Try going down the rabbit hole of black gravel: https://www.amazon.com/SubstrateSource-Natural-Black-Lava-Gravel/dp/B0046O2JJG
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Sand is not hard to take care off. Especially if you have snails that like to disturb the sand. Otherwise, use like a chopstick and just swirl up the sand ever now and then. Never had a tank die-off due to sand bubbles and I had 30 FW tanks at one point.