substrate

[Gman91]

what kind of substrate is best for a 40 gallon heavily planted discus aquarium? tank is soon to be set up

 

[Mr.Geoff]

i would do either eco-complete or flourite. i have my discus on flourite. i think it loosk the best

 

[spinnerbayt]

If you don't want to drop the $$$ on Eco or Flourite look into getting some Soil Master, Turface, or Sultz aquatic potting soil. All the above work and if money isn't an issue go with the Eco or Flourite. And if you want what some call the "best" look into the ADA Aquasoil.

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

I'd use some laterite and sand ... old school

if you want what some call the "best" look into the ADA Aquasoil.

I have to mention that I once used that on my 80 gal. It takes weeks for the water chemistry to equilibrate, which I didn't know at the time. Hardness went down to zero within a day, predisposing the system for a pH crash. I changed 60 gal daily for at least a couple of weeks... Then came red algae, later blue/green. I threw ADA out after one year of desperately trying to get it to work ... Don't get me wrong, Amano shows us how nicely it can work, it just didn't work for me.

HarleyK

 

[JArtiles305]

Really depends on what time of setup you want and how much you want to spend.

 

[MikeVance]

Howdy,

I'd use some laterite and sand ... old school



I have to mention that I once used that on my 80 gal. It takes weeks for the water chemistry to equilibrate, which I didn't know at the time. Hardness went down to zero within a day, predisposing the system for a pH crash. I changed 60 gal daily for at least a couple of weeks... Then came red algae, later blue/green. I threw ADA out after one year of desperately trying to get it to work ... Don't get me wrong, Amano shows us how nicely it can work, it just didn't work for me.

HarleyK

Works fine for me
I use laterite & sand where heavy planting is and top it off with some colored stones