# Decided to go with sand! how much for a 55 gallon tank?



## jeremypb (Apr 9, 2011)

i want to try and order black moon sand for my malawi tank but not sure how much to order? 40 lbs, 50 lbs? :-?


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

I try to stick to the one pound per gallon rule, but you can have more or less depending on what you like. Some people like deep substrate, some don't. I have 120 Lbs. of African sand in my 120 gallon.


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## jeremypb (Apr 9, 2011)

ok well then i guess ill get 60 lbs and save some of it for what i lose when i vacuum out the tank! thanks


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Sounds good to me. You won't lose much sand when vacuuming, but 60 Lbs. sounds perfect for a 55 gallon. It should be 3 bags if you buy the 20 Lbs. bags.


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## MandyBlue (Mar 19, 2011)

I have 100 pounds in my 125 gallon tank, I think anymore would be too deep.


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

Usually the one inch per gallon will yield about 3" deep bed. I have multiple tanks with one pound per gallon and it fits my taste. It's really up to you.


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## stefan88 (Jul 3, 2002)

Can't really use a gallon rule being that some tanks are taller and the footprint could be smaller..So you figure there is 4 square feet in a 55 gallon tank.. I heard a 50 lb bag of sand will cover 6 square feet at a total depth of 1 inch.. So a 50lb bag should give you about 1 1/8 depth in a 55 gallon tank given your measurements are 4 ft x 1 ft..


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## shellies215 (Jan 7, 2011)

There is a sand calculator in the library in the first section. It will tell you how many pounds for the depth you want


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## jeremypb (Apr 9, 2011)

Man i must say i really love this Forum thanks guys i love all the input i get from yall!


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## stefan88 (Jul 3, 2002)

ohh sweet calculator!! I was off 3/8 of a inch


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