Is Sand Ok....

[ChilliPepper]

... in a Betta tank?

A comment on my other thread about it being an unsafe substrate has made me concerned...

 

[Spishkey]

ive never heard of it being dangerous to bettas?? i was actually thinking of putting sand in my bettas new tank
will wait now for confirmation!

strangly enough though i have had a group of platys ingesting sand recently (see my thread in TD) and its done those no harm

 

[modaz]

sand is fine, was prob just someone trying to sound different and intelligent again when infact they were wrong, if it was dangerous us LFS wouldnt sell the stuff would we?

 

[ChilliPepper]

sand is fine, was prob just someone trying to sound different and intelligent again when infact they were wrong, if it was dangerous us LFS wouldnt sell the stuff would we?

That's what I thought.
Everyone else was saying nice things about my new chap, but someone posted a comment about sand being dangerous and had me a bit worried.

Afterall I have sand in my main tank, as do thousands of others, and it has caused no problems. The fish are always spitting sand out when they pick around the bottom.

Thanks for clarifying anyway!

 

[newfishy]

my sister uses fine sand in all her betta tanks and her fish are perfectly fine.

 

[Netty]

We've also used sand in the past and have never had a problem and have never heard that it can be dangerous.

If you want sand then I would go ahead

 

[azulfire24]

now sand is only a problem when u first add it to the tank, it has to be rinsed well and not have any other forgin objects, once yu add it to the tank u have to let it settle for a hour ore so it can settle, and when u do water changes u have to be careful to not stire up the water too much other then that its finer and grows plants well.

 

[keithp]

Just to clarify I was the one who posted that concern about sand, and did so because being so small you would think the grains would cause issues like blockages and be swallowed accidently. I've heard of small gravel being swallowed by certain fish and causing damage so sand to me seemed even more dangerous.

sand is fine, was prob just someone trying to sound different and intelligent again when infact they were wrong

Well that is uncalled for assuming a person's intentions, that's like me judging who you are by your user name it's not fair.

, if it was dangerous us LFS wouldnt sell the stuff would we?

And is everything a pet store sells good, no. People need to make their own judgment who to trust.

 

[flippajh]

I've just changed from black gravel to sand bought from my lfs, and the fish absolutely love it, my Betta has swam over every inch of it, it's almost like he's got a new home, and has built a pretty nice bubble nest. So am thinking he likes it. Also it looks lovely, much better than the black gravel.

 

[danni_69]

I use sand in my tanks, and the fish seem completely fine.. It's quite good for any bottom feeders *if u have any* just make sure u give it a good wash before u put the sand in to save gettin really murky water due to dust in the bag