Plants And Substrate

[haich]

hi all i have not been into fish keeping very long so still quite a newbie but have learnt loads since coming to this forum personally i think i have a nice selection of fish with which im pleased with.

any how as i am stocked with my fish i have decided to start with plants i already have a few in the tank now bought the nutrafin co2 unit which has been running quite nicely for a few weeks

sorry for dragging this out but just thought id give you a little run down as to where i am

anyway at the minute i have just a sand substrate and as my plec loves to munch on my bogwwod he seems to be leaving quite a mess white sand, brown wood it seems all im doing is cleaning up after him so have decided to get rid of my sand

ok so i have a 4'x15"x18" as i said am looking to get rid of my sand to something a bit darker but not the normal brown gravel was thinking of black does anyone know where to get hold of any and am i making the right decision

also what sort of laterite should i use or would i not need any with gravel, currently running just 1 38watt tube but am looking in to buying another any tips on this would be welcome aswell

like i said sorry for going on a bit but any help would be appreciated and welcomed to help me get a nice planted tank

i cant think of anything else at the minute but if you think im missing something out just ask the question

thanks for your patience howard

 

[haich]

anybody?

 

[Luke_e]

anyway at the minute i have just a sand substrate and as my plec loves to munch on my bogwwod he seems to be leaving quite a mess white sand, brown wood it seems all im doing is cleaning up after him so have decided to get rid of my sand

This is probably for the best. Generally most plants prefer gravel, as sand is compact too tightly for roots to form like they do in gravel.

ok so i have a 4'x15"x18" as i said am looking to get rid of my sand to something a bit darker but not the normal brown gravel was thinking of black does anyone know where to get hold of any and am i making the right decision

What volume is the tank? Your LFS should be able to provide you with gravel substrates, as ordered via the internet isnt recomended for gravel as the postage would cost a bomb..

also what sort of laterite should i use or would i not need any with gravel, currently running just 1 38watt tube but am looking in to buying another any tips on this would be welcome aswell

I use 'First Layer' laterite, and a 576g box is suitable for an aquarium of around 70liter. You basically mix it up in with your gravel, http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z101240.asp#product646 .If your wanting to upgrade your lighting, you'll need a 'starter kit' like so: http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z044149.asp , you'd need one that fits the correct tube length (some take various sizes of tubes) and the correct wattage, in your case 38w. Then you'd need the tube which can also be found on that website.



Good luck mate.

 

[haich]

thanks luke the tank is about 40 gal

i have a lighting unit ready just need to get the tube was told about the lights just for plants so may go that route

have seen that first layer mentioned a few times how much roughly would i need for my tank size?

and do you just mix it into the gravel? not put laterite down then the gravel on top

cheers howard

 

[phlawed]

Eco-complete mixed with my gravel has done very well!

 

[Luke_e]

have seen that first layer mentioned a few times how much roughly would i need for my tank size?

and do you just mix it into the gravel? not put laterite down then the gravel on top

cheers howard

around 3 - 4 boxes of the 500odd gram box, or what ever it suggests for the 1kg box.

Well it says to put the laterite on the bottom, put 2" of gravel ontop and mix it up, then add more gravel onto and leave it.
EDIT: Just worked out you'd need the 1.5kg box, it says you need 28grams of laterite per 4liter of water.

 

[Dubby]

anyway at the minute i have just a sand substrate and as my plec loves to munch on my bogwwod he seems to be leaving quite a mess white sand, brown wood it seems all im doing is cleaning up after him so have decided to get rid of my sand

This is probably for the best. Generally most plants prefer gravel, as sand is compact too tightly for roots to form like they do in gravel.

In my experience this has been the opposite. My plants have thrived when I moved from gravel to sand. I agree that too fine a sand may not work. I have had good success with playpit & silversand. I use a base layer of clay mixed with vermiculite and topped with sand.

 

[haich]

thanks for all that everyone has help a lot shall be looking on weekend and get some prices

cheers howard