Help Needed

[derekgsw]

Hello im new here.
I am disabled and i have a professional come and service my 100 litre  every month but im a bit worried as i wanted to try live plants instead of plastic and he told me i would need a sand substrate for the plants and he put it over my old gravel and between the gravel and sand there is like third level building up but the thickness of that level varies  from day to day .
 
I have been reading about Estes sand and it says it dose not need cleaning which would be a big help for me because of my disability but is there any way i can put the Estes Sand on top of my existing sand and gravel ? I have got a few plants growing well now .
Any good advice welcome.
My fish stock includes 3 Parrot, 3 neon tetra and 4 Platy.

 

[Fishmanic]

I personally would have removed the gravel completely and then put in the sand substrate.   When you put sand on gravel, most will end up working it's way through the gravel.  A gravel, sand mix is also harder to clean properly with a syphoning too. as the sand will be sucked up when you try to clean the gravel.  

 

[derekgsw]

Thank you

 

[AeonMapa]

Also a sand and gravel substrate is not really the best for plants... Also that will become very difficult to clean. I suggest if you're going to do plants, look up the Walstad method. It is a method that makes low maintenance planted tanks using soil and gravel or sand.

 

[daizeUK]

I have been reading about Estes sand and it says it dose not need cleaning which would be a big help for me because of my disability but is there any way i can put the Estes Sand on top of my existing sand and gravel ?

 
It means the sand does not need cleaning before you put it into the tank - not that it doesn't ever need cleaning - not unless it can miraculously vaporise fish poo...

 
If all you want is a few live plants, they will grow fine in either gravel or sand.  There's no real need for a special substrate.  They will benefit from a little fertiliser added to the tank every so often though.  I would suggest slow-growing, low maintenance plants such as anubias, java fern and cryptocorynes.  Anubias and java fern don't even need planting in the substrate, just tie them to wood or rocks.

 

[TrickySpot]

I personally would have removed the gravel completely and then put in the sand substrate.   When you put sand on gravel, most will end up working it's way through the gravel.  A gravel, sand mix is also harder to clean properly with a syphoning too. as the sand will be sucked up when you try to clean the gravel.  

 
 

Also a sand and gravel substrate is not really the best for plants... Also that will become very difficult to clean. I suggest if you're going to do plants, look up the Walstad method. It is a method that makes low maintenance planted tanks using soil and gravel or sand.

 
Agreed! I added sand over my course (5mm+) gravel to give a substrate for plants knowing it would work its way to the bottom, which it did, but I couldn't syphon ever again. In fact I've just started a Walstad type tank, when that's ready I'm going to clear all the gravel/sand out of the old and go for one later of finer gravel....