sand bottem for fish

Question
hey i was just wondering if u can put the sand in your tank if its already setup without taking out the water??....and is there a specific type of sand i should use???

Answer
Hi Tommy,
There is no specific sand you should use.  You can just add it directly, without taking the water out.  If you have a lot of burrowing fish or fish that like to run agianst the floor, I would stay away from sharp sand.  Theres sand called Sand Blasting Sand and is very cheap.  Its about 10 bucks for 100lbs.  Only problem is, the sand is sharp.  Goldfish eat anything and like to dig for food in the gravel, so this type of sand will not work will with goldfish.  

Also, know that if you use sand, there are possibilities of dead spots.  Dead spots are areas that water cant reach, so the anaerobic bacteria release a type of chemical, a type of sulfer, that is deadly to fish.  So every week you need to stir the sand with a chopstick or stick of some sort.  In the ocean's, dead spots are occuring, and many fish are dieing from it.  It depletes the area of oxygen and fish due from hypoxia.

-Matt-