PLANTS, SOIL, SUBSTRATES

[albirdy]

Okay, first, let me introduce myself:
I am a total, complete newbie to the aquarium thing. (As I have duly noted twice, in my two previous threads).

Minor question:
When you say substrate, what exactly are all of you referring to?
(Remember: there's no such thing as a dumb question!)

Main question(s):
What kind of soil (is this a substrate?), if any, do I use? Can you give me the specifics, the basics, the essentials regarding the answer to this question, please?
(I read somewhere that they used soil underneath the gravel; however, what if you have sand? And is this more harder to clean up? How does this affect my cycling? Is there anything else besides actual soil that would help my plants grow? And would they grow sufficiently if I just leave them in sand?)


Thanks

 

[tyl089]

Hello and welcome

Substrate refer to any material that can cover the bottom of the tank; gravel, sand, pebbles, etc.

If you are interested in planted tanks, go to the planted tank and aquascaping subsection. Has a lot of helpful info for you.

there are specific soils that are used by really dedicated aquascapers for their plants but you should be careful with it, as it can be messy, and you need to know what you are doing.

Good luck.

 

[albirdy]

Thank you so much! I will try and find that subsection now...

I would still like to know if sand will suffice for plant growth, though!

Hello and welcome

Substrate refer to any material that can cover the bottom of the tank; gravel, sand, pebbles, etc.

If you are interested in planted tanks, go to the planted tank and aquascaping subsection. Has a lot of helpful info for you.

there are specific soils that are used by really dedicated aquascapers for their plants but you should be careful with it, as it can be messy, and you need to know what you are doing.

Good luck.

 

[WyldFya]

Read the sticky in the planted section. As far as sand goes, normal sands are good for roots, but bad for nutrients. There are alternatives such as Flourite sand, eco complete, and ADA aquasoil that are all fine grained.

 

[albirdy]

Thanks Wyld, I actually read through a few of your stickies last night; they kept me up until 4AM! Very well written: concise, clear, informative.

Right now, I am cycling my tank.

So, is there a way to make a combination of the beach sand/and the flourite/eco sand you recommend? If not, should I just make a complete transfer? I only started yesterday, so restarting the cycling is not a big deal.

 

[Paullywolly]

I use a pond substrate which is a "clay soil modifier" - basically little crushed bits of clay. It is a cheap alternative to Flourite. Works great for plants as it has fine bits that sink to the bottom. Compacts a bit over time though.

 

[albirdy]

Okay, so I just did some brief skimming on the subject matter. It seems that black fluorite is a good way to go? Not fine sand, but a more thicker-medium approach. How does this sound?

 

[albirdy]

Thanks for sharing, Paul! I'll definitely look into the clay soil modifier. Are there any other cheap alternatives out there that I should be weary of?

I use a pond substrate which is a "clay soil modifier" - basically little crushed bits of clay. It is a cheap alternative to Flourite. Works great for plants as it has fine bits that sink to the bottom. Compacts a bit over time though.

 

[albirdy]

If I were to get a bag of black Eco complete for my 20 gal fresh/cold water tank, do I need to mix this with anything else? Some sites recommending adding fertilizer to the bottom most layer. Would it suffice if I did not do this?

 

[schaadrak]

Whether or not you add fertilizer depends on how high your lighting is and if you add CO2 or not.