sandbed depth

[tiggerbengal]

Ok, don't laugh at me, but I only have a 2" sandbed. I have 200 lbs. of sand in my 125g. The tank is 72 inches long, and 18 inches wide. I have read it is good to have a sandbed depth between 4-6." So, I thought of buying another 50-100 lbs. of sand, but how do I add it when there are already fish in there?
Also, my home depot doesn't carry the SouthDown playsand ...... I really don't want to spend another $80 on the AragLive from *****, either. And, I also don't want to spend another $100 from my lfs to get 100 lbs. of regular sand. Is there another option?

 

[fshhub]

they are finding out that you can use silica or quartz sands, like qickcrete, but whatever you use, soak it and only add a little a t a time, you want ot avoid dust storms, and don't want to add more than 1/4 inch at a time, then wait 2 weeks, before adding more
HTH

 

[twoods71]

2" of sand may be fine depending on the grain size of the sand.
Do some research in books and from other internet sources and you will find that many experts agree that 1" of super fine sand will do the same job as 6" of course sand.

 

[tiggerbengal]

twoods,
The sand I have is very fine ..... So, maybe I will be ok? This site has good prices on live sand, too, that I am thinking of investing in.

 

[twoods71]

My sand bed is 2 to 3 inches.
The LS I bought was a medium grain and the regular sand to go with it was super fine.
So going on advice from a very trusted lfs and from what I read from several different sources I went with a 2 to 3 inch depth.

 

[iswimwithmyfish]

my sand bed is about 2-3" i haven't really had a problem... <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" />

 

[livingwater]

Just to add:
My sand bed is only 1inch of rice grain sand. I didnt purchace it live. if you have LR and established sand already in there and want to add more. i would recommend saving some money on the live stuff and get a nice grade and add it slowly. remember the finer you get the cloudier the water will get when there is serious movement.
sometimes when you have really deep beds it will hold stuff underneath that you dont want. and the thinner the bed the easier it is to clean.
i do have about 3 or 4 spots that is 2 to 3 inches.
also if you have a tank that sets inside of the stand you may want to go deeper in order to view the sandbed.
good luck

 

[livingwater]

oh yeah i see you dont have any LR. and you say the tank is boring.
dude take your time. you will rep a great reward in due time. i recommend that you take a piture of it now and compare it later when its close to completion.
also about the LR: I would spend the money on rock instead of sand. that will livin up your tank a bit. and it will open up the doors for reef down the road.