Dirt verses Gravel

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DocOck

Aquarium Advice Activist
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May 25, 2015
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102
What is the best substrate for a planted tank?


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This is a bit debatable.

I've had good success with:
Eco complete
Fluorite
Floromax

ADA Aquasoil is also very highly recommended if you can afford it.


Caleb
 
ImACoolguy said:
This is a bit debatable.

I've had good success with:
Eco complete
Fluorite
Floromax

ADA Aquasoil is also very highly recommended if you can afford it.


Caleb
Click to expand...


Do you use Eco complete fluorite and floromax together?


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Great tank!! Why do you add flourite to Eco complete?


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DocOck said:
Great tank!! Why do you add flourite to Eco complete?


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Click to expand...


At the time my knowledge of plants was very small and I just threw them both in there lol and it worked.


Caleb
 
DocOck said:
What is the best substrate for a planted tank?


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Click to expand...


It really depends. You can grow plants in gravel if you fertilise with root tabs and add fertilisers to the water column. If you don't plan on adding additional fertilisers then gravel is a pretty poor substrate for plants.

You don't need to buy commercial fertilisers. Just plain old organic soil should do the trick under low light.

There are lots of methods for growing plants and each has their own benefits.

In my opinion you can only benefit from using soil as a substrate.


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Caliban07 said:
It really depends. You can grow plants in gravel if you fertilise with root tabs and add fertilisers to the water column. If you don't plan on adding additional fertilisers then gravel is a pretty poor substrate for plants.

You don't need to buy commercial fertilisers. Just plain old organic soil should do the trick under low light.

There are lots of methods for growing plants and each has their own benefits.

In my opinion you can only benefit from using soil as a substrate.


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Click to expand...


Please note when I said commercial fertilisers I meant commercial substrates.


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tiger terror said:
Dirt capped with sand...

https://youtu.be/d1W9N6lByFI
Note,there is more going on in this tank than just dirt as my substrate..

sit in silence...
Click to expand...


You're tank is gorgeous! How do you do it?

If you dont mind please answer some questions because i really would love to setup a tank like yours!

What type of dirt did you use (MTS or NPT with MGOCPM) and how was it?

What kind of plants do you have (they're all so pretty!)

What type of sand cap did you use?

Any other ways you make your plants so vibrant? thanks!
 
DocOck said:
What is the best substrate for a planted tank?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
Click to expand...


This is a difficult question to answer sometimes.

The best substrate for a planted tank is ADA Aquasoil. With that said Aquasoil may not be the best substrate for YOU, as the "best" substrate will vary depending on your budget, needs, and goals. For many people just using something simple like pool filter sand is good enough, as you can have marvelous results with sand and osmocote+. If you're new to planted tanks and just starting off lowtech you may want to just stick with sand or EcoComplete supplemented with root tabs. Fill us in a bit more with what you're trying to accomplish (and with how much money) and we can make even more suggestions/recommendations.
 
azmodan said:
This is a difficult question to answer sometimes.

The best substrate for a planted tank is ADA Aquasoil. With that said Aquasoil may not be the best substrate for YOU, as the "best" substrate will vary depending on your budget, needs, and goals. For many people just using something simple like pool filter sand is good enough, as you can have marvelous results with sand and osmocote+. If you're new to planted tanks and just starting off lowtech you may want to just stick with sand or EcoComplete supplemented with root tabs. Fill us in a bit more with what you're trying to accomplish (and with how much money) and we can make even more suggestions/recommendations.
Click to expand...

Nice reply&well said...plenty of info here from alot of great members!

sit in silence...
 
I am specifically trying to grow a successful carpet of dwarf hair grass. I've heard dirt (miracle growth) topped with Eco complete is a good idea? I'm also having trouble finding a good light for this plan. As far as budget goes I think the finnex Ray 2 or finnex 24/7 might work well. I'm also looking for a simple CO2 system.


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azmodan said:
This is a difficult question to answer sometimes.

The best substrate for a planted tank is ADA Aquasoil. With that said Aquasoil may not be the best substrate for YOU, as the "best" substrate will vary depending on your budget, needs, and goals. For many people just using something simple like pool filter sand is good enough, as you can have marvelous results with sand and osmocote+. If you're new to planted tanks and just starting off lowtech you may want to just stick with sand or EcoComplete supplemented with root tabs. Fill us in a bit more with what you're trying to accomplish (and with how much money) and we can make even more suggestions/recommendations.
Click to expand...


Any advice?


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DocOck said:
I am specifically trying to grow a successful carpet of dwarf hair grass. I've heard dirt (miracle growth) topped with Eco complete is a good idea? I'm also having trouble finding a good light for this plan. As far as budget goes I think the finnex Ray 2 or finnex 24/7 might work well. I'm also looking for a simple CO2 system.


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Click to expand...


Between the ray2 and the 24/7, get the 24/7.
Size of tank, in particular the depth, affects the amount of light getting to the substrate.
A budget of $150-$200 will get you an AquaTek Premium Regulator, 24 oz valken paintball CO2 tank, paintball tank adaptor, CO2 tubing, bubble counter, check valve, Fluval ceramic diffuser, and Fluval drop checker. This is a nice setup that should help get you that carpet.
I have not used soil + EcoComplete, just the latter and obtained good results. Not discouraging the use of soil.


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Fresh2o said:
Between the ray2 and the 24/7, get the 24/7.
Size of tank, in particular the depth, affects the amount of light getting to the substrate.
A budget of $150-$200 will get you an AquaTek Premium Regulator, 24 oz valken paintball CO2 tank, paintball tank adaptor, CO2 tubing, bubble counter, check valve, Fluval ceramic diffuser, and Fluval drop checker. This is a nice setup that should help get you that carpet.
I have not used soil + EcoComplete, just the latter and obtained good results. Not discouraging the use of soil.


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Click to expand...

+1...Nailed it!

sit in silence...
 
Fresh2o said:
Between the ray2 and the 24/7, get the 24/7.
Size of tank, in particular the depth, affects the amount of light getting to the substrate.
A budget of $150-$200 will get you an AquaTek Premium Regulator, 24 oz valken paintball CO2 tank, paintball tank adaptor, CO2 tubing, bubble counter, check valve, Fluval ceramic diffuser, and Fluval drop checker. This is a nice setup that should help get you that carpet.
I have not used soil + EcoComplete, just the latter and obtained good results. Not discouraging the use of soil.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
Click to expand...


Thanks so much! I'm ready to get this puppy started!!


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