Substrates & CO2

[waterwatereverywhere]

It's nearly decision time on what I'm going to use to set up my planted Amazonian tank. A lfs has suggested a substrate of silver sand mixed with Deponit on the bottom with some lime-free gravel on top. Anyone any thoughts on this?

Also I wondered about a product mentioned in a Practical Fishkeeping article this month: it's a carbon block that puts CO2 into the tank using electrolysis - I wondered if anyone has used this??

 

[njparton]

It's nearly decision time on what I'm going to use to set up my planted Amazonian tank. A lfs has suggested a substrate of silver sand mixed with Deponit on the bottom with some lime-free gravel on top. Anyone any thoughts on this?

Also I wondered about a product mentioned in a Practical Fishkeeping article this month: it's a carbon block that puts CO2 into the tank using electrolysis - I wondered if anyone has used this??

I must have missed that article, where was it?

I use a mixture of Flourite and normal gravel in my tank (50:50) and my amazonian plants grow like crazy.

I inject CO2 via a homemade sugar/yeast setup and the pH is stable at 6. Having bogwood that leaches tannins into the water also helps

 

[waterwatereverywhere]

It was an article about setting up a planted tank, I think it was called 'The Middle Way'.

I was going to have some bogwood too, so glad to hear that it will help the water, thanks!

 

[Sanj]

Yes i read that article, but i do not think many people have used that. i think you can purcahse them online from either Anglia aquatics or aquatics online.

 

[waterwatereverywhere]

I'll have a look on those web sites then. I didn't really want to go for the full-blown CO2 injuection system but this looked like a convenient unit that you could also link to the light timer.