EcoEarth brick to sand ratio

[crabby_D]

I have been searching but can't find this information so I am hoping someone can chime in.
Is 5:1 sand:coco fiber a 50Lb. bag of play sand to 1 brick? I bought the brick that absorbs approximately 4 quarts (1 gal) of water...

I think that is what I read, I am having a hard time with the 5:1 and the DRIED compressed product.

Thanks.

[Crabinski]

The 5:1 ratio is simply 5 parts play sand to 1 part moistened EcoEarth so the exact amount of each will depend on the size of the tank you're filling and the desired depth of the substrate.

[crabby_D]

Thanks so much! I thought I had read somewhere someone estimated how much sand was appropriate to mix with a brick of EcoEarth for the correct ratio. I suppose I am just being lazy, not wanting to measure it out. LOL

[Crabinski]

The 5:1 ratio is what many crabbers use but it's not a hard and fast rule. For my 29g, I used pretty much 50/50 and it works perfectly! The resulting mix looks more like soil as it's fairly dark but it has maintained sandcastle consistency for the past 13 months with no misting.

[JulesRolyCrab]

I'm pretty sure for my 10gal tank I did nearly a full brick to nearly the 50lbs of sand. So maybe one whole brick to almost the whole bag, give or take depending on personal preference. Good luck!

[soilentgringa]

I do about 1/2 a brick per 50lb bag. I have 250 lbs of sand in my 55.

[orangefire]

Is the 5:1 ratio by volume or weight? Example 5 buckets of sand to 1 bucket of eco, or 5 pounds of sand to 1 pound of eco? One or the other will get you vastly different ratios..

[aussieJJDude]

I think I speak for most, but when I set up a tank and to the ratio thing it was by volume. HCA normally recommended by volume, as its easier to measure out a scoop then it is to weigh a sample!

However, I'm a firm believer that the ratio mix isn't a big deal; its the substrate depth that will be more important. True some crabs seem to dig in a certain area (depending on ratio, moisture and even temp) but honestly most will just dig down (anywhere) until they find their "happy place" to moult.