Quantity Of Sand?

[Marto666]

How much sand (kg) would I need for a 2" depth in a 80cm x 35cm base?

I'm thinking of 2x3kg bags?

Also, to clean it - could I just leave it in a bucket running it under a tap until its clear? or is it a really messy job for outside?

Thanks

 

[StandbySetting]

Dry sand has an approximate density of 1.6Kg/L water is about 1Kg/L, so for every litre of volume you'll want 1.6Kg of sand to displace it.

0.8*0.35*0.05=0.014 m[sup]3[/sup] or 14 Litres, so you'll need 1.6*14L = 22.4Kg of sand approximately.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

I think you've got your answer above lol. I leave mine in a bucket ad run water through it, just letting the dirty water overflow, i do it in the bath. Just give it a swish every now and then, also be careful to not get too much sand down the plug

 

[fluttermoth]

Dry sand has an approximate density of 1.6Kg/L water is about 1Kg/L, so for every litre of volume you'll want 1.6Kg of sand to displace it.

0.8*0.35*0.05=0.014 m[sup]3[/sup] or 14 Litres, so you'll need 1.6*14L = 22.4Kg of sand approximately.

That can't be right, surely?
I bought two 15kg bags of the Argos playsand and it's done two four foot tanks, to a depth of one or two inches.

If it's nice weather where you are do it outside, it's much nicer; plus it's really hard to get all the sand out of the bath and it's not nice to sit on!

 

[StandbySetting]

I had a tank of the same size, it took 25Kg to fill it to a similar height, the equations are correct, but the density of sand will vary slightly dependent on composition but not to the extent that it will make a substantial difference.

 

[StandbySetting]

I had a tank of the same size, it took 25Kg to fill it to a similar height, the equations are correct, but the density of sand will vary slightly dependent on composition but not to the extent that it will make a substantial difference.

 

[Marto666]

Thanks very much for this info guys, 2x15kg bags of Argos play sand it is!

I noticed on the beginners forum ‘it takes hours’ to clean sand, how long does this actually mean?

 

[This Younger Spouse]

Thanks very much for this info guys, 2x15kg bags of Argos play sand it is!

I noticed on the beginners forum 'it takes hours' to clean sand, how long does this actually mean?

I do what KkAaNnEe does. Play sand has a lot of fine dust/sand particles mixed in with the somewhat larger bits, and if you dump it straight into the tank you'll get a mushroom cloud that will take days to clear with filtration. The longer you wash the sand, stirring it as the water continues to overflow, the more dust you'll flush out and the less you'll put in the tank. Hours? Well, not really, in my experience. I've spent about half an hour at most washing enough sand for a 20-gallon.

 

[Marto666]

Thanks very much for this info guys, 2x15kg bags of Argos play sand it is!

I noticed on the beginners forum 'it takes hours' to clean sand, how long does this actually mean?

I do what KkAaNnEe does. Play sand has a lot of fine dust/sand particles mixed in with the somewhat larger bits, and if you dump it straight into the tank you'll get a mushroom cloud that will take days to clear with filtration. The longer you wash the sand, stirring it as the water continues to overflow, the more dust you'll flush out and the less you'll put in the tank. Hours? Well, not really, in my experience. I've spent about half an hour at most washing enough sand for a 20-gallon.

Thanks for that, I will bare this in mind while cleaning.

My enthusiasm has suddenly increased with your time estimate of around half hour! That’s not bad at all in terms of effort.

 

[This Younger Spouse]

Well, there will still be some dust clouding the water even after half an hour of steady stirring when you wash the sand. But it won't be a bad one, and will take less time to tame with filtration and settling.

I've just started the fishless cycling of a 20-gallon long, and dumped in sand this morning. Half is white silica sandblasting sand that is uniform, smooth and has virtually no dust. The other half is tan play sand like yours, and I have the cloudy water, which should settle by tomorrow morning. It'll be my cory tank.

We've settled on the silica sand partly for the white/ivory color, partly because the grains are rounded (cory friendly) and partly because it doesn't need washing to clear fine particles. We're able to find it in home improvement stores here in the states for $4 USD for 50 lbs.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Just do it in the evening, as it is probably going to cloud somewhat, then you can leave it overnight and by the morning it should be clear. Add some floss if you have any

 

[Marto666]

That’s good going, guess that’s significantly reduced the amount of particles too using silica. I’m sure your Cory’s will be very happy in there!

I do indeed have some floss so will add that too. A good idea leaving it overnight to clear.

 

[Athena]

I think it all depends on where you buy the sand as to how dirty it will be. I used Argos playsand and was over the moon with how clean it was. I put it in a bucket in the garden with a hose in it on a gentle flow. The first few minutes of washing/stirring released some dust from the sand and after that the water was clear. I was only out there for about 10 mins or so. Added it to my tank, filled it up with water - water was crystal clear. Couldn't believe it as I'd heard all these comments about how you get cloudy water for a while after adding new sand.

Maybe some batches are better than others and it's just pot luck as to what you get.

Athena

 

[Tizer]

Took me about an hour to do my 90 litre tanks sand and it was still a little cloudy for 24 hours. Worth spending the time doing it though, crack open a beer and keep stiring that bucket

 

[Marto666]

Hopefully I get a good batch of play sand from good old Argos.

LOL, sounds like more fun stirring and sipping!