Hello.

I have a slightly strange question.

If I have just over 3KG of sand, what size of aquarium would I be able
to use this sand in as a substrate do you think?

I know this is a strange way of doing it because normally you choose
the aquarium and then buy enough sand or whatever to cover it, however
this sand I got is special and the place I got it from is thousands of
miles away and I only have just over 3KG of it.

I know it might be a smallish tank, and it would probably have to be
freshwater tropical not marine, but I'd really appreciate any help in
calculating this, or any links you know of that say how much sand you
need to cover different sizes of aquarium.

I actually plan to add a layer of Flourite underneath it and have it
mainly as a planted tank, perhaps with a couple of fish.

There is a chance I could always have a slightly bigger tank than it
would cover and just be innovative with the space it won't cover by
adding other things.

Anyway thanks very much for your help

John

Hi John,

I got it from is thousands of miles away
and I only have just over 3KG of it.


My guess would be 5g aquarium.


I actually plan to add a layer of Flourite underneath


Perhaps if the sand is for some reason very special to you it would be
better not to mix it with anything...(?)


There is a chance I could always have a slightly bigger tank than it
would cover and just be innovative with the space it won't cover by
adding other things.


That may be wise as it is easier to maintain a bigger aquarium. Good source
of information is an often recommended website http://www.thekrib.com/

--
Regards,
Marvin Hlavac
Toronto, Canada

"Marvin Hlavac" wrote in message
le.rogers.com...
Hi John,

I got it from is thousands of miles away
and I only have just over 3KG of it.


My guess would be 5g aquarium.


I actually plan to add a layer of Flourite underneath


Perhaps if the sand is for some reason very special to you it would be
better not to mix it with anything...(?)


There is a chance I could always have a slightly bigger tank than it
would cover and just be innovative with the space it won't cover by
adding other things.


That may be wise as it is easier to maintain a bigger aquarium. Good
source
of information is an often recommended website http://www.thekrib.com/

--
Regards,
Marvin Hlavac
Toronto, Canada

Along the lines of innovation, you could probably setup a 10g with a few
stones and driftwood, displacing some of the area normally filled with
the sand. Adding Flourite would let you go to a larger tank, but plants
don't generally have trouble in just sand.

NetMax

On Wed, 07 Apr 2004 22:54:10 +0100, John
wrote:

Hello.

I have a slightly strange question.

Hey, with fish just about every question is strange.

For example my Red Eyed Tetras went down one in number quite a few
weeks ago, when the largest Tetra suffered an unusual death.

The thing about Red Eyed Tetras is that they are territorial, which
means that they are forever defending their ground by removing a few
scales from their neighbouring Red Eyed Tetras.

Since these Tetras also like to group together now and again for
various reasons, with the most obvious one being night, then the
choice of defending your territory or grouping together can be a bit
different for each Tetra. That helps to remove yet more scales.

Now this Tetra that died was the largest of all these Tetras, which
means that he owned the largest territory and had the most fights with
his neighbours in protecting this territory.

This fighting is the only explanation I can think of to explain the
bubble that appeared out the left side of this Tetra, looking just
like an air bubble.

I noticed that for a couple of days, but just before looking into what
it was I noticed that it had vanished. And so this Tetra lived on
happily for one more day before it went belly up.

So with fish anything normal is often abnormal, but back to your
question...

If I have just over 3KG of sand, what size of aquarium would I be able
to use this sand in as a substrate do you think?

I was looking into substrate very recently, where I noticed that 2.5
kg was recommended per square foot. That could have been more for
gravel though, but sand should not be far off.

A more important question must be how thick do you want your sand? As
that affects how much area it can cover.

I know this is a strange way of doing it because normally you choose
the aquarium and then buy enough sand or whatever to cover it,

That is still hard, when without some advice, then you still have to
guess the amount.

For my two new aquariums I ordered 25 kg of natural gravel and 5 kg (I
think) of freshwater sand. This is more than what I need, but this
spare allows me to be flexible.

however
this sand I got is special and the place I got it from is thousands of
miles away and I only have just over 3KG of it.

