sand

[schizo_fish]

Im going to set up a live planted tank, and was going to use sand as my substrate.
do i need to ad anything to the sand to aid the plants?
I also read somewhere that someone used a clay mixture under their sand, what was this for? and why's is it a good idea?
thanx

 

[The-Wolf]

I personnaly have just sand, but I belive that "fullers earth" can help plants by giving a better anchorage for the root system. The only drawback I can see is if you wish to re-design the layout at a later time then you risk damaging the roots of the plant.

 

[schizo_fish]

what is "fullers earth"??

 

[The-Wolf]

what is "fullers earth"??

pure natural clay, no addatives or chemicals. It is often sold as cat litter, but make sure it is 100% natural.

 

[Teelie]

You'll want root tabs as well for the plants

 

[SirMinion]

You'll want root tabs as well for the plants

I've been considering these for my plants, but I was cories and other digging fish.
If they dug up a root tab, would they try to eat it and would it do them any harm if they did?