Gravel & Sub-soil.

[Lazerus]

Hi all,

I'm going out to buy my gravel/sand today or over the weekend for my new 84L planted tank. (i.e plants just to the back & center of the tank)

My water is always a pH of 7.8...but I have bought a large amount of bog wood to hopefully slowly bring the pH down over time, to hopefully make it a bit more comfortable for my fish.

I want a dark coloured substrate either dark brown or black, or a mixture of both.

I've seen a various range of gravels & sands & subsoils in the shops, so I have too much choice yet I don't know where to start!

I wonder can you help me with a few pointers about what I should get??

1. What is generally recommended for the average planted aquarium....gravel on its own or gravel and a plant subsoil?

2. How deep should my gravel be if it is covering a subsoil?

3. Should I bother getting sub-soil to go underneath at all? What are the benefits versus gravel on its own?

4. How deep should the subsoil be if its underneath the gravel?

5. What is a general good choice for subsoil - brand name? (and will it alter my pH?)

6. Can you have subsoil on its own, without needing gravel or sand at all?

7. Is there a sandy type of subsoil so that I can have corydoras in my tank eventually?

Anything else you can recommend?

 

[aaronnorth]

1. What is generally recommended for the average planted aquarium....gravel on its own or gravel and a plant subsoil?

You can have a nutrient rich substrate, some are capped with gravel or sand, and some are used on their own (these tend to be dearer)

2. How deep should my gravel be if it is covering a subsoil?

1" minimum to stop the fish digging it up.

3. Should I bother getting sub-soil to go underneath at all? What are the benefits versus gravel on its own?

It makes sure that plants can get all the nutrients they need, and if you ever miss a dose there is always a bak up source of nutrients.

4. How deep should the subsoil be if its underneath the gravel?

1.5-2" minimum.

5. What is a general good choice for subsoil - brand name? (and will it alter my pH?)

some substrates alter ph, gh & kh but it shouldnt be something for you to worry about. A good, cheap choice would be tropica substrate, capped with gravel and/ or sand.

6. Can you have subsoil on its own, without needing gravel or sand at all?

It depends on the brand/ type, they tend to be dearer (£20-£30)- i can list you some if you want?

7. Is there a sandy type of subsoil so that I can have corydoras in my tank eventually?

See question 5. "A good, cheap choice would be tropica substrate, capped with gravel and/ or sand."