Will freshwater plants grow in a sand substrate?

[ferco]

hi there; pretty much what it says in the title lol.
thinking about starting up a new aquarium-probably about 15-20gallons with freshwater an a dwarf puffer fish- and maybe a few ottos... now i just wanted to know can anyone recommend a good couple of plants that will grow well and prosper in a sand substrate in freshwater and will actually hopefully attract some small snails lol - to feed my puffer
thanks so much

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

Sand is one of the best substrates I can think of. Make sure to add some substrate fertilizer to it, and you will be all set BTW: Do not wash the sand for the bottom half of your substrate, and the natural clay will also help your plants

HarleyK

 

[WyldFya]

Sand is a great substrate. One thing that is very important though, is that you do not use a larger grain for the lower parts. Layered plant substrates must go from smallest grain size, to largest on the top. If you do not do this, you will have several gasses build up in the gravel, without an easy way to escape, and some can be very harmful to water quality, the fish, or the plants.

 

[davo]

it depends. if it is just sand or layered. try these links, it comes up a lot http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31814&highlight=piranha+sand

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44682&highlight=sand

 

[ferco]

wow thanks all for that and thanks for the links!

 

[chibi]

Sand is the best substrate to let plants grow in. The best for a planted tank is fine lime-free sand. You can get nutrient additives as well to fertilize the plants.