Substrate

[AquaBarb]

Hi TTF,

I have a planted tank.

Under my substrate (sand) i have Tetra complete plant fertiliser which is doing a good job but with it being red and my sand black it can look messy if i disturb the top layer (Spending to alot of time tidying the red bits up). OCD

Now im thinking of putting my fish in QT and changing the tank floor.

Going to do sand again but minus the fertiliser. Would just sand with root tabs and liquid fertiliser work as good?

 

[AbbeysDad]

Works for me! I have 3-4" of pool filter sand. I've used root tabs sparingly as well as liquid ferts once in awhile.

60g Marineland, pool filter sand substrate, 48" Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 LED running in 24/7 mode from 6am till midnight, 2 Aquaclear 70 HOB filters filled with sponge material. All living plants, 1 fake hollow log <g>

 

[Byron]

Hi TTF,Going to do sand again but minus the fertiliser. Would just sand with root tabs and liquid fertiliser work as good?

In my view, yes, inert sand with appropriate fertilizer(s) is just as good, perhaps even better when one considers the detriments like you mention. Having said that, I am going by my experience with Seachem's Flourite. Eco-complete has been described similarly to Flourite. These do not benefit plants in any way that I could see, and I had the same plants before and after the two year trial of Flourite.

Substrate tabs like Seachem's Flourish Tabs will certainly benefit larger plants, such as swords, lilies, aponogeton, etc. Some people cut them in half and spread them around other smaller plants; I've never done this as I use a liquid comprehensive supplement for non-substrate rooted plants (floating, Anubias, Java Moss and Java Fern, etc). My swords were much better with the tabs every 3 months than they had been with Flourite for two years.

 

[AquaBarb]

Works for me! I have 3-4" of pool filter sand. I've used root tabs sparingly as well as liquid ferts once in awhile.

60g Marineland, pool filter sand substrate, 48" Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 LED running in 24/7 mode from 6am till midnight, 2 Aquaclear 70 HOB filters filled with sponge material. All living plants, 1 fake hollow log <g>

Thats great! Thanks Abbeysdad. Good to know it can work aswel as that

Lovely tank you have there

 

[AquaBarb]

In my view, yes, inert sand with appropriate fertilizer(s) is just as good, perhaps even better when one considers the detriments like you mention. Having said that, I am going by my experience with Seachem's Flourite. Eco-complete has been described similarly to Flourite. These do not benefit plants in any way that I could see, and I had the same plants before and after the two year trial of Flourite.

Substrate tabs like Seachem's Flourish Tabs will certainly benefit larger plants, such as swords, lilies, aponogeton, etc. Some people cut them in half and spread them around other smaller plants; I've never done this as I use a liquid comprehensive supplement for non-substrate rooted plants (floating, Anubias, Java Moss and Java Fern, etc). My swords were much better with the tabs every 3 months than they had been with Flourite for two years.

Thanks Bryon,

This as made my mind up for sure to go ahead and remove the substrate fertiliser.

So if put some root tabs under my swords and other rooted plants every 3 months or so how often should i put liquid ferts in?

Do you use Co2?

 

[Byron]

So if put some root tabs under my swords and other rooted plants every 3 months or so how often should i put liquid ferts in?

The two are quite different in how they work, in terms of the time. The substrate tabs like Flourish Tabs are slow-release so they last 3-4 months and nutrients are released to be taken up by plant roots nearby. Plants also take up some nutrients exclusively through their leaves, and non-substrate rooted plants obviously need all their nutrients in the water column. The number of plants, and the species (growth rate), and the light, all factor in. Plus the naturally-occurring nutrients. I fertilize once a week, the day following the water change, and usually slightly under the recommended single dose, though this depends again upon the other factors. Less is better than too much, as the latter only means problem algae.

The day following the WC is due to the effect of most conditioners to detoxify heavy metals. Some of these, like iron, copper, zinc, manganese, are plant nutrients, and there is no point in negating them after adding them. And most conditioners are only effective for 24-36 hours.

Do you use Co2?

No, never. The breakdown of organics in the substrate is the primary source of natural CO2, and in low-tech or natural planted tanks you need to balance this with the light and other nutrients. Also, recent thinking indicates that diffused CO2 is harmful to fish, something which should not be any surprise.

 

[AquaBarb]

The two are quite different in how they work, in terms of the time. The substrate tabs like Flourish Tabs are slow-release so they last 3-4 months and nutrients are released to be taken up by plant roots nearby. Plants also take up some nutrients exclusively through their leaves, and non-substrate rooted plants obviously need all their nutrients in the water column. The number of plants, and the species (growth rate), and the light, all factor in. Plus the naturally-occurring nutrients. I fertilize once a week, the day following the water change, and usually slightly under the recommended single dose, though this depends again upon the other factors. Less is better than too much, as the latter only means problem algae.

The day following the WC is due to the effect of most conditioners to detoxify heavy metals. Some of these, like iron, copper, zinc, manganese, are plant nutrients, and there is no point in negating them after adding them. And most conditioners are only effective for 24-36 hours.



No, never. The breakdown of organics in the substrate is the primary source of natural CO2, and in low-tech or natural planted tanks you need to balance this with the light and other nutrients. Also, recent thinking indicates that diffused CO2 is harmful to fish, something which should not be any surprise.

Great info Bryon Very helpful.

 

[seangee]

I fertilize once a week, the day following the water change, and usually slightly under the recommended single dose, though this depends again upon the other factors. Less is better than too much, as the latter only means problem algae.

This may be tank / environment dependent, but I find it best to fertilise twice a week at an even lower dosage.

 

[AquaBarb]

Any particular brand you guy's would recommend at all?

 

[seangee]

I use Seachem Flourish Comprehensive Supplement. That one happens to work for me but there are others as well.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Any particular brand you guy's would recommend at all?

Jumping in here, I think of three contenders - Seachem Flourish Comprehensive, Aquarium Co-ops's Easy Green, and Thrive.

I go real easy on dosing liquid ferts. In addition to the natural beauty of living plants, I'm a fishkeeper first and plants aid in purifying the water making a healthier environment for the fish. Modest fertilization is all that should be required. So I dose ferts a bit less than recommended on the bottle after the weekly water change (I don't need to use conditioner) and I often skip a week...relying more on fish food and waste,

 

[Colin_T]

Any particular brand you guy's would recommend at all?

Sera Florena, which is a liquid iron based fertiliser with trace elements. You use an Iron (Fe) test kit to check the levels and keep them at the correct amount.

 

[Byron]

This may be tank / environment dependent, but I find it best to fertilise twice a week at an even lower dosage.

Yes, that is often a good plan. Especially in larger tanks.

 

[AquaBarb]

Thank you everyone much appreciated

 

[AquaBarb]

Hi everyone,

Ive change my substrate today and had a move around. Filled it back up and got it back up and running.

How long would you say to let things settle before i return the fish back into the tank?

Cheers