Substrate questions

[imcgary]

I am planning on starting off with a lightly planted tank and gradually add more and more plants until it is heavily planted tank. Reason i dont have the money for lights! My question is what is a good substrate to use if i plan on adding florite in the future as the number of plants grow. Cost is a factor.

125g tank.

 

[mr funktastic]

i personally would reccomend adding flourite late. it clouds like crazy. i like eco complete for planted tanks. if u cant afford strait eco then see if u can get 3m quarts to mix with it. or black sand. just my opinion though. what kind of light do u have now?

 

[imcgary]

i currently have stock NO flourescents maybe 90w at the most probably less.
i am planning on getting two 36in corallite's but cost is delaying that purchase a little bit. maybe ill hit the lotto or something.

 

[Purrbox]

Since cost is a factor what about looking at an alternative to the expensive plant substrates? Just because it's sold at your LFS doesn't mean that it's the only or best option for your tank and goals.

Turface MVP is only $10 for a 50lbs bag and has an excellant CEC rating which means that it stores nutrients really well. It's a similar particle size to Flourite and comes in a variety of colors including charcoal grey. Another option is pool filter sand at about $8 for a 50lbs bag. While it doesn't hold nutrients very well it is a nice particle size and can be supplemented with root tabs.

 

[imcgary]

where can i get Turface MVP? i have seen it talked about alot on here but not sure where to get it. the black sand/ eco complete mix intrest me also. I knwo where to get the eco but I dont think i have ever seen Black sand for sale.

 

[Purrbox]

You can contact the manufacturer and they will let you know where the nearest retailer for Turface MVP is located.

You can get Tahitian Moon Sand from several online reatailers and some LFS, but it's going to be more expensive. You could also check with a local pool store to find out what color their pool filter sand is (it varies by locale).

 

[mr funktastic]

i bought geo systems black sand. was 20 bucks for 22 pounds. try findign that. or the 3m quartz comes in black.

 

[maxwell1295]

3M ColorQuartz is about $25 for a 50lb bag. You would probably need 2.5 to 3 bags to provide good coverage in a tank that size.