Fertiliser Substrates

[calsonic]

i am going to replace my current 6ft tank but need some advice. whats the best plant substrates to use i will probally put gravel on top but may use sand i will dephinatley be using a heated cable i wont be adding co2 and i will not have excesive lighting and would a blue night light/moon tube affect any plants i grow thanks for the help
thanks in advance scott

 

[Nick16]

heating cables ore a waste IMO. they dont do much, use the money from that to get co2. JBL aquabasis is pretty good. and cheap as for a tank your size ada amazonia etc would cost a bomb. dont get coloured tubes, stick with normal tubes like daylights and plantgrows.

 

[calsonic]

sorry i already have the cable from my current tank wich i will strip down i plan to use the coloured tubes for night use so i can see my plecs better and co2 isnt really a viable option for me at the present i dont think but could i use sand ontop of my fertiliser?

 

[Nick16]

sand will be fine but if you are going to use coloured lights you wont get much plant growth. if you want to see your plecs, use cold cathodes. a blue one.

 

[calsonic]

even if i used normal and plant lighting for ten hours a day and the blue lights for an hour or two at night and where can i find these lights thanks for your help

 

[aaronnorth]

even if i used normal and plant lighting for ten hours a day and the blue lights for an hour or two at night and where can i find these lights thanks for your help

That would be fine, cheap substrates that need capping with either gravel or sand:

http/www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/tetrap...58kg-1055-p.asp
http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...products_id=193
http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=1120

 

[calsonic]

thanks for the links i will use either the tropica or the jbl substrate next question how much woulkd i need for either a 6x2x2 or a 6.5x2x2? and can you over filter a planted setup?

 

[BINKSY]

Try this Substrate Calculator for your substrate needs.

If your going fully planted you need at least 10 times turnover an hour for your tank, in short the more filtration the better.


Cheers Gordon.

 

[aaronnorth]

(cm) l x w x d (of substrate) / 1000/ litre of bag = bags needed

 

[calsonic]

thanks i think i know how much i need to get now 9 bags of either the tropica or jbl fertiliser and i think i will use the gravel from my old tank i was told i wouldnt be able to reclaim my old fertaliser is this true? and would optiwhite glass make a diffrence on a big tank? im going to be moderatley planted with plants my plecs wont eat hopefully thanks for all your help plants arent my strongpoint

 

[aaronnorth]

i was told i wouldnt be able to reclaim my old fertaliser is this true?

I am not sure what you mean by this? Do you have a nutrient rich sustrate already and you mean you cant get that back? If so, you can get it back, it may be difficult, it also depends on how long you have been using it for.

and would optiwhite glass make a diffrence on a big tank?

Definatley

 

[calsonic]

yeah i have a 6ft tank already with some in but its got a leak at the top so i have drained it to stop it leaking but im going to replace it i was going to re use the gravel but the stuff underneath i was told i couldnt recyle as it would have been used upall its goodness i think its the red sea flora max stuff and its been in there for about a year

 

[aaronnorth]

The substrate should last a good 2-3yrs before the the quality starts to decline.

 

[calsonic]

thjats good its less i will have to spend so i can get a bigger tank thanks so now all i have to do is decide wether to switch over to sand are there any plants you can recomend for a discus set up with a few plecs

 

[aaronnorth]

what lighting do you have?
What size tank (US gallons)?

thanks.