Is There An Alternative To Plant Substrate?

[MewMew42]

like a cheaper alternative to something like JBL pro-flora? as it is fairly expensive....

could something else be used instead to help plant growth from teh roots?

 

[lljdma06]

like a cheaper alternative to something like JBL pro-flora? as it is fairly expensive....

could something else be used instead to help plant growth from teh roots?

Use an inert substrate and dose via the water column. I dislike substrate mixing now, so I dose through the water column. Dosing only through the water column hasn't really changed my growth rates and it is quite easy to do. I'm lazy and will by a good liquid fert, but if you like DIY, you can create a mix using dry ferts that you can buy in bulk. Quite cheap.

 

[nmonks]

Or alternatively use some pond soil mixed with inert silica sand to make a bed about an inch thickness; [optionally] press it down with a gravel tidy or plastic mesh cut to size; and then cover with a depth of gravel or sand as you require. Doesn't cost much, lasts for years without anything else added to the water.

One advantage of "rich" substrates like this is that they become deep sand filters [if sand is used], reducing nitrate and removing ammonia. There's not a huge literature on freshwater deep sand beds, but you might find this article interesting:

http/www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_7/volume_7_1/dsb.html

Plain gravel substrates will not work this way.

Cheers, Neale

 

[markandhisfish]

natural clay cat litter. it was reccomended to me as a cheap alternative by truck. apparently a lot of people on ukaps use it also . i was going to use tropica substrate , but i was advised that it is basicly just clay and the cat litter will do just as well. and i have to say it seems they were right , altho my growth is slow because i am low light and low tech it does seem to be working all be it slowly .