how much sand in a 10g and any problem with wet sand weighing more than gravel

[bobc4d]

ok, I've done some research and have found generally use a pound to pound and half of sand per gallon, so for my 10g that would be 10 - 15 pounds of sand.

That said, does the same volume of wet sand weigh more than the equal amount of gravel? I know 10 pounds of sand "should" weigh the same as 10 pounds of gravel, so would enough sand to cover the bottom of a 10g to a half inch weigh more than an equilavent amount of gravel?

 

[dwayne.aycock]

This is an age old physics problem. 10 pounds of gravel will take up more cubic inches than sand because of the air spaces around each stone. On the other hand, the same weight in sand will take up less space because there is less air space around each sand grain. From a healthy tank perspective it is better to use gravel, because with such a small space, you need high air and water flow. Otherwise you run the risk of creating pockets of anaerobic bacteria, whose byproduct is methane gas.
Dwayne

 

[lamby]

I always use an inch of substrate across the bottom of the tank

 

[chrismiller21]

You really only have to worry about pocket build up if you have think layers of sand and compaction. Using a inch of sand will not be enough to worry about. I use sand in all my tanks. I have loaches in all of them as well as trumpet snails so if you are worried about that 1 inch creating gas pockets, get some sand sifting fish, TS or use a chopstick and run it through your sand before your water changes. But really unless you have 3-5 inches or more, I would worry about it. Just use the chop stick or any long thin stick and you can sleep easy. It is also very, very easy to clean.