Can plants grow with enough nutrients in sand?

[SilverDollar_03]

Title says it all. I want to get pure sand substrate for a planted dwarf puffer tank, and am wondering if this would work! Would I need to add fertilizers, or is that neccesary with all live plants??

 

[SilverDollar_03]

cmon guys ive waited almost 24 hours. this is sad. 8 people looked, and no help. CMON!

 

[Yeaulman]

ok from my knowledge, I used the epoxy covered gravel from the lps and my plants have done well. I just used the liquid aquarium plant fertilizer and they grew out of control lol. So I guess sand would be the same with little or no nutrients. That is just my opinion B)

 

[smithrc]

they will be fine - normal plant growing perils will apply though. eg CO2 and fertilizer may well be needed. and correct lighting.

we have sand under our gravel.
other have planted sand tank and all it good.

 

[Silly me]

you'll just have to add fertilizer stick or tablets to the roots.

but sand works fine..

IME it not the substrate that limits your plant growth but the nutrients you provide them, if its a nutrient rich substrate, or you use fertilizer, the amount of maintance/cost is upto you.

 

[SoilGuru]

I have a 10 gallon sand substrate planted tank I did to see how well it would work.


However, I used a little bit of flourite as a base and then the sand above that. Initially, some of my plants looked droopy, I added fertilizer and after a week or so they were fine, I have a feeling it was a case where the roots hadn't come across the flourite yet.

With only sand and nothing else, I definitly think you would need to add fertilizer (liquid or sticks) and probably might want to add CO2. I think its a little tougher, but definitly do able.

 

[SilverDollar_03]

Hmmm...ok. i might put a bit of flourite on the bottom but ill decide later. it doesnt matter i guess as long as you add fertilizer. however, the whole co2 deal, i dont want to get into that....would it be ok to avoid that, because that seems to troublesome and complicated.

 

[Paul_MTS]

I thought that at first but if you look at hagen Nutrfin co2 unit you couldn't get much simplier and I'm going after one for my tank. It's just a bottle which you adds the bits and bobs to put the difuser in your tank with a tube and then bobs your uncle you have co2!!

www.hagen.com

 

[Da_Oz]

Plants grow great in sand in the wild. Like in lakes. I have a 40g breeder tank that is sand bottom that I grow swords in. But I high dose them with fertilizer. And ever so often I put in a jobs plant spike.

 

[Silly me]

You can go without CO2.. not to much fertilizer not to much light.

and all will go well. CO2 in a tank allows plant to grow much faster, making it hard for algae to keep up.. just make sure CO2 is not the limiting growth factor in the tank, to prevent algae taking over..

 

[Colin_BC]

I thought that at first but if you look at hagen Nutrfin co2 unit you couldn't get much simplier and I'm going after one for my tank. It's just a bottle which you adds the bits and bobs to put the difuser in your tank with a tube and then bobs your uncle you have co2!!

www.hagen.com

I use the Nutrafin Natural CO2 system with absolutely no problems. It' simple. You add sugar to reach the first line in the HOB canister, add the activator and stabalizer packets, fill with water to the second line, screw the cap on, attach the diffuser and put it in the tank and then forget about it for one month. Repeat. I've had no pH swings or any other weird stuff. The bubble diffuser is quite hypnotizing as well

Colin

 

[nightlife20]

iv got the same one... but i dont add the bits na bobs, i just use sugar and yeast


i agree... the defuser is hypnotizin... one of my flame tetra was wachin the bubbles the other night... drifting slowly up with them