NEED HELP PLANTING!

[ANIM4L]

I work at PetsMart, so im getting that tahitian sand for pretty cheap and i am really excited. Before i had just gravel and i tried a lot of plants in the tank, may be about 10 plants, and all of them were not making it very well in the tank, so i took them back and went to fakies. Now my dad is getting a tank and i was thinking, since i heard it is easier and beter to plant in sand than gravel, i might give it a try again. I was wondering, would just sand work? If so how thick, like 1.5 inches high? If not, and i need something, i was thinking about that flourite gravel stuff, i love SeaChem products, so i trust it very well, but i was wondering, do i put like 1 inch of that with an inch of sand on top, or do i mix them (which i think would look dumb) or what should i do??? Or another option is to use the flourish tabs u put in the gravel, i heard they work. I tried the flourish liquid and dint like it, atleast it didnt help all my plants. So i was wondering what people thought i should do! PLEASE HELP ME IF YOU CAN!!! im ready for my new ank set up, i just gotta figure out what to use to keep my plants green, i dont want brown plants so please if u can help me, please do!!! Also will sand be able to hold the plants down? How many inches of sand do i need?

Also, if u can think of other alternatives other than what i said, please tell me, but CO2 isnt something i wanna really do.... thanks a lot everyone!

 

[rdd1952]

Sand alone will work but contains almost no nutrients so you will probably have to add some type of fertilizer. I have the TMS in my 75 gallon but it is over the Eco Complete planted substrate so I have plenty of nutrients in that. One problem with using sand over something like the flourite (or the Eco Complete for that matter) is that the sand will migrate down through the coarser material. I have only had my 75 gallon set up for about 5 months and I can already see the bigger gravel coming through. I have used the flourish liquid and it seems to work fine. Actually, I'm using the plant supplement and a dissolved carbon additive too.

 

[ANIM4L]

what if i use the plant tabs that go in the gravel/sand, and then use the dissolving tabs? or if i use the fertilizer, how muchdo i use?, cant i add lots of sand ontop so that when it sinks through i can just still have lots ontop of everything? thanks for the help though!

 

[George Farmer]

Sand is good as a substrate but it will definitely benefit the plants if you use an additive i.e. laterite or root-tabs (you mention flourish tabs which should work). You will need at least 2 inches depth, more if you want to grow root-feeders i.e. Amazon Swords or Crypts. Sand may experience compacting over time so you may need to prod it occasionally. It should hold the roots well, use tweezers to plant stems deep into the sand. Bear in mind that Java fern, moss and some Anubias species are better attached to decor i.e. bogwood.

A better option for a substrate is Seachem Flourite, this can be used alone or mixed with gravel. I've not heard of it being mixed with sand, I imagine over time the sand would "sink" to the bottom as it is finer.

Another good option that is popular is fine gravel (1 to 3mm) mixed with laterite. Try to use lime-free gravel is it won't affect water chemistry by increasing pH and hardness.

If CO2 is not an option then I would recommend low-light, hardy plants. Good examples are most Crypts, Anubias species, Java fern and Java moss. You may also have success with Hygrophila and Ludwigia species - although they do prefer higher light levels than can adapt to low light. Some Echinodorus species (Amazon Swords) may do well too - bear in mind that these and Crypts will need a fairly deep, nutrient-rich substrate. To ensure all your naturally occuring CO2 is not lost then direct your filter output so that it doesn't agitate the surface too much.

It is important to stick to lighting levels of less than 2 Watts per Gallon to ensure algae doesn't become an issue. Get the best quality tubes and reflectors you can afford for the best chance of success to grow your plants.

One benefit of a low-light set-up is that the need for liquid fertilisation should be unecessary. Frequent water changes i.e. 20% weekly or more, fish food and fish waste should provide enough nutrients for your plants.

Best of luck.

 

[ANIM4L]

ok so i should add the seachem flourish substarte for like an inch or two and then may be like 2-2.5 inches of sand above, then when it sinks it may still be the upper most substrate, i just didnt wanna dela with losing my sand because it sinks. Is there a way to stop it from sinking?

also, what if i use plant food tabs. would i need fertilizer?

 

[tear-scar]

I want to mention red sea's Flora-Base. After having experimented with it recently, I have to say it is actually superior to Flourite, and even has its advantages over Eco-Complete.

Flora-Base is a soil-based substrate, unlike the other two mentioned above which are more gravel-based. That makes Flora Base softer-- easier for planting in, and easier for the plants to root in. Plants with traumatized roots from being transfered to the new tank adjust to it faster (meaning your crypt won't melt as much just because it had all it's lovely roots yanked out from your last tank). This is the main reason I think Soil-Based substrates like flora-base are becoming very popular in Asia.

The only advantages I can see eco-complete having over Flora-Base is that it has live bacteria colonies and it is more attractive. The second is not that important in my book, as the plants are going to cover areas where these substrates are used anyway.

Sand is not a good planting material in my book, as the small grain size causes compaction which can suffocate roots. Flora Base's larger grain size means there's plenty of room for plants to root without having their roots crushed, and there is also plenty of water movement inside the substrate.

Edit: A nice perk Eco-Complete and Florabase both have, is that they don't cloud your water like flourite does when disturbed. My last tank had Eco Complete underneath, and Flora-Base above. I used more than 1.5 inches of each.

Well, that's my take.