How much?

I am getting a 30 gallon tank and plan on having a pinkbar goby, pistol shrimp and other fish. but those two will be in the sand the most. About how many pounds of sand do I need for about 2 inches worth on the bottom of the tank?

 

If you buy dry sand you will need about 60lbs.

 

There is a sand bed depth calculator on the forum, 3reef.com - Forums for coral reef aquariums, salt water fish, corals, inverts, protein skimmers, aquarium lighting and more - Calculators

 

If you could, maybe mix 40 lbs of dry with 10 lbs of live sand.

 

I'd put like 30-40 lbs

 

She needs 40lbs at the least, 30lbs is too little

 

Live sand is pretty much a waste of money. You are paying for water and bacteria that has sat around and gone dormant or died. Plus there is nowhere near as much bacteria as in the same amount of sand in an established tank.

 

Id go with at least 40 or so pounds. After you add that much, you can then gauge and see if you need to add more. Its a lot easier to add more then remove it

 

ok I got fifty pounds, so hopefully that works

 

50 is ideal IMO.

2in10 is right - Commercial "Livesand" is not worth the money.

Best to get 50lbs of base sand (sugar-size grains are best!) and "seed" it with livesand from a trusted, established DSB.