How Much Gravel?

[huckFIN]

Hello.
I will soon be setting up a 36' x 15' x 12' tank (15' is the height) but I'm not sure how much gravel to purchase. It seems commonly to be on sale in either 12kg or 2kg bags. I obviously want to cover the bottom of the tank with an adequate thickness but will 12kg be far too much or - if I buy just two or three 2kg bags will that be too little meaning I'll have to buy more (another journey or more postage costs).
Does gravel need replacing over time (for any reason) making it necessary to have surplus gravel?

Thankyou.

 

[Corleone]

Hello.
I will soon be setting up a 36' x 15' x 12' tank (15' is the height) but I'm not sure how much gravel to purchase. It seems commonly to be on sale in either 12kg or 2kg bags. I obviously want to cover the bottom of the tank with an adequate thickness but will 12kg be far too much or - if I buy just two or three 2kg bags will that be too little meaning I'll have to buy more (another journey or more postage costs).
Does gravel need replacing over time (for any reason) making it necessary to have surplus gravel?

Thankyou.

General rule I've heard is about 1 pound per gallon of water, which would be about 1 kg per 2 gallons. Long tanks will need a bit more, tall ones less. Your tank is 28 gallons, by the measurements - I have a tank with the same footprint that's only 12 tall, and I used a 20 pound bag of gravel, which is a bit less than 12kg. That should work fine.

Gravel doesn't need replacing, just cleaning, which is easy to do as part of routine water changes using a gravel vac.

 

[huckFIN]

Hello.
I will soon be setting up a 36' x 15' x 12' tank (15' is the height) but I'm not sure how much gravel to purchase. It seems commonly to be on sale in either 12kg or 2kg bags. I obviously want to cover the bottom of the tank with an adequate thickness but will 12kg be far too much or - if I buy just two or three 2kg bags will that be too little meaning I'll have to buy more (another journey or more postage costs).
Does gravel need replacing over time (for any reason) making it necessary to have surplus gravel?

Thankyou.

General rule I've heard is about 1 pound per gallon of water, which would be about 1 kg per 2 gallons. Long tanks will need a bit more, tall ones less. Your tank is 28 gallons, by the measurements - I have a tank with the same footprint that's only 12 tall, and I used a 20 pound bag of gravel, which is a bit less than 12kg. That should work fine.

Gravel doesn't need replacing, just cleaning, which is easy to do as part of routine water changes using a gravel vac.

OK Corleone, thanks for the reply and for the info.