How much live sand would I need to cover the bottom of a 220 gallon tank of at least two inches?

Question

How much would that cost?

I read your answer Larry. I did the equation. 6ft x 2ft =12 12ft x 2 =24

Answer 1

For the health of your tank, nothing is more important then a deep sand bed of a minimum of 3 and as much as six inches. It will act both as a nitrate filter and a supplementary calcium reactor.
Crushed aragonite is one of the best substances of it. As far as how much, I would guess that you need about 100 pounds of it mixed with about 40 pounds of live sand. The aragonite will get broken down and consumed by your salt water (doesn't make the water cloudy) and you may have to 'top it up' annually. Just buy the bags and return what you don't use.
Here is a great article on deep sand beds
http://www.miniaturereef.com/Deep%20Sand%20Beds.htm
http://www.reef-aquarium.net/resources/rocksubstrate/dsb.html

Answer 2

Hmmm... something seems wrong with PenguinMoose's answer...

He said:

**************
"You have the process right, but when you multiplied by two, you multiplied by two feet, not two inches. Soooo.....

72" x 24" = 1728 in. sq.
1728 in. sq. x 2" = 3456 in. cubed

3456/1728 = 2"
************

The problem is at the end of the equation when he divided inches cubed by inches squared and said to get 2 cubic feet of sand. Using his methodology, the answer will be 2 cubic feet every time.

For example lets change your tank size to 1 foot by four feet or 12 inches by 24 inches. I will use the same methodology...

12 X 24 = 288

288 in. sq X 2" = 576 in. cubed

576 / 288 = 2

So again, the answer is 2 even with different dimensions.

Maybe he meant to divide the number by 12 to get 288 feet...

I am curious to know the answer to your question myself!

Answer 3

Use the dimensions of the tank to calculate the volume you are trying to fill. But be sure to use all the same units!

Length x Width = Area (in inches squared)
Area x 2 = Volume (in inches cubed)

You have the process right, but when you multiplied by two, you multiplied by two feet, not two inches. Soooo.....

72" x 24" = 1728 in. sq.
1728 in. sq. x 2" = 3456 in. cubed

3456/1728 = 2

So, go buy 2 cubic feet of sand, more if you want your sand to be slightly deeper.

Answer 4

general rule of thumb that ive always followed is a pound and a half per gallon...or so i would probly say for your tank about 300 pounds maybe alittle more...but like all the others said too it depends on the dimensions of the tank....im just guestimating assuming its a standard size tank. and about the cost, ive always paid a dollar a pound for my live sand

Answer 5

Incomplete information. You have to give us the dimensions of the tank.

length x width = area
area x 2 = depth of sand.

Answer 6

live sand? that is funny to answer your question I dont know but if I catch the sand moving around in my sand box Im running. lol

Answer 7

the bags should tell you how much fill you get out of one bag.