Best Choice For Substrate?

[Tropical_Dave]

hi everyone
im going to be starting a planted tank soon, got pretty much everything sorted or what i havent got i know what im going to get, apart from the substrate.
i would like to know what other people rate as the best choice to give the plants everything they need and also not being too pricey.
also im thinking about putting sand on top but not too sure about it, is it going to mix in with anything i put underneath it over time? will it affect plant growth at all?
any advice would be very appreciated

 

[Primous]

Sand will sink through whatever you put it on top of over time. As to the substrate it really depends what your looking for and what plants you plan on keeping.

 

[Tropical_Dave]

thanks i think i'll give the sand a miss then, i guess i'll try to make a definite list of plants i would like to put in my tank.
this maybe a daft question but is it better to keep the different varieties of plants to a minimum and just have a few species or does it not real matter how many different plants there are?

 

[ythao01]

I'd suggest a flourite type of substrate like Eco complete or seahem, they also sell it as sand if you want sand. It costs about $20 USD for a 20 pound bag and requires a lot of rinsing even if it's not sand and It will provide most of the nutrients plants need.

 

[Tropical_Dave]

thanks ythao01, i think someone has mentioned flourite to me before, i'll look into it

 

[Ch4rlie]

This might help a little, some info on various substrates
 
http/www.ukaps.org/index.php?page=guide-to-substrates

 

[yoruyongbpei]

I use a mixture of Super Naturals sand and Substrate, it works really well with the addition of liquid CO2, it really depends on your tank mates because there are some types of aquatic life that does much better with the presence of sand but its a very loose substrate so if you don't have a bottom layer or something to hold the plant down. 

 

[Tropical_Dave]

thanks again guys
and  Ch4rlie that site is a great help!