Inserting Clay into an Established Tank

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I did exactly what your asking and my tank did awesome. Just move your top layer aside, place your clay based substrate and recover. The roots will have good nutrients and last longer than constant root tabbing, annoying.
 
I Ordered some of the Mexican clay from Amazon, should get here by friday. I checked the soil that I have, and it completely lacks Iron, which might explain why My plants have never grown to much. This should do the trick!
 
A little more than a week ago I bought two red plants a red tiger lotus, and a red wendtii. Knowing that red plants need iron I also decided to get a box of API's First Layer Pure Laterite clay substrate. I moved my gravel out of the way, put some laterite clay in, moved my gravel over that, and planted my plants. During the first week of planting I'm not seeing any expected shock symptoms but new growth from both plants. I was very surprised as to how well the clay substrate worked I only wish I could easily add it under my swords.
 
Why can't you up root the swords and put the clay in and replant the swords. You could get amaco pottery clay, make 1 inch spikes, let them dry and push the spikes into the substrate at the base of the palnts, thats what I did.
 
I feel that I'm not very good with plants so I'm worried that if I uproot them I'll kill them. Besides what I think is a minor potassium deficiency my swords are doing pretty well so I don't want to mess with them too much. I've already been using root tabs from seachem but the clay spikes sounds like a good idea.
 
I just got my Amaco red clay. I'm doing as your suggestion and making them into spikey bits, and im leaving them to dry for a bit, before wedging them under my plants.
 
If you are going to the effort to add clay spikes to the substrate, consider looking up how to do DIY root tabs since you are already doing the legwork, it just takes a little mixing and a few cheap ingredients. The benefit of root tabs (which is basically clay impregnated with fertilizers) is worth doing and you'll see better results than you would with just clay alone.
 
You woun't be disappointed, just remember that when you disturb the substrate in the future you will get a red cloud. This does not seem to hurt the fish as far as I can tell.
 
Did a water change, cleaned up my tank, inserted the clay pieces. My tank is a little cloudy, since I cleaned out the Filter and its kicking up a bunch of dirt n stuff around the tank, gotta wait til it settles down to get good pictures.
 
As promised:

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Two Double T-5 Fixtures that i got from Petsmart for 70$ each. Approximately 90 Watts of light on the tank. The Amazon Sword has basically taken over half my tank, I'm going to want to plant some Dwarf Sag and Ludwigia soon on the side.
 
I don't run any c02, I dose Flourish every once in a long while, but thats about it. I actually just planted more plants (two ludwigia, Dwarf Sag, and a Water Sprite). No pics yet.
 
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