Is it ok to use beach sand in a freshwater tank setup?

[RTC probe 3]

I want to use beach sand as substrate for my freshwater tank and I wanted to know if there would be any problem for the fish with beach sand.

Before putting the fish I'm going to clean the sand and then keep water in the tank with the sand for some time (maybe a day). Then I'll put the fish . Is this method ok?
I'm going to put spotted Gars and bichirs in the tank.

 

[kno4te]

It’s usually illegal to take beach sand. Have to get county permission. Having said that it should be fine to use just rinse thoroughly. I’d even rinse with hot water (remove possible pathogens/travelers) and make sure the salt is out.

 

[RTC probe 3]

It’s usually illegal to take beach sand. Have to get county permission. Having said that it should be fine to use just rinse thoroughly. I’d even rinse with hot water (remove possible pathogens/travelers) and make sure the salt is out.

Thanks a lot . And when cleaning the tank is it enough for me to do water changes and siphon the waste on top of the sand ? Do I need to remove the sand as well?

 

[kno4te]

Thanks a lot . And when cleaning the tank is it enough for me to do water changes and siphon the waste on top of the sand ? Do I need to remove the sand as well?

No need to remove the sand. Just need to make surer move the sand around so it’s not stagnant. Not too deep of a sand bed. That way it won’t hold any food/debris/bacteria.

 

[RTC probe 3]

So then I don't need to take out the sand from the tank right ?

 

[kno4te]

If ur doing regular maintenance and cleaning then no.

 

[RTC probe 3]

Oh ok ,thx.
And could you also tell me some fish species other than the ones I'm going to put in the tank which are good for a sandy environment.?

 

[kno4te]

I’d say Geophagus, loaches and Corydoras. They’ll burrow and mess around in the sand.

 

[RTC probe 3]

I'm not interested in loaches except for the coolie loach but I don't think they can live(corydoras too) with Gars and bichirs(but those two would be around 6-10" in the tank as I plan on putting them in the pond in future). And I've never heard about geophagus are they common and cheap?

 

[kno4te]

I'm not interested in loaches except for the coolie loach but I don't think they can live(corydoras too) with Gars and bichirs(but those two would be around 6-10" in the tank as I plan on putting them in the pond in future). And I've never heard about geophagus are they common and cheap?

Can’t do Corydoras with gar and bichir. The Geophagus can work depending on the gar and bichirs. They are cheap now as they are being bred. Wild Geophagus are more expensive.