Once for sand or gravel, and then once again for a base substrate use the value in the wet sand column as a rough guide for nutrient substrate. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Not sure how many gallons your fish tank is?
Wondering just how heavy your full fish tank will be? Need to buy substrate for your aquarium but not sure just how much to buy?
Gravel needs to be at least two inches deep to anchor live or artificial plants, or if covering an undergravel filter. Too deep and the tank loses fish swimming height, and it traps a lot of dirt. Slope the gravel front to back, aiding perspective, while also encouraging detritus to gather at the front, shallow part for easy removal. Although easy to grow plants do ok in gravel, all aquatic plants fare much better when given a deep bed of aquatic soil to root into.
Soil offers a soft substrate for roots to penetrate while feeding the plant at the same time, just like in nature. Aquatic plant soils arent for every tank however as fish species that dig will uproot plants and make a muddy mess, and planted tanks containing soil generally need more regular maintenance and a bit more experience.
Sands and gravel vary in weight and density, but if you aim for a two to three-inch layer, an average-sized litre tropical aquarium will need about 25 kilos. A small, litre nano tank may only need 5 kilos. Yes, all aquarium sands and gravels, even if pre-washed by the manufacturer, will need to be washed before use.
The only exceptions are aquatic soil for planted tanks and live sand for marine tank. Pour a couple of kilos of gravel into a bucket and wash vigorously under a cold tap until all the water runs clear. Live sand is sand taken from the ocean that is covered in live bacteria. The downside with live sand is that you must not wash it before use, except for in some seawater if you have to, as all that beneficial bacteria will be lost.
Note that live sand must be added to the marine tank with warm salted water already in. A planted tank needs about a one-inch nutrient layer on the bottom vermiculite or laterite , covered by about a two-inch layer of gravel or sand to protect nutrients from washout and to hold plants in place. Laterite happens to be an ingredient in traditional non-clumping cat litter, but purchase laterite that is prepared for aquariums; cat litter may have perfumes or clumping agents.
Also available are prepared substrates with blends of components selected for planted tanks. This FAQ is a simple summary.
For more information on substrate selection, we recommend this article on substrate for aquariums. So, you are ready to buy gravel or sand for your newest aquarium. You know how many inches you need, but the bags are sold by weight Enable JavaScript to use fish calculators. Aquarium Substrate Weight Calculator To use this calculator, enter the size of your aquarium and the desired depth of the substrate.
Frequently Asked Questions How thick should the sand or gravel layer be? Should I use sand or gravel? What kind of sand should I get?
What kind of gravel should I get?
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