ouchthathu
Member
I am preparing to setup a 50gal tank and want to have at least a 2" sand bed. Using LS for the entire bed is too expensive. What are my alternatives?
2" sand bed?
- Thread starter ouchthathu
- Start date
J
jfdjason
Guest
Yes...just do a search on these boards for seeding sand. You will get lots of info. I did it with about 3 1/2 inches of regular white sand (southdown) and then about 1" of live on top of that. Worked Great!
mudplayerx
Active Member
Home Depot sand is safe as long as it is "playsand" with no additives or silicates.
The trick to saving money is put a thick layer of "dead sand" down (at least two to two and a half inches), then buy a small bag of live sand (will cost you around $35). Spread the live sand evenly over the dead sand.
Please remember one thing though. Don't go to Lowes/Home Depot and buy play sand if you don't think it looks nice in the tank. You are going to have your tank for years and years. I guarantee you that 5 years down the road, you will not be looking at a tank you find unattractive and be thinking to yourself, "I'm glad I saved $70 on that sand."
Aragonite looks like kitty litter. It looks a lot better than play sand imo, has water-buffering qualities, and adds over 5 essential trace elements to your water.
For a 55 gallon tank I spent $96 on dead sand and $36 on live sand. It was expensive, but looks great.
The trick to saving money is put a thick layer of "dead sand" down (at least two to two and a half inches), then buy a small bag of live sand (will cost you around $35). Spread the live sand evenly over the dead sand.
Please remember one thing though. Don't go to Lowes/Home Depot and buy play sand if you don't think it looks nice in the tank. You are going to have your tank for years and years. I guarantee you that 5 years down the road, you will not be looking at a tank you find unattractive and be thinking to yourself, "I'm glad I saved $70 on that sand."
Aragonite looks like kitty litter. It looks a lot better than play sand imo, has water-buffering qualities, and adds over 5 essential trace elements to your water.
For a 55 gallon tank I spent $96 on dead sand and $36 on live sand. It was expensive, but looks great.
ouchthathu
Member
Thanks for the posts everyone. After scouring the boards it looks like the Home Depot approach was going to work, but alas we are deep south and only silicates are in the play sand here (just got back from Home Depot and Lowes). It looks like I'll have to bite the bullet and spend the $$ on the dry argonite at my LFS.
willie_6
Member
Please clarify. First you said that dead sand looks bad but then later you say you used a dead sand/live sand combination for your tank. I am assuming your first comment is referring to the use of dead sand alone. I would use a combination my self and assume this would save money, while still looking good???
How much dead sand would I need for a 2 inch base for a 75 gal tank?
What is a good amount of sand for the bottom of a tank? I have read 4 inches, but that sounds pretty deep.
How much dead sand would I need for a 2 inch base for a 75 gal tank?
What is a good amount of sand for the bottom of a tank? I have read 4 inches, but that sounds pretty deep.