Planting New Tank

[Ben M]

hi, i have a topic in tropical discussion, about my brothers new tank, and there hasn't been any feedback so it seems a good idea to put a link on here.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/316208-new-tank/
he is trying to choose substrate, possibly cat litter under sand, and also which plants and wood/rocks. tank details are in link, all help welcome.
thanks

 

[flyhawk]

i have heard cat litter can turn into a real mess!!
i would use either eco-complete or flourite with sand
also ada soils are good
try java fern, anubias, and crypts, which are all really easy

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i'll have a look at those, tbh, i was a bit wary of the cat litter. can you mix all of those with sand? or do some go under sand, or are some a complete substrate?

thanks

 

[flyhawk]

all of them can be a complete substrate
ADA is the best, but most expensivve
I use flourite
i have heard good things about eco complete
a cheaper alternative is to buy laterite and do a thin layer under sand
it is a lot cheaper and really good for plants
i have also used laterite

 

[Ben M]

thanks for the help, i'll compare prices, and see which looks the best.
cheers

 

[Truck]

go with Cat litter, it's easy to do, to mess it up you would have to physically mix them together.

I use it and its the best substrate IMO, it constantly gets more nutritious due to the high cation exchange capacity of clay, so it continually takes on nutrients.

1cm of pure clay cat litter capped with sand 4cm at the front sloping to 7 cm at the back and you can't go far wrong, I use it with great success! I wouldn't touch a specific planted substrate ever again!

 

[Ben M]

now i'm confused . are you sure that cat litter won't make a mess. my brother has now decided that he wants small gravel, about 3mm, would this work with cat litter?

and my brother seems in like a massive rush to fill it, but i think he should plan it first. i couldn't fill mine until like April when i got my 4ft a couple of Christmases ago, because my room was being decorated. it was torture.

thanks

 

[Truck]

cat litter won't work with gravel, and it won't make a mess with sand if you fill it up carefully.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, do you think that gravel or sand looks more natural in a tank, and which is better for more fish species?

thanks

 

[Truck]

Sand is the winner, much better for cat fish and other bottom dwelling species

 

[Ben M]

thanks, he thinks that sand looks dirty, because of the fish waste that sits on the top of mine sometimes. is there any way of making it look cleaner. i've heard that corries sift through the sand and bury the fish waste so that you can't see it, and he is getting corries, but i don't think that i can because i have kribs. is that right?

cheers

 

[Nick16]

why not use D.R.L akadama?
its a clay based product similar to cat litter but i have heard it has a slightly better CEC. its used on roads to soak up oil spillages etc. i used it in the tank in my signature (see below) and it worker really well, but substrate isnt the be all and end all. Co2, fertilisers, lighting and filtration/flow all pay a major part in maintaining a healthy planted tank.

 

[Ben M]

hi, just looked at your journal, but i'm not sure which bit is the D.R.L akadama. and where could i buy it, and what sort of price for enough for a tank with a base of 61cm x 41cm? also, would this need capping, or is it a complete substrate? and if it needs capping, how much of the D.R.L akadama, and how much sand on top? the tank has 1.8wpg of t5, and he will be dosing 5ml of tpn+ daily, but no co2, because my mum thinks it is to dangerous to have a co2 cylinder in the house. will plants grow in these conditions?

thanks

 

[Nick16]

the plants will grow fairly well. you could try getting liquid co2? easylife easycarbo or seachem excel are the two main brands.

in my scape its the light brown stuff you can see in the first pic. (it goes darker when wet, as you can see there is a small wet patch) the black gravel is inert and was there just to form the area around my 'islands'. DRL stands for double red line. ts the best stuff for it as it doesnt crumble as well as some of the others. you shouldnt need to cap it, i didnt and my plants grew fine, but you could always try a fine gravel (i would advise against sand as it mixes badly).

depending on the depth you want it and if you cap it you might get away with 14 litres but a bit more would be best.

Click here

thats the stuff i used. From that seller and it was very good. you might either want to sive it first or soak it. (soaking it in a Fert solution would be a very very good idea)

 

[Ben M]

hi, i'm not sure that he wants to use a substrate like that any more, he just wants to go with sand. i think it may be a better idea for me to wait until i know a bit more about this sort of thing, and then try with a future scape. i am currently trying to persuade my parents to let me have a 10 gal planted shrimp tank. i think i'll try it with that if i get it. will plants grow ok without a substrate like this?

thanks for all the advice, i will put it to good use in my future scapes.

cheers