small packet of sand subsrate?
 

Hey i was wondering if anyone could tell me where i would be able to find cheap sand for a 5 gallon freshwater betta tank? I see the sand sold online and in pet stores but they're mostly for marine tanks and the others are really expensive. I heard play sand is good but i can only find them in giant bags that are over 20 pounds, whereas i need like...2 pounds since im leaving a patch of gravel for a plant or two.

The cheapest is a big bag of play sand from the hardware store. I got mine from Lowes for about $4 for a 50 pound bag. Yes its way more than you need for your tank but its cheap.

well its cheap but... what do i do with the leftover sand?

Make a sandcastle!

But no, really...the obvious answer is that you buy another fish tank, of course.

i wish i could get another tank... unfortunately if i cant afford the special sand they sell in stores, a tank is quite out of reach. plus i live in a dorm room... where would i put a new giant tank? anyway so there's no way i can get just a small amount of sand?

I don't think so. I've seen small bags of sand that I suppose are designed for those tiny betta tanks, but those small bags are the same price as the big bags of play sand from Home Depot and you'd probably need a couple of them to cover the bottom of your tank. You could always just throw out the excess sand, if you needed to.

Well here's a 5lbs bag:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/239663/product.web

But considering that with shipping it will cost more than a 50lbs bag at home depot, it seems rather silly.

how about going to the park and borrowing a small amount.

Ehh...I would worry about that. I used to have a little turtle shaped sandbox and if I forgot to put the lid on the neighborhood cats would use it as a litter box at night. So there's probably some pretty sketch stuff in that sand. On the other hand, I don't imagine anyone will be very angry with you adding some of your sand to the local playground sandbox.

Here's a link to some "arts & crafts" you can do with sand hehe:
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/san...t_Projects.htm

I've got 100lbs of play sand that's been sitting in my dining room since I moved in. I bought too much for my big tank. I use a few scoops of it whenever I set up a new tank. Any chance you live near me? You're welcome to some :)

well do u live in the washington DC area? Also a friend of mine lives near Lancaster so... maybe he will be willing to bring me some when he visits home or sumthin. Im more than willing to pay 5 bucks for 5 pounds rather than 5 bucks for 50 pounds cuz 45 pounds of extra sand isnt really worth it.