What substrate should I get?

[venymae]

I am looking for a good low-tech substrate. I don't do ferts or CO2. In the past I have used dirt with a cap (with good results), but I am wanting to use something less messy for rearranging. What would you recommend?

 

[venymae]

Is there even such a thing? SOmething that would add nutrients much like dirt, be good for circulation around roots and not super cloudy? I was wanting to do black sand with it.

 

[azmodan]

Do you have a particular budget? You said no ferts but how about root tabs?

 

[smithpants94]

I dabbled a little with EcoComplete.. They have a coarse grain and I believe a black sand.. I had decent growth with them, though I also supplemented it with root tabs.. My guess would be that you could even sprinkle some under the substrate in the beginning


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[venymae]

I am very low budget at the moment, but would be willing to put a little money into my 20g tank to get it up the way I'd like. I just want to see what is available out there. What have people used? How did they like it?

 

[azmodan]

Sand, gravel, fluorite and EcoComplete are all easy substrates that are fine in lowtech setups as long as your heavy root feeders (swords, crypts, etc) get the benefit of root tabs placed under/near them. Sand will probably be your cheapest option but I like EcoComplete the most out of those options due to its easy set up (no rinsing needed) and high CEC.

 

[venymae]

What is CEC?

 

[azmodan]

Cation exchange capacity, which essentially refers to how well a substrate can hold and retain nutrients over time. Inert substrates like sand do not retain nutrients, hence the need for a regular source of root tabs for root feeders. EcoComplete does need time to begin retaining nutrients, however, so in the beginning especially it is necessary to supplement with root tabs.

 

[venymae]

Ok thanks. I feel like this is going to take a lot of research. I garden, but aquarium plants are a whole new world for me

 

[azmodan]

Thankfully substrate is generally the least important variable when compared to ferts, light, and co2/carbon, particularly when you're first starting out with plants. There are also many types of commercial plant-specific substrates that can be excellent but pricey. If this is your first real planted tank I really like EcoComplete as a starting point, but I'm sure whatever you choose will definitely serve your immediate needs.


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