What Substrate Do You Prefer/have?

[keeton]

i cant decide on a substrate, so thought i'd get some opinions.

im going for a medium-heavily planted tank with ferts and co2, at the moment i have 2-3mm light natural gravel and i dont really like it and it looks really dirty even after a really good gravel vac.
i cant decide whether to go for a black or grey/dark natural coloured 2-3mm gravel
or add red flourite or similar to break my gravel up abit.
i dont want to fork out alot as on a budget or would prefer not to go for plant substrate unless cheap.

what have you got/think would look good with a slate background (currently have on)?

current gravel:

cheers

 

[lljdma06]

Nice pleco! I'm terrible for this because right now, I'm all about light, very fine sand. Not everybody's taste. Many species would like the 2-3mm dark substrate and it would look good with your slate wall. What fish do you keep or plan to keep? That should have a bearing on substrate choice, IMO. Corydoras and loaches, though they will do well with rounded small gravel, really take off when they have sand. Some other species are used to dark substrates or even leaf litter. You don't have to have a nutrient-rich substrate to have a successful planted tank. As long as you dose ferts to suit your lighting and CO2 levels, you are fine if you dose through the water column. I tend to use inert substrate, but that is just me.

I am all about saving money.

 

[aaronnorth]

just buy some black gravel and place over the top, as long as it is larger, and about 1" deep they shouldnt mix.
If you want a cheap substrate then consider akadama, it is about £18 deleivered for 14litres.

http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/akadama.htm

http/www.kaizenbonsai.com/shop/advanced_...1&x=&y=