Grains of sand can be ingested, which is why you seek a soft/smooth/small grain so that it passes easily and with out pain.

Feeding floating reptomin sticks greatly reduces any sand being ingested. I have used sand with ACF, ADF, and axolotls in addition to being in every one of my fish tanks. Even with my newly morphed froglets I have used thin layers of sand. I have never had one suffer ill effects.

Not to talk badly about that group, it may not even be the same one I had previously visited, but I had noticed a great amount of inaccuracies being pushed forward as fact and despite the fact that I stated how many years or species I kept or bred, I was talked down to, contradicted, and treated as a "newbie"....

You can also try a different type of look by doing a semi-substrate. Use plastic to make a barrier or even use a container to hold the sand and plant in an island/ledge. You can see how you like the sand and reduce your worry.

edit: now I am tempting myself to make islands in a spare tank I am setting up for my sparkling gouramis.....hmm....