Switching To Sand

[mr130gallon]

hey im switching my pea gravel to black tahitan moon sand, ad im wondering how much ill need.

footprint of the tank is 48"x26", how much sand (in lbs or kilos i dont care) will i need, the tank will be planted, so i will need it a bit deep, i dont know how deep though.

 

[erk628]

Are you going to be putting any plant substrate down or just sand?

 

[roadmaster]

hey im switching my pea gravel to black tahitan moon sand, ad im wondering how much ill need.

footprint of the tank is 48"x26", how much sand (in lbs or kilos i dont care) will i need, the tank will be planted, so i will need it a bit deep, i dont know how deep though.
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I figure one to two pounds of sand per gallon for around two inch depth. Deeper sand beds can result in sulfide gases forming underneath if sand is not stirred every now and then. Some say that these gases interact almost immediately with oxygen in the water and are harmless. I have found that if sand bed is two inches or less,,there is no problem with the afore mentioned hydrogen sulfide (I think) forming.
Have also been involved in discussions with regards to Tahitian Moon Sand and it's possible detrimental effects on soft bellied fish such as plecos,loaches,corys,and other catfish. Product is said to be a by-product of glass production and though fine grained,is quite sharp .
Opinions vary.

 

[mr130gallon]

ok, 2 inches would be good, but i would need 260 pounds of sand? that sounds like a bit much, my friend had about 5 gallons of live sand for his saltwater tank that was 48"x13" and it was about 2 inches or so thick.

 

[Jenste]

with my tanks I use about 1lb of sand for 5 gallons as a base, then once I see how deep this is for me I add usually about 1/3 more to give depth to the back and sides (which is generally where you do the most planting) it also adds more of a perception of depth due to the gentle sloping down and center of the sand.

 

[roadmaster]

ok, 2 inches would be good, but i would need 260 pounds of sand? that sounds like a bit much, my friend had about 5 gallons of live sand for his saltwater tank that was 48"x13" and it was about 2 inches or so thick.

Water weighs around eight pounds per gallon. Sand weighs around twelve pounds per gallon.(wet)
Five gallons of sand would be around 60 pounds.
Would maybe figure 150 lbs of sand for three inch depth in 130 gallon aquarium.

 

[drobbyb]

Without plants, I generally go for 1 pound per gallon. This gives enough sand to look nice, but at the same time it doesn't take up too much of your tank's capacity.

 

[Jenste]

also has to go with tank shape....longer shorter tanks need diff amounts of sand than shorter taller tanks.....my 40 gallon bow used close to the same amount of sand as two ten gallons due to shape and bottom surface area

 

[mr130gallon]

ok, 2 inches would be good, but i would need 260 pounds of sand? that sounds like a bit much, my friend had about 5 gallons of live sand for his saltwater tank that was 48"x13" and it was about 2 inches or so thick.

Water weighs around eight pounds per gallon. Sand weighs around twelve pounds per gallon.(wet)
Five gallons of sand would be around 60 pounds.
Would maybe figure 150 lbs of sand for three inch depth in 130 gallon aquarium.

well, i like what you said the best lol, but ill probably get 100-120 pounds because 2 inches of depth is enough for me.