Gravel Question?

[Davy_Jones]

Many of you know Im in the process of setting up my 30gallon aquarium. How many 5lb. bags of gravel will it take to fill the tank with enoguh gravel?

 

[bs6749]

I would probably just buy one 25lb bag to save money. I think they are only like $10-15 depending on what you want. I think that much would cover it but I don't know how deep you want the gravel to be.

 

[gu2high]

Depends on your purpose. Are you going to have plants? If yes, need 3-5 inches, but gravel maybe not a good substrate. If no plants, then 1-2 layers is enough.

 

[Davy_Jones]

Yes, I will have plants and I suppose 3 or 4 inches would do. How many bags?
Also the type(color) of substrate Im getting only comes in 5lb....

 

[bs6749]

I was wondering what type of gravel you were looking at... both the type and the brand name (if you know it).

I just thought I would mention that quite a few people on here (including many that love plants) use pool filter sand in their aquariums. I use it in mine and I have live plants and it woks well. The coloring is nice and you can buy a 50lb bag for around $8 or less which is MORE than enough for what you need in your 30 gallon. I didn't even use all of mine in my 55 gallon tank. Talk about a cheap and nice looking yet functional substrate.

If you have your mind set on gravel then that is fine because you should have what you like. I was wondering what kind of gravel you were talking about though.

 

[Davy_Jones]

BERRY LAKE AQUARIUM GRAVEL

 

[Pleco]

I like that I have blue gravel, i think it fits in with my tank great. Of course there will be those that refuse to use anything that isnt sand or eco.

-Pleco

 

[Sicklid]

I get ultra-coarse grit silica blasting sand from a local sandblast supplier for my large tanks, one hundred pounds for around ten bucks... It is basically between sand and gravel as far as size.

 

[Davy_Jones]

Thanks, Im glad you like it.
But Im still left with the Question. How many 5lb. bags of this gravel will fill a 30gallon aquarium up to 3 in. ?

 

[jdizzle3id]

What are the dimensions of your 30 gal? Density will vary with the type of substrate you choose. I just read that a 15 pound bag of flourite will fill a typical 10 gal tank 2" high. (10inx20inx2in = 400 cu inches). I hope this helps.

 

[Davy_Jones]

Im not good with measureing things and Im not 100% sure this is correct but I think its:
32inches long and the sides are 18 inches wide

 

[jdizzle3id]

I think those measurements sound a little big. There are 231 cu inches per gallon. So if your tank was 32 inches long and 18 wide ... it could only be 12 inches tall. If thats the case though and you wanted to use flourite..... 32x18x2=1152cu inches. 1152/400 =2.88 15 pound bags. 2.88 x (15lbs/5lbs) = 8.64 5lb bags. I think your tank is probably more like 32 long and 12 wide and 18 tall. (I could be wrong though) If thats the case: 32x12x2 = 768 cu inches 768/400 = 1.92 15lb bags x 15lbs/5lbs = 5.76 5lb bags. But basically until you know the exact dimensions of your tank and the density of the substrate you are using, you can't really tell how many bags you'll need.

 

[bs6749]

You don't need the density, you need the volume of the substrate. Density is irrelevant to this problem. I am guessing 6 bags should do the trick though you may have one left over.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

PFS FTW!

 

[tropicfishman]

I'd do 25 lbs, I alwasy say that 1lb for every gallon so that you have enough, if theres any un opened bags you can always return them or keep whast left over for future use

 

[theotheragentm]

For sand, I used a 50 lb. bag for 50 gallons. I would imagine your substrate choice is more dense, but there is also more room for space in between it. 25 pounds should do the trick I'd say.