12x8x8
- Thread starter convict360
- Start date
You can say that again..
I'm seriously considering ditching "plant substrate" and just using normally substrate while going crazy on the root tabs.The best plant substrate I can get without going online is "fluorite" and that costs a packet! Literally, the small bags down here go for $45-$60 depending on the store (one of the store owners loves me and told me he would give me a bag for $35 but still) I honestly don't know if I can justify it to myself to spend that much money on "plant gravel".
convict360
would it work if I just use normal substrate and used a balls ton of root tabs? Surely $50 bags of substrate aren't a necessity, sure they might help but they can't be absolutely essential... Can they?Before someone links me to Amazon or similar, I really don't like buying online if I can help it, if some feral kid ripped up my expensive gravel I'd end up in prison, and if something sits in my mail box for longer than 15mins, feral kids WILL destroy it. Hence why my online shopping is minimal.
I have grown some plants in substrate without root tabs or ferts. Just get some easy plants or use plants that do not root on substrate
I've got stem plants that grow without fancy gravel or root tabs, but wanted to try my hand at more difficult plants like some of the ludwigia varieties and more challenging sword varieties.
I've actually been looking at Madagascar lace plants and would love one of the smaller varieties as a "centrepiece" for my little 30ltr.
If I'm dedicating an entire tank to nothing but plants, they'll wana be nice plants!
I recommend you guys get yourselves some cat litter
no kidding either, it has a high cacity and will absorb ferts etc that you add to the tank; and also looks pretty good. Cheapest substrate for plants you can buy. Only downside is you'll be pre-washing it for hours to remove colour from it, and I mean HOURS
As someone with more cats than common sense, may I ask what kind of kitty litter? Clay pellets? Clumping clay? Paper pellets? Weird shiny rock/wood looking pellets,? There are a lot of kitty litters out there...I recommend you guys get yourselves some cat litter
We use a paper pellet one (for our cats) called "breeders choice" and somehow I don't think that would do well submerged, as it is if I don't clean the kitty trays every second-third day it turns to a grey mush in the kitty tray. Kinda gross now that I've heard (seen?) myself say it haha
Post Script: gosh I love the smell of rain.. Just thought I'd share that.
the cheapest option i've read of is to use something like Organic Miracle grow, topped off with a some sort of substate such as tiny pebbles to prevent the soil from floating up...
The downside to using methods such as this is it can take a while for the water to clear up from what i've seen, and sometimes just fails??? Although not sure if it has anything to do with choice of substrate...
Anyway, as im sure has been discussed, with any planted tank it comes down to how well a person can balance lighting / substrate / ferts / Co2 levels for specific plants that will ultimately determine whether a planted tank succeeds of fails... Not to mention whether plants prone to melting bounce back or not after being planted...
The downside to using methods such as this is it can take a while for the water to clear up from what i've seen, and sometimes just fails??? Although not sure if it has anything to do with choice of substrate...
Anyway, as im sure has been discussed, with any planted tank it comes down to how well a person can balance lighting / substrate / ferts / Co2 levels for specific plants that will ultimately determine whether a planted tank succeeds of fails... Not to mention whether plants prone to melting bounce back or not after being planted...
As someone with more cats than common sense, may I ask what kind of kitty litter? Clay pellets? Clumping clay? Paper pellets? Weird shiny rock/wood looking pellets,? There are a lot of kitty litters out there...
We use a paper pellet one (for our cats) called "breeders choice" and somehow I don't think that would do well submerged, as it is if I don't clean the kitty trays every second-third day it turns to a grey mush in the kitty tray. Kinda gross now that I've heard (seen?) myself say it haha
Post Script: gosh I love the smell of rain.. Just thought I'd share that.
If using kitty litter, it needs to be non-scented / non-clumping kitty litter... Cant remember the exact type, but im sure convict has you on that one
You can get an 8.8 pound bag of fluval statrum off of bigals for $16, or about $21 Australian.You can say that again..
The best plant substrate I can get without going online is "fluorite" and that costs a packet! Literally, the small bags down here go for $45-$60 depending on the store (one of the store owners loves me and told me he would give me a bag for $35 but still) I honestly don't know if I can justify it to myself to spend that much money on "plant gravel".
Before someone links me to Amazon or similar, I really don't like buying online if I can help it, if some feral kid ripped up my expensive gravel I'd end up in prison, and if something sits in my mail box for longer than 15mins, feral kids WILL destroy it. Hence why my online shopping is minimal.
https://www.bigalspets.com/fluval-stratum.html
As someone with more cats than common sense, may I ask what kind of kitty litter? Clay pellets? Clumping clay? Paper pellets? Weird shiny rock/wood looking pellets,? There are a lot of kitty litters out there...
We use a paper pellet one (for our cats) called "breeders choice" and somehow I don't think that would do well submerged, as it is if I don't clean the kitty trays every second-third day it turns to a grey mush in the kitty tray. Kinda gross now that I've heard (seen?) myself say it haha
Post Script: gosh I love the smell of rain.. Just thought I'd share that.
good point, its the moler clay type I believe
