I asked this question on the new hobbyist forum, and Bang Guy told me to only add 1/2 inch at a time to a cycled tank....not sure if yours is cycled or not, and he also told me to NEVER put the sand in without bacteria in it. So make sure it has bacteria in it BEFORE adding it to your setup. His instructions: First, put a couple of gallons of old tank water into a bucket. Pour the sand in until it starts to form a mound. Then add some flake food, or any organic food, and stir. Let it sit for at least a week "stewing". If you want to add more, have a few buckets stewing. I am assuming this will help hold the sand together, among other things. You could try asking him directly, though. HTH