how mutch live sand?

hey guys, i was going to get live sand now i have a 5 gal. bucket of crushed coral. little over 1/2. can i use it as well as live sand? oh buy the way i ave a 55 gal. tank.

 

also do i have to clean the crushed coral

 

anyone, anyone at all

anyone??

 

I do not recommend crushed coral myself for lots of reasons. It depends on how deep of a sandbed you would want. I would recommend around 40lbs of sand but thats my personal opinion b/c i dont like too thick of sand. I used 80lbs in my 125g tank and it was perfect.

 

Dont go with the crushed coral you will regret it most likley in the long run as it can get really dirty. I use sand from home depot called high desert play sand 5 dollars for 50 pounds. no real rule on how much, add as much as you like, i dont like a whole lot of sand so i used two bags in my 180 for a thin layer just to please the eyes!

 

I concur with the others...the LS is a good way to go. I'd say buy it from your LFS or a good place online though. As for how much...I'd say a minimum of 1 lb./gal. for a thinner bed...1.5 lbs./gal. also works well...I've seen considerably deeper beds as well...all depends what's in the tank too...blennies, eels and such enjoy (or need) deeper beds.