How Much Gravel To Use?

[jeej]

How many kilos of fine gravel do you think I'd need to reach 2 inches of height in a tank that is 36x18x24?

With a bit of scaping I'd like the average height of the gravel to be around 2 inches, I think.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi jeej

That's a lot of gravel. Unless you are going to be planting in it, you won't need that much and it will be hard to keep clean.
The old rule of thumb was a pound of gravel per gallon of water, but I don't think it would come out to that depth.

Have you considered the possibility of keeping bottom dwellers like corydoras catfish or loaches? If so, you might want to think about using a fine, rounded gravel or sand as a substrate.

 

[jeej]

Hi jeej

That's a lot of gravel. Unless you are going to be planting in it, you won't need that much and it will be hard to keep clean.
The old rule of thumb was a pound of gravel per gallon of water, but I don't think it would come out to that depth.

Have you considered the possibility of keeping bottom dwellers like corydoras catfish or loaches? If so, you might want to think about using a fine, rounded gravel or sand as a substrate.

Pounds and gallons... I'm lost with these American measurements!

I've decided against sand as I don't want the hassle of the trapped gasses and cleaning it etc... But yes, I will try to get some very fine gravel.

So if it is a pound to a gallon, and my tank is 65gallons, then that is 65 pounds of gravel. Works out to be... just under 30kg of gravel. Seems a lot.

 

[Cazangel]

Hi jeej

That's a lot of gravel. Unless you are going to be planting in it, you won't need that much and it will be hard to keep clean.
The old rule of thumb was a pound of gravel per gallon of water, but I don't think it would come out to that depth.

Have you considered the possibility of keeping bottom dwellers like corydoras catfish or loaches? If so, you might want to think about using a fine, rounded gravel or sand as a substrate.

Pounds and gallons... I'm lost with these American measurements!

I've decided against sand as I don't want the hassle of the trapped gasses and cleaning it etc... But yes, I will try to get some very fine gravel.

So if it is a pound to a gallon, and my tank is 65gallons, then that is 65 pounds of gravel. Works out to be... just under 30kg of gravel. Seems a lot.

I'd buy one bag of gravel and then see how far it goe's you don;t need more than a couple of inches to cover the bottom

 

[SJ2K]

Hi jeej

That's a lot of gravel. Unless you are going to be planting in it, you won't need that much and it will be hard to keep clean.
The old rule of thumb was a pound of gravel per gallon of water, but I don't think it would come out to that depth.

Have you considered the possibility of keeping bottom dwellers like corydoras catfish or loaches? If so, you might want to think about using a fine, rounded gravel or sand as a substrate.

Pounds and gallons... I'm lost with these American measurements!

I've decided against sand as I don't want the hassle of the trapped gasses and cleaning it etc... But yes, I will try to get some very fine gravel.

So if it is a pound to a gallon, and my tank is 65gallons, then that is 65 pounds of gravel. Works out to be... just under 30kg of gravel. Seems a lot.

Sounds about right, for a 48 x 15 id need 24-30kg of gravel and thats 55g

 

[Inchworm]

Hi jeej

It is a lot of gravel. That's why I asked if you were going to plant in it or had some other reason for making it deep. If not, all you really need is an inch or so, just enough so that it covers the bottom nicely. Any deeper and it becomes difficult to vacuum properly. Then fish wastes, and uneaten food accumulate between the pieces, which results in an hospitable breeding place for harmful bacteria.

Sand isn't difficult to maintain, provided you keep it under an inch deep, as well.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

For calculating gravel, George Booth suggests 19 cubic inches per pound.

So, 36x18x2= 1,296/19 = 68.21 lbs/2.2 = 31 kilos

 

[jeej]

For calculating gravel, George Booth suggests 19 cubic inches per pound.

So, 36x18x2= 1,296/19 = 68.21 lbs/2.2 = 31 kilos

Okey doke, so it seems 30 kilos of gravel for my tank is pretty reasonable.