Best Substrate For Planted Tank?

[14gtr14]

I am in the process of setting up a 4 foot x 1.5 foot x 1 foot aquarium for my first attempt at keeping a planted tank + fish.

I need some advice for what substrate to use. I want dark gravel/substrate to contrast the fish and want good substrate to hold enough minerals for a fully planted tank. I have heard that flouite and eco-complete are good, but i do not have that sort of money to spend as i would need at least 2-3 bags of the stuff costing a total of £50+ pounds!!

I have also heard that cactus compost can be good under gravel.

What do you think about "JBL AquaBasis plus" or "TetraPlant Complete Substrate"??

I really need some help here as i am settng up a fully planted tank, but do not have the kind of money to splash out on eco-complete ....unless someone knows where to get it in the Uk at the American prices?

please help it would be greatly appreciated

 

[sacramonel]

I have used the Ecocomplete in my 45 gallon tank. I must say that it has done wonders. Plants are growing exponentially, and all this with a DIY C02 and low lighting.

 

[14gtr14]

I have used the Ecocomplete in my 45 gallon tank. I must say that it has done wonders. Plants are growing exponentially, and all this with a DIY C02 and low lighting.

ye i have heard great reviews about it, but i just don't have the money to splash on it at Uk prices.

any ideas where i can get this stuff at US prices (£10-15 per pack)

or any cheap substrates that are nearly as good or as good as eco-complete

 

[Spader]

im jsut going to use sand in my planted tank im setting up in about 2 weeks. i have the plants already though.

 

[ChrisC]

For a planted tank substrate, don't look any further than ADA's Aqua Soil. Look at all the experts - Amano, Tom Barr etc, they have unlimited access to any substrate they want and yet they all use ADA Aqua Soil. Absolutely brilliant stuff, not cheap, but the extra £20 upfront cost pays off infinitely with plant growth.

I'm experimenting with cactus compost, which, along with topsoil, is good for low-maintenance style tanks but not good for high light Co2 tanks.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[14gtr14]

For a planted tank substrate, don't look any further than ADA's Aqua Soil. Look at all the experts - Amano, Tom Barr etc, they have unlimited access to any substrate they want and yet they all use ADA Aqua Soil. Absolutely brilliant stuff, not cheap, but the extra £20 upfront cost pays off infinitely with plant growth.

I'm experimenting with cactus compost, which, along with topsoil, is good for low-maintenance style tanks but not good for high light Co2 tanks.

Thanks,
Chris

thanks alot, i have seen your tank development on another post, looks great. How many 9 litre packs of the aqua soil would i need for my tank (4 foot by 1 foot)?

the reason i'm on a tight budget is that i'm still at school so i really cannot afford to set up my tank with substrate that is mega expensive.

any suggestions of how i can get around this problem would be great, thanks in advance

 

[ChrisC]

thanks alot, i have seen your tank development on another post, looks great. How many 9 litre packs of the aqua soil would i need for my tank (4 foot by 1 foot)?

Umm, not too sure. You could work it out mathmatically:

V = Volume of substrate
Vt = Volume of tank in litres
D = Depth of Substrate wanted in inches (I'd say 2-3")
Dt = Depth of Entire Tank in inches

X = Dt / D

V = Vt / X

Now, I think that works out right. So in your tank 120 x 45 x 30, assuming lets say you want a 3" thick layer of aqua soil thats:

X = 45 / 7.5

V = 162 / 6 = 27ltrs

So that's 27ltrs of Aqua Soil i.e. 3 full 9 ltr bags. Ouch, thats not cheap!

