beach sand in freshwater aquarium

Question
I just finished asking is it safe to put beach sand in a freshwater aquarium and Dave answered saying its almost impossible to clean and there is too much bacteria. What if we boil it for a long time and rinse it really well with fresh water?

Answer
Hi Katie,

This really seems like much more trouble than it's worth, in my opinion. Is boiled beach sand "safe" for freshwater? It is, almost undoubtedly...

Will it look nice? Probably not. Beach sand, which is exactly like play sand from garden centers, tends to get compacted. It makes a real mess when you pour water on top of it. So why would you use it? I don't know, some people like it because it's a little darker and cheaper than pool sand, which is what I use. It's $7 for 50 pounds here in Florida.

If your heart is set on using beach sand, I say, go for it. However I strongly suggest you go to a pool supply center and get 100% silica sand. It's white, it will not cloud your water much at all (should be all the way clear in a day or so) and it doesn't compact as much.

In all of my tanks that have sand, I use Malaysian trumpet snails (Google that, if you've never heard of them) and they keep everything clean and aerated - just like earthworms do with soil! You have to be careful not to overfeed or they will multiply like crazy, but I have plenty of them in my tanks and they don't bother anything. In fact, they can be a helpful indicator of overfeeding. Too many snails = too much food going to waste, cut back some! I really can't say enough good things about Malaysian trumpet snails, although most people find them to be pesky.

For more information on substrates, see below:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/nicebottoms.htm
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_substrates.php

I hope that helps, take care.
Nicole