sand with freshwater

Question
I am changing to a 65 gal .I have angels,discus, ghost,
and albino frog.I want to use sand in this tank . I need
something light (I think) to show out my fish. What kind
of sand and how does he sand work? I also have live plants in the tank now (36 gal). Can you help? Thanks Annette

Answer
Dear Annette,
You can do excellent with sand in a freshwater aquarium--so long as you don't allow areas to become stagnant or compact too much with debri. But many times, fish feel more comfortable and show up better (especially with the fish you have) over a dark substrate and a dark background. There actually is a black sand called "black tahitian moon" sand which is a all-natural aquarium substrate that you can use even in a saltwater aquarium. It does tend to be expensive. But you can usually find it at large petstores such as Petsmart. Just a thought.

What often happens is when there is a light substrate and a light background, some fish appear to be washed out in their coloration while darker substrates make fish more comfortable and it shows up their coloration much better. But there is no reason why you cannot use a lighter sand. If you simply prefer it. That is fine. What's even better if you have live plants and a backdrop of green plants and a light sandy substrate creates a very beautiful aquarium and can still show the iridescence and coloration of the lovely fish you currently keep.
You just don't want your sand to become too compacted and cause "Anerobic" (without oxygen) bacteria to grow as they release toxic gases into your aquarium that can poison your fish. Regularly gently disturbing deep areas and all around with the handle of your net or fingers really helps.

Many planted tank enthusiasts use a planting medium under their sand layer and plants really appreciate this combination. So it's something you might want to consider.

Many aquarists use inexpensive Play sand for their aquariums with little trouble, besides dealing with a little cloudiness for a while which can be cleared with frequent water changes.

I really hope this helps!

Best wishes and Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~