# how much sand for 55 gallon tank?????



## Bam204

Hey guys,

Just wondering how many pounds of sand i would need for a 55 gallon tank. I have 40 pounds now would that be enough?????

thanks,
Bam204


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## CICHLUDED

There is a sand calculator at the bottom of this link...

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/calculator.php

:fish:


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn

40lb should be fine,

I used 88lb in my 180, I have about 1" across the base, though I do have some large rock piles occupying floorspace


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## DemasoniLover

Sounds fine for the most part! But you may have some issues with the diggers if you have any?

I've awlays tried to keep somewhere between 1-2lbs of sand per gallon!


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## Laurel

I used about 65 lbs when I set up my 75 gallon tank and wish I had used less.


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## gaqua

I think the 1lb per gallon rule is good for most tank designs. The question is really one of footprint.

For example, a 55G has 73% of the volume of a 75G tank, but only 54% of the footprint.

So you need almost twice as much sand for a 75G than you would a 55G. But if you had a 90G, since the footprint is identical to a 75G, than you'd be fine with the exact same amount of substrate.

I have 80lbs of sand in my 75G, i wanted a relatively thick area so it could cover my egg crate that I put in to better distribute the weight of my rocks. Also, my Acei really like digging and I figured that giving them something to play with doesn't hurt.


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## juissed

just buy 3-4 bags of sand and have a few spares on hand... they're like $3/each....

I cleaned 3 bags worth and used maybe half of that in my 55. The rest I kept in a rubbermaid tote for future needs. It really sucks to clean play sand.... I'm glad I did some extra. :thumb:


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## aussieafricans

i do it in the bath tub in buckets of course the water plowing out of the tap is much faster and can clean a 1/4 bucket fairly quickly and thats a 15 litre bucket!
i also use warm water its much better, i really turn the sand over with my hands though which helps iin the cleaning process also :thumb:


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