Aqua Natural Galaxy Sand Bio-Substrate 5lb for Aquariums, Sand seeded with Start up bio-Active nitrifying Bacteria

Beautiful product once in the tanks, and settled. Worth the wait!! The plants love it, it moves when they swim past it, it shapes to the current of the tank. the bottom feeders seem to tolerate it well, it’s just gorgeous!

Bought this for my 10 gallon betta tank it covers the whole bottom, but if you’re planning on doing a planted tank, I would recommend getting a second bag. I couldn’t quite get the plants to stay because one bag was not deep enough to hold them in place. I just ordered another one and I’m planning on adding it. other than that I’m loving it so far it’s so pretty and I love the way it glistens in the light. it’s not easily moved either if the water is disturbed. The water stayed pretty clear once I added it, it got a little cloudy but compared to other substrate I’ve used not very much and it cleared away by the next day.

Love the color and the dwarf hairgrass starts to grow a lot on the 3rd day. No issue with the cloudiness. The bag size is smaller than expected so the layer is thinner than how I'd like it.

I'll be honest I was not a fan of this substrate. I normally use a more gravel style live substrate for our plants so I may be biased but this product was not as easy to work with. When I decided to start a second tank I decided to try a different type of substrate for comparison.It vacuums fairly well and the plants didn't seem to mind it. However none of the fish seemed to thrive on it and I was constantly struggling with the parameters in this tank. After losing even some very sturdy fish and all the shrimp I decided to start over without this substrate. The fish seem to be doing much better now and they seem more active. The water parameters are also more stable. I'm honestly not sure if it is the substrate's fault but I did not want to risk it. I will say it is a nice deep black color and the plants (anacharis, anubias, java fern, and java moss) really did seem to grow very well in it, and the pothos cuttings over this tank grew insanely fast and had roots trying to grow down into the substrate. But none of the fish were very active. Healthy adult fish were dropping dead, and the filter was constantly full of black silt.

Very nice bioactive sand. You don't have to rinse it looks good. Definitely recommend five stars all the way. We'll buy more. I would recommend two bags for a 10 gallon aquarium. I only bought one. Probably will buy another

This substrate is hands down my favorite! I haven’t tried mixing it yet because I love its natural look as is. It’s a foolproof way to keep your aquatic plants thriving—definitely a 10/10 in my book!

Convenient and easy to use when setting up a new aquarium. Contains nitrifying bacteria to benefit your fish tank. This bag is just the right amount of sand for a 5 gallon tank.

It said not to rinse before putting in the tank. It did make my tank super cloudy ( black/grey color) , I cannot see my glass catfish, or any of my baby rabbit snails. I can only see the betta and the three big rabbit snails if they are close to the glass. I do have sand floating on top I have to get out of the tank as well. I had 2 5lbs in my 30gal, I need more. I do believe it will be a beautiful addition to my tank complimenting my fish and decorations as well as plants. The sand is also hard to get out of the bag and is wet in the bag. It isn’t a terrible price. The sand is small and fine and soft.