Must have been an expensive trip.

I know it might be a smallish tank, and it would probably have to be
freshwater tropical not marine,

Sand is usually rated for either marine or fresh water, which makes me
assume that marine sand has salt and other things in it.

but I'd really appreciate any help in
calculating this, or any links you know of that say how much sand you
need to cover different sizes of aquarium.

I cannot see that you will get more than a square foot out of it, but
then you can always lay it to a thinner level.

I actually plan to add a layer of Flourite underneath it and have it
mainly as a planted tank, perhaps with a couple of fish.

Sounds like you are doing a lot of work for a few plants, which makes
me wonder if you are on overkill.

There is a chance I could always have a slightly bigger tank than it
would cover and just be innovative with the space it won't cover by
adding other things.

I would recommend a sand and gravel mix, but no doubt that is
blasphemy to your plans.

Unless all your plants need your special sand, then having some gravel
in the spare area is not such a bad idea. Then of course you can buy
freshwater or marine sand locally, just like what I did.

Anyway thanks very much for your help

Not that I know much about substrate volumes, but as I was just
looking into that myself a couple of days ago, then maybe you will
find my answer useful.

Good luck.

Cardman
http://www.cardman.com
http://www.cardman.co.uk

"Cardman" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 07 Apr 2004 22:54:10 +0100, John
wrote:

Hello.

I have a slightly strange question.

Hey, with fish just about every question is strange.

For example my Red Eyed Tetras went down one in number quite a few
weeks ago, when the largest Tetra suffered an unusual death.

The thing about Red Eyed Tetras is that they are territorial, which
means that they are forever defending their ground by removing a few
scales from their neighbouring Red Eyed Tetras.

Since these Tetras also like to group together now and again for
various reasons, with the most obvious one being night, then the
choice of defending your territory or grouping together can be a bit
different for each Tetra. That helps to remove yet more scales.

Now this Tetra that died was the largest of all these Tetras, which
means that he owned the largest territory and had the most fights with
his neighbours in protecting this territory.

This fighting is the only explanation I can think of to explain the
bubble that appeared out the left side of this Tetra, looking just
like an air bubble.

I noticed that for a couple of days, but just before looking into what
it was I noticed that it had vanished. And so this Tetra lived on
happily for one more day before it went belly up.
snip

Enjoyed the Red-Eyed tetra story )

regards
NetMax

Good luck.

Cardman
http://www.cardman.com
http://www.cardman.co.uk

"John" wrote in message Hello.

I have a slightly strange question.

If I have just over 3KG of sand, what size of aquarium would I be able
to use this sand in as a substrate do you think?

Another option would be to use your sand in just part of the aquarium, and
thus have a larger tank than just that amount of sand would allow for. I
use different colour gravel in sections of my 4' tank, with driftwood and
slate dividers to keep the colours separate.

On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 20:51:57 -0400, "NetMax"
wrote:


"Marvin Hlavac" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...
Hi John,

I got it from is thousands of miles away
and I only have just over 3KG of it.


My guess would be 5g aquarium.


I actually plan to add a layer of Flourite underneath


Perhaps if the sand is for some reason very special to you it would be
better not to mix it with anything...(?)


There is a chance I could always have a slightly bigger tank than it
would cover and just be innovative with the space it won't cover by
adding other things.


That may be wise as it is easier to maintain a bigger aquarium. Good
source
of information is an often recommended website http://www.thekrib.com/

--
Regards,
Marvin Hlavac
Toronto, Canada

Along the lines of innovation, you could probably setup a 10g with a few
stones and driftwood, displacing some of the area normally filled with
the sand. Adding Flourite would let you go to a larger tank, but plants
don't generally have trouble in just sand.

