Dead sand, a term used in aquarism that refers to sand that has not been populated by beneficial

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

and other organisms unlike

live sand Live sand, a term used in aquarism, is natural reef coral sand populated with millions of beneficial bacteria and organisms which aid in the dissolving of organic wastes like ammonia, nitrites and nitrates produced by larger organisms in saltwater ...

References

Fishkeeping Aquariums {{Fishkeeping-stub