aquatic sand

[Crabmama2]

I watch a you tube video and the hermit crab owner said she uses aquatic sand. I am wondering if this is safe for them? I’d love to have white sand in my tank, but I don’t wanna do it if it’s going to hurt my babies.

[myllkti]

Not sure exactly what the term refers to, if it's aragonite sand, smalllll amounts can be mixed in the main sub, and if it's live then it's not worth it

[wodesorel]

You'd want to find uncoated and unpainted sand, since the crabs are digging and picking at it and any kind of paint or epoxy isnt good for them. Unfortunately most aquarium sands in North America are unnaturally colored, and it won't always be obvious on the bag. Always research before purchasing to make sure it will be safe.

I buy Caribsea naturals myself when I want something unique for my aquariums because it's plain uncoated sand. However, aquarium sand does come at a price - about 10 times as much as playsand! Also, I wouldn't recommend the caribsea bright white as it's an extremely fine sand that behaves like quicksand when it's moistened. The risk of anaerobic bacterial blooms is super high because it packs so tightly together.