Where to buy aragonite in bulk?

[Revision17]

Hello NJReefers!

In the next 2 months or so, I'm going to be setting up a 45 gallon mixed soft coral (just ones that like nutrient rich water)/seagrass/macroalgae tank. However, seagrasses generally like a deep (3" being the minimum) substrate. Now, on the internet, I can usually find aragonite for around $20 for 20-30 pounds.

Going with a 3" substrate, and assuming that sugar sized aragonite is about the same density as solid aragonite:
(18 in) * (36 in) * (3 in) * (2.83 (g / (cm^3))) = 198.755019 pounds

Is there a place in NJ I can pick up this kind of volume cheaply?

 

[malulu]

you can check pet-stop or pet-smart, they do sell them, and i don't think it would cost $198...

 

[DaveK]

I suspect your calculation is a little off. I use about 100 lbs or aragonite sand in my 30 gal reef and get a 4" DSB. I suspect you could do your 45 gal tank with about 150 lbs.

My advice would be to shop around locally, and buy your sand from a good LFS. With a 45 gal tank, it's not going to be that expensive, compared with the total cost of everything.