A good scource of all ADA stuff is aquaessentials.co.uk . That'll cost you almost £80 though in substrate alone! However, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't bags of eco-complete only about 7 kilos? That's about 5ltrs right?

the reason i'm on a tight budget is that i'm still at school so i really cannot afford to set up my tank with substrate that is mega expensive.

lol, same here, that's what made me go low tech. When you start adding costs up it gets scary:

External Filter - £50
Fertilizer - £10
Lights - £50
CO2 - £30 (DIY)
Hood - £10
Substrate - £80
Plants - £40

any suggestions of how i can get around this problem would be great, thanks in advance

I do have one potential solution. Buy yourself a copy of 'The Ecology Of The Planted Aquarium' by Diana Walstad. Read it cover to cover. Not only will this infitely increase your knowledge of planted tanks, plant care, tank maintenance etc, but it will put forward the outlines of a style of tank keeping which does away with fertilizers, large frequent water changes, external filters, CO2, huge amounts of light etc etc. Heres the absolute total list of things I've bought and need to buy for my tank:

Substrate (cactus compost and sand) - £10
Lights - £20
Hood - £10 (DIY)
Food - £5 (the walstad principle relies heavily on fish food)
Heater - £10
Fans - £5

I'm not joking, that's it. 8) The other thing is that you do much less water changes, the guy who is helping me hasn't done a water change in 6 months!

Hope that's of some help.

Thanks
Chris

 

[14gtr14]

sounds absolutely amazing! can this be done even with a large tank and alot of plants? where'd you get this book? do you think i would find it in a good book shop like blackwells? thanks for your help, i really appreciate it!

 

[ChrisC]

http/www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...5364829-6134818

You can probably find it cheap second hand.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[14gtr14]

ye i checked amaon 5 mins ago. i think i'll buy this and have a read through it, thanks again!

 

[ChrisC]

Cool. You have PM

 

[craynerd]

For a planted tank substrate, don't look any further than ADA's Aqua Soil. Look at all the experts - Amano, Tom Barr etc, they have unlimited access to any substrate they want and yet they all use ADA Aqua Soil. Absolutely brilliant stuff, not cheap, but the extra £20 upfront cost pays off infinitely with plant growth.

Although it looks the bees knees, i would like to point out that it may not be for everyone.
I am sure gf225 does not mind if i quote him from another thread when he posted this to me:

A word of caution with AS - it affects water chemistry as fair bit, especially with v. soft water. It also dissolves very slowly so changing the substrate every 12 months or so will be necessary. This isn't as bad as it sounds as substrates in a high-growth setup will become sour with high oxygen depletion rates resulting in lower growth rates and potential algae issues. So changing the substrate is a good thing and it also gives you the opportunity to implement any new aquascaping ideas.

I think Aqua Soil will be too expensive for your low budget setup, but it was just something to consider, should you have decided to splash out.

Regardless, i still feel it will be my best option and i am therefore going to use it.


I would like to comment on my current substrate which i think has worked perfectly well. INFACT i would go as far to say that, i dont really know why i am changing from this combination in my next layout...other than moving with the trend!!!! Sad but true!!

Anyway, i used Tetra Aquatic compost with silversand over the top. It has worked fantastically, has not migrated a great deal (considering the amount of remodeling i have done) and been relatively easy to work with. I have said a few times on this forum i would not use sand again, but as i near to the end of my tanks life, i have been very happy with the results!!!

Regards
Chris

 

[craynerd]

...........

 

[14gtr14]

thanks for all your help as it's extremely helpful to me, keep it coming

i used Tetra Aquatic compost

i thought this was for ponds??

is it ok to use in aquariums? what about the tetra complete substrate?

 

[NAL]

Hi

I personally wouldn't use Flouite again and would advise others to steer clear of it. I'm using ADA Aquasoil at the mo, and will use this again from the experience I've had so far with it. Something else you might try is Deponit by Dennerle-it has clay and peat in it, and so is ideal for providing a first flush of nutrients plus longer term nutrient storage capacity because of the clay. It may also be more in your price bracket. Tetra Aquatic compost might be a similar thing to Deponit-sounds like a first class recommendation too.

What I would say to you is ensure whatever you use, you get enought for a really generous, thick substrate bed, even if it means saving that little bit longer-you really will feel the benefit in the long run!

Good luck with it.

Nick