Substrate question

[squirrelrabbits]

I have been keeping some tiger loaches in a planted tank with a substrate that consists primarily of sand, with some laterite on the bottom layer. The loaches love the sand and dig in it a lot, but the problem is they sometimes bring up the laterite, which is not so great for the water column and really looks terribly messy. I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar problem and how you have handled it. For instance, would it work to re-do the substrate by laying down the laterite layer, cover it with mesh screening and then pouring several inches of sand on top of that? Or will that cause problems for the roots of my plants?

 

[Nospherith]

You could go with flourite instead of laterite. Mesh screening: good idea but if you'd ever want to re-scape the tank then getting the roots untangled and out from the screen might be more trouble than what it's worth.

 

[squirrelrabbits]

I think you're right. I was too cheap to even think about flourite, but now that you mention it, it probably is the best alternative. Thanks!