe to use. I know it would need to be sanitized first but I don't see a difference between that and kids play sand. What say you?

 

[keiko]

As long as you make sure that the sand is very fine and you sterilize it properly I don't think there's any harm in using it. But all that would be pretty time consuming.

 

[Shivermetim]

I use kids play sand in all my aquariums axolotl or fish and prefer it over everything I have had no issues other than some sand ending up in the filter but it caused no harm 2 years running