how much substrate to buy?

[kayoko]

i'm planning a tank setup and i need to figure out the substrate for my plants. for a 36 by 18 inch tank bottom, how many inches of substrate would i need, and roughly how many 20lb bags would that translate to

[boomer]

The depth of substrate you'll need largely depends on the plants you plan to keep. I've got a 40g tank with the same base dimensions as yours, and I've found that about 1.5 inches of play sand works well when spread evenly. Of course, you can adjust the depth in different areas - I've got more sand near the back where my larger plants are, and less towards the front where it's about an inch deep.

I picked up a 50-pound bag of play sand and still have some leftover, but it's always a good idea to have some extra on hand for future adjustments. My cories can be pretty rough on the substrate with their feeding habits, so it's nice to have some spare.

What kind of substrate are you thinking of using? And what fish do you have or plan on keeping? The type of substrate is really more important for the fish than the plants - while plants can grow in just about anything, some fish have very specific needs when it comes to their substrate.

[kayoko]

The depth of substrate you'll need largely depends on the plants you plan to keep. I've got a 40g tank with the same base dimensions as yours, and I've found that about 1.5 inches of play sand works well when spread evenly. Of course, you can adjust the depth in different areas - I've got more sand near the back where my larger plants are, and less towards the front where it's about an inch deep.

I picked up a 50-pound bag of play sand and still have some leftover, but it's always a good idea to have some extra on hand for future adjustments. My cories can be pretty rough on the substrate with their feeding habits, so it's nice to have some spare.

What kind of substrate are you thinking of using? And what fish do you have or plan on keeping? The type of substrate is really more important for the fish than the plants - while plants can grow in just about anything, some fish have very specific needs when it comes to their substrate.

I'm planning a community tank with cories, angels, and red barbs. For substrate, I'm thinking of using black Eco Complete.

[boomer]

The depth of substrate you'll need largely depends on the plants you plan to keep. I've got a 40g tank with the same base dimensions as yours, and I've found that about 1.5 inches of play sand works well when spread evenly. Of course, you can adjust the depth in different areas - I've got more sand near the back where my larger plants are, and less towards the front where it's about an inch deep.

I picked up a 50-pound bag of play sand and still have some leftover, but it's always a good idea to have some extra on hand for future adjustments. My cories can be pretty rough on the substrate with their feeding habits, so it's nice to have some spare.

What kind of substrate are you thinking of using? And what fish do you have or plan on keeping? The type of substrate is really more important for the fish than the plants - while plants can grow in just about anything, some fish have very specific needs when it comes to their substrate.

For a community tank with cories, angels, and red barbs, I'd advise against using Eco-complete. Instead, consider an aquarium river sand or a quality play sand. Quikrete Play Sand from Lowe's or Home Depot is an excellent option, and a 50 lb bag for around five or six dollars should suffice. They offer a buff tone and a dark grey variety - I use the latter, but both work well.

Avoid using so-called "plant" substrates like Eco-complete, as they pose a sharpness issue and bacterial concerns for substrate fish. I learned this the hard way with Flourite in one of my tanks years ago. The cories suffered serious barbel and mouth damage, and the plants didn't benefit from it either. It's safer and more effective to use substrate tabs and/or liquid fertilizer.

As for the fish, I'd reconsider the angel fish. A bonded pair might work, but a group requires at least five individuals and more space. Red barbs, specifically Pethia concLionius, can thrive in a group of 8-10 in this tank size. However, I'd caution against mixing them with sedate fish like cories. A more suitable combination would be a group of cories (12-15) and red barbs.

[boomer]

The depth of substrate you'll need largely depends on the plants you plan to keep. I've got a 40g tank with the same base dimensions as yours, and I've found that about 1.5 inches of play sand works well when spread evenly. Of course, you can adjust the depth in different areas - I've got more sand near the back where my larger plants are, and less towards the front where it's about an inch deep.

I picked up a 50-pound bag of play sand and still have some leftover, but it's always a good idea to have some extra on hand for future adjustments. My cories can be pretty rough on the substrate with their feeding habits, so it's nice to have some spare.

What kind of substrate are you thinking of using? And what fish do you have or plan on keeping? The type of substrate is really more important for the fish than the plants - while plants can grow in just about anything, some fish have very specific needs when it comes to their substrate.

