Soil underlayer

[Yenko]

I read a book called "Ecology of the planted aquarium" recently. It is written by Diana Walstad, who belives a soil underlayer, sunlight and infrequent water changes are the best way to go for a planted aquarium. I'm convinced. I don't have my tank set up near a window or with a soil underlayer (I set it up before I read this book).
I do have undergravel pots for rooted plants, and they're doing amazingly well considering my tank is underloaded because my fish are small at the moment. She also has interesting opinions on lighting; she says that cheap flourescent tubes are the best way to go. I have a cheap flourescent tube and a more expensive, more bluish tube in my tank right now. I like the blue light because it counteracts the yellow water my sphagnum moss gives me. If I ever take down the tank, I am going to put it back together with a soil underlayer, near a window. Another option is the 10-gallon tank I have that is currently used for breeding fish and raising fry. I might buy a better canopy for it and set it up by a window.
Anyway, anyone who's interested should buy this book.

 

[babyfish]

I have a 1 inch layer of soil under a 1-2 inch layer of sand in my community tank and I have to throw out plants on a fortnightly basis due to excellent growth
I did have one advantage though, my garden has not seen a chemical or fertilizer for 20 years so I felt safe putting it in with my fish

 

[Lateral Line]

I know that book very well. It has a lot of very solid advice in it and is an easy read. I do, however, disagree with her assumption that planted tanks are small, low tech, low fish affairs.

It is quite possible to have a successful planted aquarium in an otherwise dark cellar with no natural light. She does not cover the modern advanced fluorescent lamps available. Many of the examples she uses are, in a large tank, with good light, simply not true. Carefully managed water changes are in no way a problem in a planted tank.

Whatever, there is a new edition around now which I have not seen so maybe she has corrected some of these issues. I look forward to seeing it. I would still recommend any serious plant keeper read this book.

 

[Sasha the breen]

i was wondering do you need to use any fertalizer or do you have to use special aquaium fertalizer and if so do i need to add plant grow aswell?

 

[Magnus]

There's nothing wrong with soil underlayer substrate. It's just problematic. If you like to rescape your tank every once in a while, then soil is probably not for you. I would like to use Diana's method, if I had a low light planted tank, maybe in the near future. Until then, I'd stick to my high tech tanks. It all comes down to your preference. If you like a low tech static tank where the beauty last longer, you should look into Diana's method. If you like a more dynamic, lush, and densely planted tank, high tech is the way to go. You'll probably notice that with higher lighting (artificial), and CO2 injection, you can grow a LOT more plants than the low tech method. This is more fun for me. Just look at Diana's tanks, and other high tech tanks (i.e. Amano's, or most contest tanks) and see which style fits you better.

 

[Yenko]

I'm just saying that people should give ideas like that some thought. I've cut water changes in half, and am planning to decrease them further, once my plants get more established. For anyone who thinks low-tech tanks can never have great plants, they should see my dad's tank. It has 2 cheap flourescent tubes in it, doesn't get anything added to it other than a bit of Calcium carbonate and magnesium sulfate, and is completely overgrown with plants.

 

[mrV]

I don't agree with the idea of changing water infrequently. Plants also need freshwater - you'll see it very well with some plants, if water is "too old" or "bad".

Soil, clay etc, is very good instead of "sterile" sand or gravel. Many hobbiest put e.g. clay under the sand and plants grows very well. I simply put clay-pellets near plants. But if I set up new tank now, I would consider to put clay first then sand.

She also has interesting opinions on lighting; she says that cheap flourescent tubes are the best way to go.

I haven't read her book, but she probably means that you really don't need to buy expensive "aquarium tubes" to keep plants in good shape.

I have heard that her book contains more "unique" ideas than many other theories are. You probably find lots of criticism if you try to search from net. If you are interested in reading books of plants etc, try to find book called "Aquarium Plants" written by Christel Kasselmann.

 

[Yenko]

I think that water changes do help; they help my plants out a bit. I'm experimenting with an aquarium fertilizer that contains micronutrients that plants need.

 

[Yenko]

What she said that because water filters out blue and red light, most of the remaining light is yellow-green. Aquatic plants have adapted to use this light, and she belives that a tube with some green/yellow bias and a more expensive blue/white light are the best way to go.
Aquatic plants may not need their ability to use green/yellow light in the aquarium, because they're only 2 feet away from lights at the most. Just think of it as simulating natural conditions, in the same way actinic bulbs are used for reef aquariums.

 

[mrV]

What she said that because water filters out blue and red light, most of the remaining light is yellow-green.

Hmm.. That's odd. Blue light has more energy than red light, so it "penerates" water deeper than red light. Water absorb light very well, so when going deeper and deeper in water, first red-light disappears, then yellow. After that green and finally blue-violet-light. (visible light)

Plants don't absorb yellow and greenlight so much and that's also the reason, why they look greenish. Chorophylls absorb red and blue light (wavelengths), not yellow and green so much. Carotenoids absorb red-orange light. But if I do remember correct, most important is chorophyll a.

Summa summarum: Whole spectrum is important because different kinds of pigments absorb differend kind of wavelengths. But If you have lot of yellow-green lights (wavelength), some algaes may start to grow better.

 

[Rose]

I don't agree with the idea of changing water infrequently.

I don't agree with that either. Mainly because with my bow, it LOVES water changes. I know the plants do too. I have some plants that will grow 2-3 inches in a day when it gets 3-4 water changes a week. Where as with the 30 the plants don't grow nearly as fast and both are set up exactly the same with the same plants. The bow normally only get 2 water changes a week of 50% each time. It pearls constantly where as if I miss a water change or both it won't pearl. I've never seen the plants in my 30 pearl. There's something in the water that my plants need and by doing those frequent water changes I'm able to give the plants that "thing" they need to grow and grow and grow.

However there are always exceptions to EVERY rule and my tanks keep proving they are the exception to EVERY rule Every tank is different. What works for one isn't guranteed to work for another. I think it has more with finding out what works for your specific tank and going from there. If you find something that works great if not keep trying you'll eventually get it figured out. Change one thing at a time and patience is a blessing in the world of Aquatic Gardening.

Rose

 

[Yenko]

I get a small improvement in plant respiration when I do water changes, but, the best thing so far is to add tiny doses of plant fertilizer a day for micronutrients. The tapwater where I live is very soft, so that may be why I'm not getting the same amount of growth with water changes as you are. My plants have actually improved with reduced water changes, and I think it's also rapidly killing the alage in my tank, as I have hardly any on my plants now, and very slow growth on my glass.

 

[mrV]

My tap water is also very soft (GH=3, KH=2) and I change about 40-50% / week.