Sand

[Patterson333]

So I'm switching from gravel to sand, and I was just wondering how many pounds of sand I should buy for a 55 gallon African Cichlid tank?

I've seen some variation in the "pounds of sand per gallon" recommendations online so I was wondering if anyone could give me a suggestion based on firsthand experience of what works best. Thanks!!

 

[alLexX]

depends how deep you want it, if your getting pfs then i suggest buying 100 pounds and onlyy using what you want

 

[BillD]

I have a tank with the same footprint as a 55 and 50 lbs of black blasting sand ($7.50) was enough. With an African tank, and the number of rocks you are likely to have, 50 lbs should be enough.

 

[Patterson333]

I have a tank with the same footprint as a 55 and 50 lbs of black blasting sand ($7.50) was enough. With an African tank, and the number of rocks you are likely to have, 50 lbs should be enough.

Can you give me a guess as to how thick your sandbed came out?

 

[Oblivion]

you probably only want it 1" thick.

 

[Patterson333]

I don't doubt you on that 1", but is there any particular reason why I wouldn't want it thicker? I've read online that you can get some dead spots that can house rather toxic gases in thick sandbeds, is that the reason? Or is it something else?

 

[pcock]

I make mine 2-3" thick because I love to watch my fish landscape the sand for me. I find if it's thick like this they don't really ever dig all the way to the bottom of the tank.

 

[HUKIT]

I make mine 2-3" thick because I love to watch my fish landscape the sand for me. I find if it's thick like this they don't really ever dig all the way to the bottom of the tank.

Mine are all at least 2-3" deep, I would use around 100lbs depending on what sand you end with. I have egg crate under most of my sand beds and they comstantly dig all the way down, you would be surprised on how much sand a full grown oscar can fit in his mouth.

 

[Patterson333]

Yea, I'm kind of thinking that I'd want it about 2" to 3" thick, unless someone could give me a really compelling reason why I would want it thinner.

I was at a massive lfs today and looked at some of their display tanks and I think a nice thick sandbed just looks really nice.

 

[rich6459]

To answer you question as you why you may want an inch or two more then 3 or even 4, is because I have two fish that like to swim around the bottom. They always do landscaping and move a ton of sand for their size. But I mean its up to you.

 

[Patterson333]

Yea my fish fancy themselves interior designers and they arrange my gravel as they see fit, so I would imagine they'd do the same with sand. 100 lbs it is.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Oblivion]

I don't doubt you on that 1", but is there any particular reason why I wouldn't want it thicker? I've read online that you can get some dead spots that can house rather toxic gases in thick sandbeds, is that the reason? Or is it something else?

thats generally why i only have 1-2" in my tanks, yes.

its also easier to clean

 

[BillD]

Can you give me a guess as to how thick your sandbed came out?

Around 1 1/2" to 2". An 88lb bag of the same sand is $10, and silica is a little cheaper. If you go this route, get #20 (same as PFS) or coarser. My next tank will have #12, which I have already purchased.

 

[5x5]

What's the purpose of the eggcrate under the sand?

 

[Patterson333]

Yea I was kinda wondering that too lol. Is it to prevent them from digging all the way down to the glass?

 

[pcock]

The egg crate stabilizes your rock and spreads the weight over the whole area of your bottom glass. This way you don't have pressure points that can cause your bottom to crack in your tank.

 

[rich6459]

Is it easy to crack. Now that I read that I'm a little concerned.

 

[pcock]

It's not that it's easy to crack it's just that some people such as myself have hundreds of pounds of rock in their tanks.

 

[5x5]

I'm glad I found this thread, before I do any sand and rockwork. I'll keep this in mind.

 

[rich6459]

Interesting how big is your tank that you have that much in there.