Substrate

[wirralbull]

i want to set up a planted aquarium i do ok with plants in my general aquariums but would like to setup a more specific tank geared towards plants. whats a good substrate? i have heard alot about laterite but its abit pricey for me. whats the next best thing? please suggest some good cheap mixes

 

[minnnt]

I've just set one up using top soil. Going to monitor it closely and see how things go.

Other things you could try are cat litter topped with normal substrate, the clay cat litter will soak up all the nutrients and feed the roots.

Rabbit poo placed around the base of the plants in your normal substrate.

Mix planted substrate with normal substrate as a cheaper option.

Good luck.

 

[RadaR]

i have heard alot about laterite but its abit pricey for me.

God no. Folks used to love this stuff years ago but it's not great. There are far better options out there.
Best substrate I've ever used is Colombo Florabase.
JBL Aqua basis was reasonably priced when I last looked. This should be capped with a small grain gravel though.

 

[aqua786]

I set a planted tank up with a mix of john innes no.1 potting compost and coral sand topped with a thin layer of fine sand,the results where great and all for under £10.

 

[Katch]

Cat litter and sand is a great and cheap way to improve your substrate. Make sure you get the right type of cat litter. Do a search as there are loads of posts about it.

 

[Tizer]

i used cat litter and play sand in mine, tiz ace so far!

 

[wirralbull]

can you mix various substrates. ie cat litter/ aquarium compost it will be covered with a thick layer of fine gravel. what is a good source of iron?

 

[james_fish]

I used JBL Manado for my little planted tank

James.

 

[RadaR]

can you mix various substrates. ie cat litter/ aquarium compost it will be covered with a thick layer of fine gravel.

No real need to mix the two.

what is a good source of iron?

Iron is overated. It is a trace element and thus only need in trace amounts. Folks used to think it was a must have in their substrate, hence all the song and dance about laterite.
What you really want in the substrate is N+P. A clay based substrate is also handy for it's cation exchange capacity properties (why cat litter is good).

 

[ian]

^^agree with RadaR, and N+P based substrate is the way to go. However, it's quite expensive on larger tanks. I'm the same as RadaR, Columbo flora base was the best planted substrate i have used. I haven't used the ADA substrates, they are very expensive. Apparently the Florabase, Oliver Knott etc etc are all made by the same company. The ADA Amazonia is the only soil based substrate that is made independently.


and just before anyone say's that these are great for 'root feeders' lol, these substrates are used so the N and P leech into the water column. There is also some certain control of C02 with these substrates. Thus creating a balance in a tank more quickly than other tanks with inert substrates. I know i'll be using the Columbo stuff again in the near future.

 

[Katch]

I'm leaning towards a mineralized soil substrate at the moment. Just setting up a 30L test tank before I try it in my main tank. I think you are right, nutrient rich substrate is the way to go.

 

[ian]

you won't regret the using the columbo stuff. The Columbo stuff also seemed to keep my water gin clear as well. I'm currently trying to get a 'normal' tank for my living room, so will be using it again.

 

[wirralbull]

nutrient rich subatrate. such as? could yo use a peat based compost?

 

[RadaR]

ADA Aqua Soil
Colombo Flora base
Oliver Knott NatureSoil
Eco-complete
Red Sea Florabase (rubbish)
Flourite
These are "all in one" nutrient rich substrates to be used on their own.


Peat based compost is fine to use. So is Cactus compost.
Some folks say if you have water with a low KH then peat moss compost isnt a good idea. But I don't know. I guess they are worried about lowering the KH to "0" however I know guys with planted tanks that run pressurized CO2 with a KH of "0" and they have no problem.

 

[Katch]

I know guys with planted tanks that run pressurized CO2 with a KH of "0" and they have no problem.

Heh that's my main tank. Ridiculously soft water in Cornwall and the CO2 makes my pH very very low. Plants grow like weeds, fish breed. All's well.