NetMax


My idea is similar to NetMax only I was thinking you should get the
tank size you really would like to have and then make a border on the
bottom to hold together the special stuff. On the outside of the
border put regular sand. Not too cleaver about constructing the
border. In a garden there are plastic or aluminum borders available
commercially. Perhaps a soup bowl would be the right size. I sure
wouldn't limit my tank size unless you got something like a Beta tank.

"blank" wrote in message
u...

"John" wrote in message
Hello.

I have a slightly strange question.

If I have just over 3KG of sand, what size of aquarium
would I be able
to use this sand in as a substrate do you think?

Another option would be to use your sand in just part of
the aquarium, and
thus have a larger tank than just that amount of sand
would allow for. I
use different colour gravel in sections of my 4' tank,
with driftwood and
slate dividers to keep the colours separate.

I have similar setups. Wish I had thought of
slate as dividers. I ended up buying assorted
"Roman wall" ornaments which mostly work
but I still get some mixing of gravel colors, and
sand and gravel, thanks to bottom dwellers.
Not enough to freak me out, though.

Gail

Using a few well placed rocks and pebbles would allow the available sand to
be spread over a smaller area, ie around those items of decor. This would
allow for greater depth of sand which is essential so as not to expose the
roots of any plants in your tank. Only use rocks bought in aquarium shops,
don't be tempted to use ones found in gardens or on beaches etc. They may
well be contaminated with unseen polutants!

"andy" wrote in message
...
Using a few well placed rocks and pebbles would allow the available
sand to
be spread over a smaller area, ie around those items of decor. This
would
allow for greater depth of sand which is essential so as not to expose
the
roots of any plants in your tank. Only use rocks bought in aquarium
shops,
don't be tempted to use ones found in gardens or on beaches etc. They
may
well be contaminated with unseen polutants!

Your well intentioned advice, to use LFS rocks, will keep hobbyists out
of trouble, but it's certainly not economical on anything but the
smallest aquariums. There are many ways to ensure that rocks you pick up
are safe. I cut the following out of a web site (my own, under
construction):

Not all rocks are aquarium safe (copper is extremely toxic, starting with
parasites, then invertebrates like snails and then to fish in higher
concentrations), or aquarium suitable (due to their size, shape or effect
on the water). Some rocks are completely inert (will not react with
water like slate or granite), while others are very reactive (Utah Ice
melts in aquarium water). The greater the porosity of the rock, the more
potential for hazard (or benefit) it has. This includes pathogens (from
stones from natural freshwater environments), to anything which might
leech out (typically natural calcium, but may include toxins).

The rocks found in your local pet shop will generally be completely safe,
but will include both inert and non-inert types. The retail cost is
quite high, mostly reflecting the cost of transport, and not the actual
materials. If you are stocking a small aquarium, or are just looking for
a few unique pieces not found in your area, or natural stones are not
available where you live, (or they are under a foot of snow), then
consider pet shop rocks. Although they have the highest prices, they may
also have some of the more interesting types to tempt you (ie: petrified
wood, zebra rock, rainbow slate etc). For any significant amount of
rocks, visit your local quarry and home renovation stores to compare
price & availability. Rocks collected from natural environments can also
be used. Contact your local aquarium society to see when they are
planning their next trip, as they usually know the best places to go.

A simple test it to drip a strong acid on a rock and observe the
reaction. If it fizzes, then it will leech calcium into your water,
making it more alkaline and harder. Vinegar is a bit too weak an acid.
The pH-down product is a satisfactory tester. I think the acid reacts
with the carbonates, which generally indicates a high degree of calcium.
The test is not completely accurate. Minerals low in carbonates may
still leech calcium (ie: Utah Ice), and some minerals may cause the pH to
drop in the right conditions.

Avoid green in rocks as this is the color of copper in a normal oxidized
state, and copper is toxic. One test method is to put a representative
sample of the rocks collected in a pail of water with some fish (ie:
white cloud minnows). If after a week or so, the minnows are fine, they
you have some degree of confidence that whatever the rocks might have was
not toxic in the high concentration which would have built up in the pail
of water.

NetMax