Sand vs. Bare Bottom?

[Sylerwin]

So, I had sand to start with. Too much sand, in fact. I had too thick of a sand bottom that it harbored a lot of bacteria, and I got an outburst of little worms everywhere. I removed the sand from my tank in an effort to control the worms but I still get them even with bare bottom. I also get mulm, which is very unsightly on bare bottom tanks. Now that I'm realizing that the mulm will be there pretty much no matter what, and even when my water parameters are pristine, and I vaccuum/siphon the mulm out every other day it's still icky, I'm thinking about adding sand again so my tank doesn't look so much of an eye sore. I'm thinking about adding a dark brown sand or axolotl safe substrate that is good for plants. I'm hoping if I get the axie tank to be a heavily planted tank it will help with water cleanliness. (I have a 10 gal heavily planted and I have minimized my water changes a LOT because of the plants). So here's my questions, I suppose:
1. Will substrate make cleaning more difficult with the worms?
2. I'm on a budget, recently lost my job. Does anyone know of a chain store that has axie-safe sand in the US?
3. If I do add substrate, I would (obviously) remove my axies and put them into a temporary tub. Do I need to just wait for the sand to settle or would it effect my cycle some how?

Thanks so much guys.

 

[Alyce]

Wonder if pool filter sand would be okay? That's what I've used for my fish and they like it. Maybe someone with experience will respond.

 

[emmyk]

I like sand. A lot

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[Niels D]

I use river sand. The grains are a bit bigger. Plants do well in it and the nutricions in the waste can reach the roots better because of the bigger grains. The worms you're talking about are probably detritus worms. Once established in your tank it's impossible to remove them without turning your tank "upside down" for a total cleanup. They do not cause any problems though. In fact they live on the detritus/waste of your axies. In time, when you don't overfeed, the worms will decrease in numbers. If you throw in some pond/ramshorne snails the population will get smaller as well (in time). These snails only eat dead material and leave your live plants allone.