Sand or Gravel-1st planted

[xboroinc]

THis will b my first planted tank. i have taken all of my fish besides discuss.2 cloun louch. 1 tire track and a pictus car (sry for the spelling) i think they would love a nice planted tank with the driftwood i have. i am only looking to have about 3 plants to start off with n see how that goes. i want to do should i use sand or gravel? or should i use sand with like large gravel on top but not to much so u cnt see the sand.??? if i go just gravel it will b small grain.
YOUR IDEAs¿??thnx

 

[xboroinc]

bump

 

[Deaths Sting]

THis will b my first planted tank. i have taken all of my fish besides discuss.2 cloun louch. 1 tire track and a pictus car (sry for the spelling) i think they would love a nice planted tank with the driftwood i have. i am only looking to have about 3 plants to start off with n see how that goes. i want to do should i use sand or gravel? or should i use sand with like large gravel on top but not to much so u cnt see the sand.??? if i go just gravel it will b small grain.
YOUR IDEAs¿??thnx

u should state what plants u wish to grow. if ur new to planted aquariums like myself u should stick to plants like hygrophila polysperma, java fern/moss and anubias. there's lots of other plants u could grow too. heres a link to find some that are right for u:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/

as for substrate u could use specific plant substrate like eco-complete and ADA aqua soil or even flourite soil. what a lot of people do including myself is use a fine substrate for a bottom layer and then use a bulkier substrate for the top layer. however, its easier to '' carpet '' when the top layer is not bulk gravel....i wish i knew this before i started my PT. it doesn't seem like u want to carpet so its up to u what u want to use.

u could use inert sand or gravel as well but it would be a good idea to use root fert tabs.

its up to u and ur budget what u want to have.

lighting is the most important thing in a planted tank, u should really focus on that as well. it shouldn't be to hard if u pick the right plants.

 

[xboroinc]

thnx. yeah i dnt no what plants i want yet. i have the compact floresant. for lighting. i want to layer it but only sand then a gravel on top...i am going to root my plants into the sand and then put gravel around that...thnx

 

[Deaths Sting]

thnx. yeah i dnt no what plants i want yet. i have the compact floresant. for lighting. i want to layer it but only sand then a gravel on top...i am going to root my plants into the sand and then put gravel around that...thnx

saying u have compact florescent lighting that doesn't tell anyone a lot...be specific... its like u asking me what type of dog i have and i say.. a black one...

answer these questions about ur lighting

what is the wattage?

how many bulbs does it have?

what is the Kelvin rating?

who makes is?

how long is it?

also what are the dimensions of ur tank?

u should read the stickys here their very helpful! also surfing Google is great too!! u should look at the stikys on the link i gave u as well. u don't have to but its nice to know a little bit about growing aquatic plants. once again if u choose the right plants u won't need to worry a lot about things.. i.e. enough light, ferts, Co2. lighting is important though.. but not huge if u choose low light plants. with all that said ur light will probably end up being okay as long as u listen/read .

 

[xboroinc]

any one els ? sand or gravel ????

 

[xboroinc]

or should i put a layer of sand and a thin layer of gravel over ???? ideas please

 

[Deaths Sting]

or should i put a layer of sand and a thin layer of gravel over ???? ideas please

did u read the stickies? did u check out the link? did u even listen to a word i said.....

lol so whats ur lighting? care to answer my questions? if not ur not gonna get anywhere..... the substrate doesn't matter as much as lighting... i told u whats available and what u need to do if u choose inert gravel/sand .. now help yourself by responded to what i said. don't say u have florescent lighting, like i said before that says nothing!! u need to have proper lighting to support plant life. ur substrate wont matter if ur lighting is crap, ur plants will just die.

also have u chosen what plants u want to use?!?!

u cant expect anyone to tell u specific substrate with out knowing the plants that are going in it!

plan for ur plants first then ur lighting then ur substrate and remember certain plants need a certain level of light to survive.

understand?

if so search though here and choose some u would like to grow

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...c/plantfinder/

then tell us what they are and people can help u plan for them...

 

[Lupin]

I prefer sand over gravel. Just my choice, of course.

 

[I'mHooked]

I have a ten gallon planted aquarium and used regular old gravel (2/3mm in size), but I mixed in a 20oz box of laterite with it and added flourish root tabs. Sand is easier if you want a carpet effect, as it helps smaller plants root easier. But with my gravel and the additives in it, as well as regular fertz and co2 injection, my plants grow out of the tank (literally).

However, if I had a chance to go back I would most likely purchase Flourite or eco-complete as my substrate. They're both nutrient rich and are going to substantially help the health of heavier root feeders.

Like Deaths Sting said though, YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO LIGHTING. NONE OF THE ABOVE WILL MATTER WITH CRAPPY/INADEQUATE LIGHTING!!!

If you have any questions about the above, just PM me or post here.