Substrate volume

[supermazz9]

just a bit of a complaint...why don't subtrates get packaged as cubic inches or whathaveyou, instead of by the pound. By the pound doesn't tell me how much space a bag will cover how deep, but I can easily do the calcs on a bag listed in cubic whatevers.


I'm starting up a new 40G, and I want to go eco-complete (could someone let me know what alternatives they've used to eco-complete, and how they've stacked up?), and all I know is that it comes in a 20lb bag. How many bags do I need? Well, I can guess...and I'll likely be close, but, dang, if they put that info on there, I'd be dead on.

BTW, anyone that has used eco-complete, how deep do you go with it?

 

[BrianNY]

I don't think there's a better substrate available in terms of looks and quality than Eco Complete. A big plus is that it goes from bag to tank with NO rinsing. My rule of thumb for amount of substrate is 2 lbs for every gallon. That is assuming the tank is not a long or hex.

 

[gheitman]

I can understand your frustration with trying to calculate how much substrate you need. I suspect that manufacturers measure it by weight instead of by volume simply because it is easier for them.

I also recommend Eco-Complete as the best planted substrate available. I've used everything from potting soil under gravel to Flourite to Onyx sand and Eco-Complete is the best in my opinion (with Flourite in second place). Eco-Complete is a darker substrate than Flourite, it doesn't require any rinsing at all (a real pain with Flourite) and it doesn't have all the little sharp edges that Flourite has. A 20 pound bag fills a 10 gallon tank quite nicely, so I would suggest getting four bags to fill a 40 gallon tank. I would recommend a substrate depth of about 3 inches.

 

[bs6749]

3-4 bags depending on how thick you want to go. If you don't want to pay that much for EC you could always mix it with another substrate such as sand, pool filter sand, small to medium sized gravel..... whatever you like the looks of. Just try to keep MOST of the substrate Eco Complete because that is what is going to benefit your plants. You are going to put live plants in right? Otherwise you are wasting your money.

 

[supermazz9]

yah, lot of plants in this one...

I've got a 29g going, and it's kinda my figure it out as I go tank, and while I don't have it all figured out yet, I don't think I'm going to any time soon, anyway!

As to the consideration that it's easier for the manufacturer to measure weight than volume, they could at least put an approx volume on the bag...this they could do very easily...take one volume measurement, and call that your approx for every bag, even though it's filled by weight. I know it won't be right, but it would be pretty close.