hOW MUCH DO I NEED?

[joyce20]

well i have a 150g tank, 72Lx18Wx24H. i want to have at least 3" in the bottom of the tank. i was thinking about goping by the "pound", but i think it may be eaiser to go to the lumbar yards and buy it from them. They sell it by the cubic yards. and all the calulations that i can come up with, i would need on 2.16 cubic feet. help me with my math if i am wrong.

Also what type of rock should i use, i want to go black sand, but that would cost me about $300 for it all.

and where is the best place to get the rock in bulk?

pics would be great so i can show the wife the ideas.

thanks
Brandon

[Daximus]

That math is a bit beyond me, but if you want black sand on the cheap you might look into Black Diamond blasting sand. Here is what it looks like.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/ta...-lets-see.html


It cost ~$8.00 for 50lbs...I can't see you needing more than 200 lbs...probably 150. It's available at Orschlins, Tractor Supply, some Lowes, some Home Depots.


It should be noted: Some say it can scratch glass. Some say it might harm bottom dwellers.

I personally don't have any of those issues...but I am careful when cleaning my glass due to the possibility. My bottom dwellers are healthy.

[gordonrichards]

So you want three inches of rock in the bottom of your tank.

Why not get 2 inches of mineralized top soil and 1 of pea gravel on top of that as a cap?

2.16 cubic give or take. Doesn't need to be exact.

MTS will end up being lighter then the gravel/rock as well.

[Higher Thinking]

72*18*3 = 3888 cubic inches
12*12*12 = 1 cubic foot (1728 cubic inches)
3888/1728 = 2.25 cubic feet.
Your math was close but that looks to me to be the correct figure.

A cubic yard is 36*36*36 = 46656 cubic inches
So your 3888 cubic inches is = .083 cubic yards. Also: (2.25 cubic feet/27 cubic feet)

[joyce20]

Thanks everyone. i didnt know that i could get black sand for that cheap. (thanks Daximus). We wanted to go that route but was turned off by the price. well now we can do it and the wife will be happy.

"A Happy wife is a wife willing to let you spend more on a tank!!!"

Brandon

[Daximus]

Originally Posted by joyce20

Thanks everyone. i didnt know that i could get black sand for that cheap. (thanks Daximus). We wanted to go that route but was turned off by the price. well now we can do it and the wife will be happy.

"A Happy wife is a wife willing to let you spend more on a tank!!!"

Brandon

Just be careful with it and your pretty new tank. It is coal slag...rubbish diamond if you will and does have the potential to scratch glass. Again, no issues here, but it could happen. Seems the primary culprits are those magnetic algae scrapers. I just use my hand, lol.

[joyce20]

ohh my tank is by far NOT new.... i had it as a Reef tank and took it all down.

LOL

[Daximus]

Originally Posted by joyce20

ohh my tank is by far NOT new.... i had it as a Reef tank and took it all down.

LOL

Haha, awesome! You're gonna love this stuff.

[DogFish]

If your going top plant the tank. Take some time and read the threads on this forum (substrate).

One inexpensive option would be to buy 3 - 40#s of plain topsoil about $1.89 ea. Lay down 2" and flatten it down, so you know you have 2" deep. Then buy 4 bags of Black Diamond, put down at least 1" on the dirt. Better to have to take one bag back. I wouldn't go deeper that 4" total.

When you do read the threads try not to make your self crazy making the perfect dirt.

[kevmo911]

For a calculator for depth of normal substrate types, try:

http://mizuworld.com/index.php/pages/calculator

http://www.plantedtank.net/substratecalculator.html

[CaptainPictusIII]

72" X 18" = 1296 Sq. In.

3" X 1296" = 3888 Cu. In.

3888 Cu. In. = 2.25 Cubic feet

[CaptainPictusIII]

The Depot says a 40lb bag of sand will cover 2 Sq Feet 2 inches deep.

[Robert H]

Well I am much more conservative. When I use soil, I keep it to a half inch to an inch deep at the absolute most and have at least three inches of whatever type of gravel or sand on top of that. I want a small layer of organic material as an additive for the substrate, not as the dominate component of the substrate. That lessens the risks associated with having decaying organic material in the substrate, but provides the nutritional benefits of why you want soil in the first place.