Plants And Sand

[chesterscot]

hey guys im just starting up and was wondering if real plants will be ok in a sand substrate if i use root tabs as well. I dont want to create a jungle or massive plant growth just a couple of plants that will look green and tick over!

thanx scot

 

[rossyt99]

hey guys im just starting up and was wondering if real plants will be ok in a sand substrate if i use root tabs as well. I dont want to create a jungle or massive plant growth just a couple of plants that will look green and tick over!

thanx scot

Hi,
Have found that plants last longer in Gravel substrate, but sturdy Ferns and Straight Vallis are good in my Sand substrate.
(Amazon Swords don't seem to do that well in sand, in my tank anyway)

Plenty of light will help..

 

[aaronnorth]

rossyt99 - plants will last as long as you look after them, the substrate will make no difference, providing you have easy to care for plants like below then they will survive, If you have bought plants that need co2, high lighting, heavy fertilisation or some that need additional NPK they they will die, plants that are often sold may not be aquatic either.

A.swords are heavy root feeders, you can supplement them by root tabs, or a nutritious substrate, sand traps waste on the top but in gravel the waste can fall through the gaps providing a small amount of nutrients, I have an inert gravel substrate and the swords are not to bad but in my sand tank, i have JBL substrate fertiliser and they are extremely healthy, they constantly reproduce. it is surprising the differece it makes!

i have a planted tank with sand, some easy plants aswell -

anubias
vallis
elodea/ egeria densa
java fern
Cryptocorynes
Mosses

 

[chesterscot]

thanx for the info how deep should i make the sand

 

[rossyt99]

thanx for the info how deep should i make the sand

3inches (ish)

 

[waterdrop]

Also, chesterscot, we were just having a similar discussion a couple threads down (rich05uk i think) and in that thread BigC mentions that there is an "in-between" "small-gravel" that is larger than sand but smaller than typical gravel. In his picture it looks almost like sand to me. And he too mentions the (JBL?) fert. that can be coated on the gravel(?)