Please explain why sand or any inert sediment would go anaerobic? MTS might.........but there's nothing wrong with that.
Plants have roots, which pump O2 deep into sediments, since most plants do grow in sediments deeper than 3" naturally, how do they survive might I ask???
All my tanks have sand deeper than 3" somewhere. I've never had an issue in 35 years.
Still, you can go thin sand layer:
I dose once a week to these tanks, about 1/10 or less what I might for EI type tanks. Since growth is 10X or more ...slower.........