Substrate Maintenance

[DeLgAdO]

You can dose liquid ferts, and also lay off vacuuming the substrate and let the detritus collect in it as this will also provide nutrients for the plants..

thats not nessesarily a good thing ......

 

[JardiniBoy]

thats not nessesarily a good thing ......

Hi

Would you mind expanding on that?

 

[DeLgAdO]

Hi

Would you mind expanding on that?

the detritus would end up making the substrate anerobic and suffocate the root system of the plants, also the detritus in the substrate would end up as a nitrate factory. but you may think that this is a good thing, the fact is that plants wont touch nitrate as they prefer the ammonium form, and high nitrate levels will in fact kill your plants.

 

[JardiniBoy]

the detritus would end up making the substrate anerobic and suffocate the root system of the plants

Don't plants take up gases through pores in their leaves?

also the detritus in the substrate would end up as a nitrate factory. but you may think that this is a good thing, the fact is that plants wont touch nitrate as they prefer the ammonium form, and high nitrate levels will in fact kill your plants.

I've read my suggestion of letting detritus collect in the substrate from many planted tank sources. Now I'm not talking about a monster tank with a few plants (this tank will already have high nitrates), but a heavily planted tank with CO2 and lots of light.

You're correct that the ammonia will be absorbed first, but when there's none left, the nitrates will be absorbed too.

 

[DeLgAdO]

Don't plants take up gases through pores in their leaves?



I've read my suggestion of letting detritus collect in the substrate from many planted tank sources. Now I'm not talking about a monster tank with a few plants (this tank will already have high nitrates), but a heavily planted tank with CO2 and lots of light.

You're correct that the ammonia will be absorbed first, but when there's none left, the nitrates will be absorbed too.

the root system needs to breath too.

and plants do absorb nitrate, but very little nitrate though.

I've read my suggestion of letting detritus collect in the substrate from many planted tank sources. Now I'm not talking about a monster tank with a few plants (this tank will already have high nitrates), but a heavily planted tank with CO2 and lots of light.

how lightly stocked are we talking about? like 20 neons afew corys and some rummy nose tetras in a 75 gal?

not to shabby , id vaccum once a month though for good measure.