Sand Depth & Egg Crate

[Sixo]

So I’m looking for a little advice on sand quantities & depth.

My new tank is a 4ft Juwel Rio 350 which has the following dimensions:



As it stands I’ll be transferring roughly 20kg of sand from my existing setup, which I know probably won’t be enough, I just trying to work out how many kilos of sand would give a decent coverage.

When I bought the tank the seller also gave me some egg crate with it, although I’m not sure if I actually need this?

I’ve never used it before, I’ll mostly be using bogwood and the odd rock or two. But I wasn’t sure if
1) it’s ok to have egg crate underneath sand with corydoras snuffling about.

And

2) would the egg crate cause harmful bacteria pockets of sand?

[Stephen]

Hi Bri

I'm using 40kg of sand on my 425L which gives me a nice depth (deeper at the rear).
I would suggest approx 30kg would give a similar effect on your Juwel 350L.
As I have some live plants then I also have a 1cm layer of Tropica Substrate (previously called plant substrate) under the sand.

I'm not using 'egg crate'.
Egg crate is great if your using heavy objects such as large stones as it helps distribute the weight and protect the base glass.
I would say if you can lift your rocks with one hand then egg crates are not necessary as they'll sit on the sand.

All the best

[Andys temperate tank]

I've had egg crate under my substrate for over 2 years Sixo. Mine has some large pieces of bogwood cable tied to it. Never had a problem.

[VikingMummy2015]

I have egg crate for under my rocks, never had any issues with it and my cories weren’t fazed by it at all. I like the reassurance of protecting the bottom from scratches.

[Sixo]

If the egg crate hadn’t came with the tank I probably wouldn’t have even thought to use some, I don’t have overly heavy rocks but it would probably help me prop-up and angle bogwood and stuff.

I’ve never really gotten into planting so I’m not too bothered about depth for soils and planting, if anything I might try a Cryptocoryne or two which I could try with some flourish tabs but other than that it’ll probably just be moss and easy floaters.

Will have a wee look about at sands I can top-up with, I’m using the Barlows sand but I can only see it available in 25Kg bags which is way more than I need.

[LookoutTrout]

20Kg of sand will give you a nice covering and hide the egg crate if you use it. I used to have sand stacked to 6" at the back and only once noticed a rotten egg whiff, mostly it just released CO2. If it isn't enough then it's easy enough to add more later on.
In the end I levelled my sand by removing a lot as the tank is seen from both sides and a stack of sand against the glass didn't look great.

[VikingMummy2015]

If the egg crate hadn’t came with the tank I probably wouldn’t have even thought to use some, I don’t have overly heavy rocks but it would probably help me prop-up and angle bogwood and stuff.

I’ve never really gotten into planting so I’m not too bothered about depth for soils and planting, if anything I might try a Cryptocoryne or two which I could try with some flourish tabs but other than that it’ll probably just be moss and easy floaters.

Will have a wee look about at sands I can top-up with, I’m using the Barlows sand but I can only see it available in 25Kg bags which is way more than I need.

I used the full 25Kg bag of Barlows in my 240L tank. I don’t use any root tabs and my cryptocoryne ballansae thrives on the neglect .

[Sixo]

[/quote]

I used the full 25Kg bag of Barlows in my 240L tank. I don’t use any root tabs and my cryptocoryne ballansae thrives on the neglect .
[/quote]

This is music to my ears always wanted to try Ballansae looks really cool and unique.

I’m just going to top-up with a some sand I can easily pickup locally. I just rinsed out a little bit of spare Barlows sand I had there and forgot how much hard work it was to get tank-ready, I reckon I’m about 3 grains of spilled sand away from divorce so I’ll opt for something more cost effective .

@Stephen how was your MA Speckled Sand for rinsing bud? Looks lovely in your new tank.

If all else fails might just get a little pack of Unipac Limpopo, remember that took next to no cleaning and would maybe darken things down a shade.

[fr499y]

I’ve used amtra sand for the past few years, hardly any washing needed and they do it in a few different natural colours/sizes.

[Stephen]

@Stephen how was your MA Speckled Sand for rinsing bud? Looks lovely in your new tank.

I am really pleased with the MA Speckled Sand as will the cory.
I bought 40kg for my 425L aquarium.
Rinsing took a while but was worth it (in my opinion) even with my bad back and other ailments.
I often say "no pain, no gain".
It wasn't completely clear after rinsing but hasn't gone cloudy in the aquarium, the water is crystal clear.