Flourite, Gravel & PhosGuard Calculations
To calculate the number of bags of Flourite you need, SeaChem told me to allow one 1 kg for every 62 cu. inches (a bag of Flourite is 7 kg). So you can use Desired Volume of Substrate in cubic inches/ 434 The suggested depth for planted
tanks is 3 to 5 inches. (72 x 18 x 5) / 434 =14.9 or 15 bags (231 lbs) |
| For calculating gravel, George
Booth suggests 19 cubic inches per
pound. For our tank that would be: (72 x 18 x 5) / 19 = 341 lbs. |
| BTW, gravel displaces 2.4 gallons per 50 pounds. This is useful in calculating the true water capacity of your aquarium. |
| PhosGuard
calculation. I asked SeaChem about the amount of
PhosGuard to keep in our filter assuming 2 ppm of
phosphate in our tap water and weekly water changes of
20-25%:
"1 liter of PhosGuard treats 300 gallons and will remove anywhere from 40-60 mg/L of phosphate in that volume of water. So at only 2 mg/L in 135 gallons you should be able to use around 250 mL (1 cup) of PhosGuard in your system and it will most likely last you 3-4 months if your tap is the only source of excess phosphate. PhosGuard will not take up the iron or trace elements." Using this example, you should be able to
approximate the amount of Phosguard and the time it
should last for your tank, tap phosphate and water change
schedule. |