10 Best Aquarium Sands 2026: According to Reviews | Chewy

The 10 Best Aquarium Sands

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How we created this aquarium sand list

We leveraged input from our veterinarians and artificial intelligence to identify key considerations to help you find the best aquarium sand.
We scanned thousands of customer reviews and ratings and scored each product based on its performance against each of the key considerations. We then considered how popular a product is with Chewy customers and combined that with its key consideration scores to create the list of the best aquarium sands.

Key aquarium sand considerations

Durability

Grain size

Nutrient content

Water clarity

1
Aqua Terra Aquarium & Terrarium Sand, Natural Tan, 5-lb bag
Aqua Terra Aquarium & Terrarium Sand, Natural Tan, 5-lb bag

Aqua Terra Aquarium & Terrarium Sand, Natural Tan, 5-lb bag

Rated 4.2 out of 5 stars
217
$5.49Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.4/5
Great

Grain size

4.5/5
Great

Nutrient content

4.4/5
Great

Water clarity

4.1/5
Great

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Nano Tank, Pond, Freshwater, Saltwater

Fish Type

Tropical Freshwater, Betta, Cichlid, Goldfish...
2
CaribSea Super Naturals Crystal River Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag
CaribSea Super Naturals Crystal River Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag

CaribSea Super Naturals Crystal River Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars
58
$19.99Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.8/5
Excellent

Grain size

4.9/5
Excellent

Nutrient content

4.7/5
Excellent

Water clarity

4.7/5
Excellent

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Freshwater

Fish Type

Tropical Freshwater
3
CaribSea Super Naturals Sunset Gold Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag

CaribSea Super Naturals Sunset Gold Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
45
$19.99Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.6/5
Excellent

Grain size

4.6/5
Excellent

Nutrient content

4.6/5
Excellent

Water clarity

4.3/5
Great

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Freshwater

Fish Type

Tropical Freshwater
4
Aqua Natural Galaxy Sand Aquarium Gravel, 20-lb bag
Aqua Natural Galaxy Sand Aquarium Gravel, 20-lb bag
Aqua Natural Galaxy Sand Aquarium Gravel, 20-lb bag

Aqua Natural Galaxy Sand Aquarium Gravel, 20-lb bag

Rated 4.4 out of 5 stars
38
$35.79Chewy Price
($1.79/lb)
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.2/5
Great

Grain size

4.2/5
Great

Nutrient content

3.9/5
Good

Water clarity

4.2/5
Great

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Nano Tank, Freshwater

Fish Type

Tropical Freshwater, Betta, Discus, Goldfish...
5
CaribSea Super Naturals Moonlight Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag
CaribSea Super Naturals Moonlight Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag

CaribSea Super Naturals Moonlight Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
56
$19.99Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.6/5
Excellent

Grain size

4.3/5
Great

Nutrient content

4.4/5
Great

Water clarity

4.5/5
Great

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Freshwater

Fish Type

Tropical Freshwater
6
CaribSea Super Naturals Torpedo Beach Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag
CaribSea Super Naturals Torpedo Beach Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag
CaribSea Super Naturals Torpedo Beach Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag

CaribSea Super Naturals Torpedo Beach Freshwater Sand, 20-lb bag

Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars
36
$29.42Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.5/5
Great

Grain size

4.7/5
Excellent

Nutrient content

4.6/5
Excellent

Water clarity

4.7/5
Excellent

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Freshwater

Fish Type

Tropical Freshwater
7
Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Saltwater Aquarium Sand, Natural White #1, 20-lb bag
Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Saltwater Aquarium Sand, Natural White #1, 20-lb bag
Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Saltwater Aquarium Sand, Natural White #1, 20-lb bag

Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Saltwater Aquarium Sand, Natural White #1, 20-lb bag

Rated 4.1 out of 5 stars
55
$27.50Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.2/5
Great

Grain size

4.5/5
Great

Nutrient content

4.0/5
Great

Water clarity

4.0/5
Great

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Nano Tank, Saltwater

Fish Type

Marine Fish, Marine Invertebrate
8
Aqua Natural Sugar White Sand Aquarium Gravel, 10-lb bag

Aqua Natural Sugar White Sand Aquarium Gravel, 10-lb bag

Rated 4.4 out of 5 stars
27
$14.69Chewy Price
($1.47/lb)
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.0/5
Great

Grain size

3.9/5
Good

Nutrient content

4.0/5
Great

Water clarity

4.2/5
Great

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Nano Tank, Freshwater

Fish Type

Tropical Freshwater, Betta, Discus, Goldfish...
9
CaribSea Ocean Direct Original Caribbean Marine Live Sand, 40-lb bag
CaribSea Ocean Direct Original Caribbean Marine Live Sand, 40-lb bag

CaribSea Ocean Direct Original Caribbean Marine Live Sand, 40-lb bag

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
38
$33.79Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.4/5
Great

Grain size

4.4/5
Great

Nutrient content

4.6/5
Excellent

Water clarity

4.1/5
Great

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Saltwater

Fish Type

Marine Fish, Marine Invertebrate
10
Aqua Natural Diamond Black Bio-Substrate Aquarium Gravel, 5-lb bag
Aqua Natural Diamond Black Bio-Substrate Aquarium Gravel, 5-lb bag

Aqua Natural Diamond Black Bio-Substrate Aquarium Gravel, 5-lb bag

Rated 4.4 out of 5 stars
16
$12.96Chewy Price
($2.60/lb)
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Durability

4.8/5
Excellent

Grain size

4.6/5
Excellent

Nutrient content

4.8/5
Excellent

Water clarity

4.6/5
Excellent

Is this aquarium sand right for my pet?

Aquarium Type

Nano Tank, Freshwater

Fish Type

Tropical Freshwater, Betta, Discus, Goldfish...