Substrate

[hensonc4098]

Hi guys

Just got the new tank delivered today It's a windsor 66 corner tank which holds 180L of water. So yeah. Chuffed about that one

Anyways...

Need a bit of advice on the substrate front. I have sand in my other tank and love it, however not having an actual nutritious substrate underneath made growing some plants hard and meant I had to use root tabs and the like. So in this tank I was hoping to use some kind of substrate underneath the sand, however unsure as to which kind or how much I would need? Also, I'm planning on just using Argos playsand for the top level but unsure how much of that I'd need too lol. It comes in a 15kg bag

Thanks everyone in advance!

~Claire~

 

[JasonandJill]

Would think 1 might just about do it. Though I always find in life that a little bit extra is good so 2 might be best. And if you buy 2 you'll get a 3rd free in Argos at the moment

 

[JasonandJill]

Just re read your post and realised i'd missed the other substrate. I'm sure you're sensible enough to ignore my reply. If not then put a pier at the end of your artificial seafront

 

[alex.wardle]

tetra total substrate is very good for plants. put it in ad you sand on top. and forget about it

 

[ian]

you don't specificaly need an nutrient rich substrate as plants will take most of the nutrients through the leaves. However, it does help if you miss the fert dosing every now and again.

IMO JBL Aquabasis plus is really good stuff and is quite cheap. It needs to be capped by another substrate.

 

[myrtle]

Can I just add that the cap on the aquabasis needs to be deep (approx 5+ cm) otherwise every time you move a plant the water will cloud really badly. Ohterwise it's an excellent substrate!

 

[hensonc4098]

Thanks guys

Was having a look last night as well and was reading about clay substrates which you buy inert and then they soak up nutrients etc allowing your plants to take what they need from it when they need it. Has anyone tried this/had experience using clay substrate?

Also, I hope to be able to grow HC cuba so will this be ok with sand over another substrate?

Thanks again everyone!

Claire

 

[Squidward]

I have been told the "Red Sea" products are quite good. They are granular so apparently there is less chance of them clouding the water.

 

[hensonc4098]

Clay cat litter?? Just read about someone using this... Recommended or not?

 

[GrayScale]

I've been reading about fluorite which provides nutrients and it's not too bad looking and could be used as your substrate without a top layer.