How much substrate?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
most of the time i see it, its in a 20 lb bag. thats plenty for a 15 gallon. in fact, thats enough to make lots of nice slopes in the tank from short in front, to higher in back.
 
swede;3139140; said:
most of the time i see it, its in a 20 lb bag. thats plenty for a 15 gallon. in fact, thats enough to make lots of nice slopes in the tank from short in front, to higher in back.
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awesome, i didn't think the bag was speaking the truth.. its says,

'' use 2 pounds per gallon. an ideal bed is at least 3 inches. '' - back of bag directions.

that would be 30 pounds of substrate for 15 gallon tank! :irked:
 
you know what, i apologize. i thought you were saying you had a 15 gallon hex. i didn't read the whole thing. but you should still be fine with a 20 lb bag. you won't have as much to work with for sloping, but theres an easy trick. you can go to walmart or some hardware store and buy a bag of pea gravel for filler. just be sure to rinse it very well! it has to be cleaned well, or else it could cloud the tank. after rinsing, take some and begin to layer the bottom of the tank and slope it as desired. then, add eco complete on top. problem solved! you will have plenty of eco to top of the pea gravel. just follow the other instructions on the bag, and don't rinse cuz it has plenty of great minerals you want in your tank
 
swede;3139221; said:
you know what, i apologize. i thought you were saying you had a 15 gallon hex. i didn't read the whole thing. but you should still be fine with a 20 lb bag. you won't have as much to work with for sloping, but theres an easy trick. you can go to walmart or some hardware store and buy a bag of pea gravel for filler. just be sure to rinse it very well! it has to be cleaned well, or else it could cloud the tank. after rinsing, take some and begin to layer the bottom of the tank and slope it as desired. then, add eco complete on top. problem solved! you will have plenty of eco to top of the pea gravel. just follow the other instructions on the bag, and don't rinse cuz it has plenty of great minerals you want in your tank
Click to expand...


cool thanks for tips! do u think 40 lbs of eco-complete would be too much?

or should i just stick with the 20 lbs?
how deep should it be?
for the following:

- java moss
- java fern
- Hygrophila Polysperma. aka Miramar weed. aka. Indian water weed.
- Wendtii
- Crypts

thanks
 
really, its personal preference. eco complete isnt that cheap though, especially if you're getting it shipped. you can start off with the 20 lb. bag and see how you like it. the lighting and CO2 will come into play more so than how much eco you add. as long as you have a couple inches for your plants, thats what matters. since you are planting, sand as a first layer would be great too! i just thought of that. its soft enough to let the roots expand. its very cheap. just buy a bag of pool sand instead of pea gravel. your plants will say thank you!
 
swede;3139344; said:
really, its personal preference. eco complete isnt that cheap though, especially if you're getting it shipped. you can start off with the 20 lb. bag and see how you like it. the lighting and CO2 will come into play more so than how much eco you add. as long as you have a couple inches for your plants, thats what matters. since you are planting, sand as a first layer would be great too! i just thought of that. its soft enough to let the roots expand. its very cheap. just buy a bag of pool sand instead of pea gravel. your plants will say thank you!
Click to expand...


do u think 20 lbs would be deep enough without the sand? what do u think of using Seachem Flourite Black Sand instead of the pool sand? :naughty:
 
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