Suitable Substrates

[tbright]

I have at the moment 2 horse faced loaches in my rio 125 and I'm upgrading to atleast 250litres+ tank with a planted tank in mind. I'm uncertain which substrate to use (I would preferably use sand with some sort of fertiliser layer but with these fish loving to burry themselves I'd imagine it'll get mixed up pretty soon.

So, I need opinions on which is the best route to go, are there substrates which are a mix which still look pleasing on the eye and are beneficial to the plants so the tank bed won't get mucked up too badly by my loaches in particular?!
Or, will thick enough layers of each a sand substrate and fertiliser eliminate the potential problem?
I've looked at the options of root tabs and other products but for the larger aquariums this seems like it will become more expensive.

 

[SuperColey1]

For a planted tank of this size expense cannot be avoided if you go the nutrient rich substrate route.

Expect to have to pay in the region of £40 to have a decent layer underneath your sand ´barrier´

Suitable substrates is an unanswerable question really as all substrates are suitable. It depends what you are planning to do and what you are planning to add.

If you are planning a high light with CO2 addition then a nutrient rich substrate topped with play sand with EI dosing as well helps a lot but it isnt necessary to use a nutrient rich substrate at all. Ask JamesC who uses an inert substrate to good effect in his.

I currently have a 1" layer of TetraComplete covered with a 1½" layer of playsand and the only time they mix is from uprooting plant myself to move them. I have 4 pitbull plecs in there who love to hide in the sand and they also dig out a ´nest´ which means there is normally a little pit where they have left the sand at about ½ deep but still the substrate doesnt mix.

If you are going the non CO2 route with no or very low dosing then from reading Tom Barrs Non CO2 threads he uses a layer of Leonardite topped with Onyx Sand (I will be going a similar route myslf in a future tank but with AquaSoil Malaya instead of Onyx Sand)

My next scape though which is a high light EI tank is usign Leonardite topped with Tropica Substrate topped with play sand so pretty similar to the current setup just with a different mix under the sand.

In short Nutrient Rich substrate is not necessary as you can dose all the plants need through the water column but it can help and most people like to use it for root feeders like Crypts, Echinodorus etc. You can choose to use just a large layer of playsand or gravel or even sterilised garden soil

Leonardite is quite hard to find in the UK but it is available and cheap (just labelled without telling you its Leonardite. lol) link below. 1 x 2.5kg should be enough for your tank (although I bought 2 for future use as well) Tom has said it only needs to be a thin layer.
http/www.ntlabs.co.uk/product_details.php?product_id=141

Topica, Tetra, AquaSoil and many more nutrient rich substrates, ready mixed ferts and powdered (DIY) NPK can be found at AquaEssentials.co.uk alongside anything else you could ever need for planted tanks. They range from the ADA products for someone who wants to splash out on the branded name to the basic ´low end´ but still proven products plus equipment etc.

Plantwise I can reccommend Aquatic Magic on ebay (email him for a bulk price though rather than trying to win 20 auctions) as this will keep the shipping down lower. Also Greenline get good reviews and I sometimes get Tropica pots from P@H on the day they are delivered (otherwise they are starting to die already. lol)

Hope this all helps

Andy

 

[demonmagus]

interesting, I thought gravel was a must over these substrates, do you think the tropica substrate would be alright with sand?

 

[nry]

Yes.

 

[tbright]

Much appreciated Coley!

 

[SuperColey1]

At the end of the day people like Tropica say gravel but they just mean a barrier to stop the substrate clouding up your water with fish like corys, plecs etc.

The barrier in effect is your protection.

There are substrates like AquaSoil which you dont use a barrier with but I havent used these yet so dont know how much the fish would stir this up.

The barrier can be any gravel or sand as long as it holds the nutrient rich substrate below.

The plants roots will work their way through the barrier and when they reach the nutrient rich substrate you will suddenly find the plant increases in speed of growth.

When you put in your substrate and top with 1" or so of sand (more if needed) watch how a root feeding plant will suddenly increase in growth after a few weeks when it suddenly reaches the substrate. (Is also down to settling in but I am sure the substrate has the desired effect in this.

As stated above Tom Barr has said that water column dosing is fine for all plants and JamesCs tank has an inert substrate and is a great example of nice flourishing plants.

Andy