The tank size doesn't change my previous points. Angelfish still need a lot of space, even in a 65-gallon tank. A group won't work in a 3-foot tank, but a bonded pair might. They need to choose their mate from a group and bond, then they'll do well. But otherwise, no. These fish grow big, up to 6 inches in body length and with an 8-inch fin span, and they're territorial, so they need room.

[kayoko]

The depth of substrate you'll need largely depends on the plants you plan to keep. I've got a 40g tank with the same base dimensions as yours, and I've found that about 1.5 inches of play sand works well when spread evenly. Of course, you can adjust the depth in different areas - I've got more sand near the back where my larger plants are, and less towards the front where it's about an inch deep.

I picked up a 50-pound bag of play sand and still have some leftover, but it's always a good idea to have some extra on hand for future adjustments. My cories can be pretty rough on the substrate with their feeding habits, so it's nice to have some spare.

What kind of substrate are you thinking of using? And what fish do you have or plan on keeping? The type of substrate is really more important for the fish than the plants - while plants can grow in just about anything, some fish have very specific needs when it comes to their substrate.

I'm getting 3 angels and I'm hoping one male, one female will pair up - once they do, I'll move the third to my 55.

[cavallo]

I'm worried about the future of these fish if they don't bond or outgrow your tank. You might end up like me, shelling out big bucks for a larger tank. I've got 4 Dojo loaches, and let me tell you, they've exceeded all expectations. Everything I read said they'd top out at 6-8 inches, but I've got three that are 15 inches long and as thick as a quarter, and the fourth is 8 inches long and skinny. They're super active, and I'm pretty sure they're still growing. In the wild, they can reach up to 2 feet long.

I just upgraded to a 90-gallon tank and spent a small fortune on black substrate - $265, to be exact. Now that it's cycling, I'm starting to think I need an even bigger tank, like 120-150 gallons. But I don't have the space on a loadbearing wall. My maintenance guy, who's also a fish enthusiast, showed me the loadbearing walls in my duplex, and I'm stuck with a smaller tank.

I'm going minimal on decorations, just some floating plants and a ball for the loaches to play with. I want to add some platforms for them to spread out on, but I'm struggling to find caves big enough. They love sleeping next to each other, or even on top of each other. I'm trying to come up with more toys, but the tank's not big enough for a tunnel. I've had a fish get stuck in a log before, and it was a nightmare.

I don't build tanks to look pretty; I build them to work for the fish. I don't get why people prioritize foliage over the needs of the fish. It's like they're competing in a botany contest, not an aquarium contest. If we were judging tanks based on the needs of the occupants, I think we'd see a lot more functional tanks. Brown sand, for example, is just ugly - what species looks good with that color?

[boomer]

The depth of substrate you'll need largely depends on the plants you plan to keep. I've got a 40g tank with the same base dimensions as yours, and I've found that about 1.5 inches of play sand works well when spread evenly. Of course, you can adjust the depth in different areas - I've got more sand near the back where my larger plants are, and less towards the front where it's about an inch deep.

I picked up a 50-pound bag of play sand and still have some leftover, but it's always a good idea to have some extra on hand for future adjustments. My cories can be pretty rough on the substrate with their feeding habits, so it's nice to have some spare.

What kind of substrate are you thinking of using? And what fish do you have or plan on keeping? The type of substrate is really more important for the fish than the plants - while plants can grow in just about anything, some fish have very specific needs when it comes to their substrate.

I'd be willing to put my money where my mouth is if we were in the same city - I'm convinced this won't work out for you. Having multiple angelfish, except for a bonded pair, is a recipe for disaster in any tank, let alone a smaller one like yours.

You might get lucky and find a bonded pair in a store tank, but there are no guarantees. I've had success with this approach when it comes to rams, but it's not a foolproof method.

The genetic makeup of angelfish just isn't suited for housing multiple individuals together. Even if you buy a group of six or seven, hoping a pair forms, you'll still be left with the problem of what to do with the excess fish.

I'll post a video that illustrates how angelfish should be housed. It's an 8-foot tank with 11 angelfish, and as you can see, they're constantly interacting, pushing and shoving each other. But they're not attacking each other like they would in a smaller tank with multiple individuals. The owner even mentions in the comments that the tank is too small and they're planning to upgrade.