Diana Walstad's soil substrate

[BustedFrontBumper]

Soil-layered substrate - This is considered an advanced substrate setup. Typically consists of layers of peat, soil, sand/gravel...you really have to know what you're doing before you attempt this. For more details, I suggest Diana Walstad's "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium", which goes into great scientific detail on planted tanks and layered substrates. Again, this isn't for the new planted tank keeper.

I've been slowly poking through Diana's book in preparation for moving and reworking my fish tank to be more live-plant friendly. Currently I'm only really thinking seriously about plants that grow well on roots (like Anubias barteri var. nana, Microsorum pteropus, & Taxiphyllum sp. "Spiky") (is that last one "java moss"?) but I'd like to be able to branch out at some point to some easier grasses like a Vallisneria spiralis or asiatica, without breaking down my tank again.

What are some reasons I shouldn't go au naturale with my substrate?

Research, research, research...

PS Thanks for the original post on substrates!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/a-guide-to-substrates-for-the-planted-tank-53380.html

 

[Rivercats]

Honestly if your not planning on using alot of substrate plants other than some grasses down the road you really don't need a dirted tank IMO. I have a couple dirted tanks, my biggest being a 100% planted 220g. Unless you use mineralized soil in a dirted tank you have alot of nutrients being released from the organic top soil as it breaks down and if you don't have alot of plants like water sprite, wisteria, and fast growing stem plants you can end up with alot of algae. So with what your wanting to use as plants isn't a good choice for a dirted tank. I love dirted tanks but they are not the best way for a new to planted tanks person to start with.

 

[aqua_chem]

They can also be messy, especially with a sand cap. If you're the kind of person that moves plants around a lot, it could potentially be problematic, especially with more rooted species.

 

[BustedFrontBumper]

Honestly if your not planning on using alot of substrate plants other than some grasses down the road you really don't need a dirted tank IMO.

Cool Cool. That makes a lot of sense. I think I was in love with the idea of much lower maintenance with the greater rate of decomposition in soil.

If I use a manufactured substrate then I need to be siphoning the bottom? How do I avoid mixing the substrate? Deeper gravel layer on top? I hear too thick of an upper layer could lead to anaerobic activity ie

Is there any harm in putting substrate throughout the whole floor of my tank even if there may not be plants everywhere? I would like the option to expand what is growing and where without tearing down my tank again.

 

[Rivercats]

I'm not sure I'm understanding here when your talking about mixing your layers. All you need to do is pick a substrate, sand, small gravel, or a commercial plant substrate and use it in the tank. No layering involved. Or are you talking about dirt tanks again?

As for cleaning the substrate you only clean where there are no plants and you don't gravel vac too close to any plants either so you don't damage any roots.

 

[BustedFrontBumper]

So I was under the impression that i could/should layer something like Eco-Complete under the gravel I already have. That way I have something beneficial for my plants to tap into and something pleasing for me to look at. I would rather not be using root tabs because I thought a substrate would eliminate some of that extra, ongoing maintenance.

That's also why I thought soil would be a good idea. Because I don't have the dough for a CO2 setup, it sounded like the soil would feed the tank sufficiently.

 

[BustedFrontBumper]

Mmm, I'm realizing I'm using the word "substrate" when I mean a fertilized layer underneath my existing gravel substrate.

 

[Rivercats]

Regardless of what type substrate you use if swords or crypts are used they do much better with root tabs over the long haul. Remember only some plants like a nutrient rich substrate while stem plants and some others mainly draw all their nutrients from the water... which means adding ferts to the water. A rich substrate won't do much if anything for those. And adding something like Eco-complete under gravel or sand isn't going to help anything really. If you want to use Eco or a similar plant substrate it's best used as your total substrate not under sand or gravel. All plants need some type of ferts IMO so honestly your going to have to do some maintenance. Using dirt or a plant substrate isn't going to be a way of getting around using root tabs or ferts.

 

[BustedFrontBumper]

All plants need some type of ferts IMO so honestly your going to have to do some maintenance. Using dirt or a plant substrate isn't going to be a way of getting around using root tabs or ferts.

Ah man. Good thing this forum exists so I can ask my questions before spending the money or stressing my fish!

Okay. So I'll stick with my old gravel, which is full of Nitrates I can't get rid of. That's a plus, right? At least some plants like Nitrates?

And I guess I assumed that the fast growing stem plants would draw from their roots.

And as long as I have enough plant life in my tank to use the liquid fert then I wont need to worry about algae taking off with it?

I put on my thinking cap and actually looked into what root tabs are all about. doesn't sound too complicated or difficult haha - we'll see.

Would you recommend a good light and CO2 setup?

Thanks for all the input so far!!! You're saving me a lot of heartache and headache.

 

[Rivercats]

What size tank do you have and what plants do you already have? Also what are you wanting in your tank, a low light tank or medium light tank? As for CO2 I don't use CO2 so can't help you with that but you can start with using liquid carbon such as Excel, API CO2 Booster, or Glutaraldehyde daily and then get CO2 down the road if you want.

 

[Rivercats]

Oh forgot you only want 10-20ppm of nitrates in your water and .5-1.0ppm of phosphates for a planted tank. Stem plants won't utilize much if any nutrients via their roots. They remove nutrients from the tank water. When you say you you have high nitrates what is your actual reading? If they are above 20ppm you need to do some serious gravel vacuuming where there aren't any plants and do some large 50% WC's until you get your level down. Then if you do a 50% WC weekly it will go a long way in keeping nitrates lower.