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Re: How much Flourite to buy



Anthony;

The formula to use for figuring out how much Flourite you need for any tank
is :

Length x Width x Depth (of substrate) divided by 28 (cu. in. per lb.) = Lbs.
of Flourite needed - all measurements used are in inches.

Plugging in your tanks specs - 48" x 18" x 2 divided by 28 = 61.7 lbs of
Flourite.
Should you want 3.5" of substrate depth - 48 x 18 x 3.5 divided by 28 = 108
lbs of Flourite.

The 2" SeaChem states is a general term to let you know how much coverage
you will get out of one bag in a 10 gallon aquarium (IMHO). On the other
hand though, by figuring out the total square inches of your tank bottom
(864) and dividing that by 31 (SeaChem's recommendation below) you come up
with 27.87. Multiplying 27.87 by 2.2 (pounds in one kilo) you get 61.3 lbs.,
which is very close to the figure above for amount of Flourite needed for 2"
of coverage. Perhaps Dr. Morin from SeaChem can confirm or dispel these
suspicions.

SeaChem also advises that Flourite can be mixed 50/50 with another substrate
material. With this in mind, the 61.3 lbs. (2" depth in your aquarium)
should be the minimum amount of Flourite used when added to your choice of
substrate mix. If using a quartz based product, the remaining 1.5 to 2" will
weigh between 68 and 91 lbs (LxWxD divided by 19 = lbs. of quartz gravel).

You are correct that four 7kg bags will give you a 2" bed of Flourite but I
would think you would want closer to 3.5". Since you're in Canada, take a
look at Big Al's to see what prices they have for Flourite. I would also
recommend you strengthen your GH and KH by either adding Baking Soda or
crushed Oyster Shells or Coral. A KH of less that 1 degree can allow for pH
swings. Try to get this to around 3 dKH.

I hope this helps.

Tom Bates
Allentown, PA


> Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 18:00:11 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Anthony Law <sulfur at yahoo_com>
> Subject: How much Flourite to buy for 72G BF
>
> Hi all,
>
> Moving in 1 month & finally have an excuse to redo my
> 72G BF.  Having 3-4" of pea size gravel as substrate
> isn't the best setup for plants (ok it was initially
> setup for a fish only tank).
>
> Tank size is 48"x18"x22"h.  Narrower towards the 2
> ends since it's a Bow Front.  Using Seachem's
> recommended usage, seems like I only need 4 x 7kg bags
> (48x18=864; 864/31=28kg):
>
> "Each 7 kg (15.4 lbs) bag is sufficient for about a 2
> inch deep bed in a typical 10 gallon tank. Recommended
> use is 1 kg for about each 200 cm2 (31 in2) of tank
> bottom."
>
> 1) Am I reading this correctly?  I only need to setup
> a 2" bed (4 x 7kg bags) & not 3"-4"?
>
> 2) Initially this will still be a slow growth, low
> light (110W PC or 1.5 wpg) & DIY CO2 tank until I have
> money to upgrade.  I assume I should still do a proper
> setup & put in an iron rich substrate, correct?
>
> 3) My plan is to use pure Flourite (thanks to previous
> advices from this list), but should have no problem
> using Onyx because tap water is <1GH & <1KH.  My final
> choice will purely be based on total cost (ie cost for
> X bags of Flourite vs Y bags of Onyx).  Is this logic
> flawed?
>
> 4) LFS in Vancouver, BC sells Flourite at Cdn$35/bag
> so with 14.5% taxes & current exchange rate, it's
> about US$30/bag.  Is that reasonable?  If not, does
> anyone know where I can get it cheaper in the
> Vancouver or maybe Seattle area?
>
> Thanks a bunch,
>
> Anthony.
>