Rebuilding My Tank.. New Substrate... :(

[cooledwhip]

Hey everyone. I have had my 20 gallon long for about 4 months now. It was really the first tank I started with and nothing was changed within the 4 months. It was the first tank I cycled and everything. I just kept adding more plants and stuff to what it is today. I have had lots of problems with my tank though and I can say that it is my substrate that is causing these problems and I want to change it. First I will say that when I first started this hobby I used LEDs to grow plants. It didn't work obviously because I had no knowledge, so all my plants melted and the plant waste was EXCESS to the point that it actually covers a mm of space above the gravel in my back corners of the tank. I want to restart everything to get a clean tank. There is just too much crap and stuff in the gravel. I understand lots of people have dirty gravel but mine is just toxic with how bad it is...
 
currently I have removed all rocks and hardscape, I have all my plants though and fish obviously, as well as the substrate which is seachem flourite in there too. I just can't stand flourite, it's too big, I can't have cories, and I have NOT had success with growing plants with it. I know that plants absorb up to 400% more nutrients from the roots. ( I think.)
 
My plants:
Pearlweed, S. Repens, Ludwigia Red, Rotala Indica, Cryptocorne Wendtii, I plan on growing a glosso carpet which flourite has no change growing. Can someone please recommend me a good planted tank substrate?? 
 
I want to get this substrate soon, because I have rocks I want to get in the tank. For fish that will be in the tank: neon dwarf rainbowfish, corycats and endlers. I have had so many plants melt and die, and It's because of the substrate. Can someone respond quick about a good substrate? Thanks much.

 

[cooledwhip]

The tank is already established, and I wouldn't want to completely tear it down unless neccesary. I was thinking of dirting. I need advice.
 
I wanted to get a new substrate because my plants just aren't healthy. I have seachem flourite, no CO2, no ferts, (I tried both but I just get algae) b ut my plants still look dead and barely surviving and decaying. They all have brown spots and stuff like these plants: both of them are types of ludwigia.

 

[AlexJordan]

I would definitely go with sand. Sand allows you to have fish like cories and loaches, with the added benefit of looking more natural. I've definitely had more luck growing plants in sand, and right now in my 29 I have just plain Petco sand. However, if you want to go the dirt method, I've found that MrJoeGecko is really informative on the topic 

. 
 
But if the root (sorry for the pun) of the problem is the substrate, I don't see any way around a complete teardown.

 

[cooledwhip]

I changed my mind to a full teardown. If anything it will only start lack ing nutrients, not getting more nutrients. I can do a teardown whenever, but I want to have a plan for substrate.

 

[AlexJordan]

I think that's a good choice, given how you want to have a more clean start. Also, looking at your plants, it looks like they would benefit from some root tabs. I was able to find some cheap red clay tabs on ebay, but if you look for clay, I think there was a thread that mentioned that adding little balls throughout the substrate will help. 
 
Also, I use this chart in relation to what's going on with my plants: http/www.algone.com/aquarium-plant-health-guide. It looks like your plants have a macronutrient deficiency, and this would also help with growth and yellowing.

 

[cooledwhip]

So then do I not need to change the substrate?? I found Ada aquasoil amazonia online. Is it worth it to buy it? I think its 54 bucks for a 9L bag. Even then I wanted corycats so I think I might just change my substrate. My plants just don't grow, I know some leaves yellow and stuff when they lack nutrients, but I think it's the fact that my plants just aren't healthy. I'll upload some pictures.
 I was thinking of dirting. I need advice.
 
I wanted to get a new substrate because my plants just aren't healthy. I have seachem flourite, no CO2, no ferts, (I tried both but I just get algae) b ut my plants still look dead and barely surviving and decaying. They all have brown spots and stuff like these plants: both of them are types of ludwigia. 
 
I have a single T5HO 23w light.
 
I just don't have that thick lucious green look that I see all the other aquariums have. Could it be my lighting? Is it too much? Is it still not enough?

 

[AlexJordan]

Personally, I would change the substrate because the color doesn't look too natural and cories definitely do not like gravel, and you've also mentioned you dislike it. However, I don't think the substrate is purely to blame with your plant growth.
 
Plants don't grow when they don't get the nutrients they need, and algae is due to an imbalance. Plants aren't healthy usually either because they're malnourished or they have some sort of disease, though by the look of those pictures it kind of seems like there's still algae on (what looks like) some ludwigia.
 
http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm I also have this bookmarked just because it's so useful. From the looks of it, you still have algae due to either low flow, nutrients, or CO2. Again, I would encourage you to invest in macronutrients and liquid carbon - I use Excel. 
 
Also, in relation to light - how much is your tank's lights on per day?

 

[cooledwhip]

Personally, I would change the substrate because the color doesn't look too natural and cories definitely do not like gravel, and you've also mentioned you dislike it. However, I don't think the substrate is purely to blame with your plant growth.
 
Plants don't grow when they don't get the nutrients they need, and algae is due to an imbalance. Plants aren't healthy usually either because they're malnourished or they have some sort of disease, though by the look of those pictures it kind of seems like there's still algae on (what looks like) some ludwigia.
 
http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm I also have this bookmarked just because it's so useful. From the looks of it, you still have algae due to either low flow, nutrients, or CO2. Again, I would encourage you to invest in macronutrients and liquid carbon - I use Excel. 
 
Also, in relation to light - how much is your tank's lights on per day?

 I'll just buy new lights. I am keeping the substrate, I might add flourite sand over it for cories though. I will have lots of rocks on the substrate so I can leave most of the space open for the cories to have sand on it. My lights are on usually from 6:50AM-10PM....
 
I tried CO2 and excel and I just get BBA.

 

[AlexJordan]

Okay, I think your main problem is lighting. I'm not entirely sure, but I'm pretty sure the rule is no more than what's natural. I only leave mine on for about six hours, and algae flourishes under high lighting situations such as yours. Also, in my experience, the gravel tends to poke through the sand, so be careful with that. 
 
in regards to the CO2, were you dosing it daily? CO2 does not cause BBA, it's often a deficiency that causes an imbalance that causes the BBA.