Best substrate for my tank

[calfishguy]

I will be starting a planted 29 gallon tank with an aquatic life t5 ho dual lamp with two 24 watt 6000k bulbs. I won't be doing co2 for now so what type of substrate do you recommend.

 

[Daymine]

Sand sand sand! I have black sand in my tanks and It looks super nice

 

[calfishguy]

Should I use root tabs with it.

 

[paytertot]

Should I use root tabs with it.

Yes if you plan on having heavy root feeders, and you can dose liquid or dry ferts for everything else.

 

[jetajockey]

Get a good high cec substrate, there are multiple options depending on budget and ability.

Sand works but a plant friendly substrate is better.

 

[calfishguy]

A plant friend substrate such as flourish black sand.

 

[jkdubs2]

Get a good high cec substrate, there are multiple options depending on budget and ability.

Sand works but a plant friendly substrate is better.

All natural non scented non clumping clay granule kitty litter is a good and cheap substrate with a high cec. It looks good too. My 55g is all kitty litter.

 

[jetajockey]

All natural non scented non clumping clay granule kitty litter is a good and cheap substrate with a high cec. It looks good too. My 55g is all kitty litter.

I have oil dri in a 40b, 29, and my 125.

 

[jkdubs2]

I have oil dri in a 40b, 29, and my 125.

Oil dri?

 

[jetajockey]

It's the same stuff as basic kitty litter. Oil-Dri Corporation : Cat Litter - Agricultural - Fluids Purification - Automotive Clean Up

 

[calfishguy]

Do you put black sand over it

 

[Autumnsky]

I have oil dri in a 40b, 29, and my 125.

jetajockey did this cause initial low pH? If so how do/did you deal with it?

 

[jetajockey]

No, I mean you could, but I wouldn't. If you really want the black look just go with black sand fluorite or ecocomplete. Layering substrates can work but it can get kinda tricky, and it definitely gets messy when you go to move plants around.

@ Autumn. I didn't test it, never had a reason to. What would cause it to lower pH?

 

[calfishguy]

Which is better ecocomplete or flourite. And I have heard that if you have lights like I plan on putting on my tank and no c02 you will have algae issues is this true.

 

[jetajockey]

Which is better ecocomplete or flourite. And I have heard that if you have lights like I plan on putting on my tank and no c02 you will have algae issues is this true.

I like ecocomplete better mostly because you don't have to prerinse it.

And yeah, a dual t5ho is a lot for that size tank, if possible just run 1 bulb at a time until you get co2. Also keep a tight lighting schedule, just run 8 hours maximum.

 

[calfishguy]

Would DIY co2 suffice for that sized tank.

 

[jetajockey]

Would DIY co2 suffice for that sized tank.

You could make it work, but it's not something I would depend on. I tried diy co2 on a 40b and it just wasn't steady enough, even with 3 2L bottles. The change in ambient temperature throughout the day also caused a fluctuation in co2 output which was annoying. There's nothing wrong with trying it out to see if you like it, though, it's just a little bit of DIY. I know lots of people who have done DIY co2 and like it, but I would be very cautious when running a high light setup because everything really needs to be steady to get the right 'balance' between lighting/ferts/co2.

 

[calfishguy]

Is it possible to have a planted tank that looks decently nice without high output lights and co2.

Can you name a list of plants that do well in those conditions.

 

[jetajockey]

I merged your posts, instead of posting back to back please use the 'edit' feature.

I do low tech on most of my setups, no co2, irregular fert dosing, and they do fine. You can grow most plants in a low-medium setup without co2 injection, lots of people do it. If you plan to stay low tech I'd probably opt for a t5no rather than t5ho fixture, unless you can run a single bulb on that t5ho. I run single bulb t5ho over some of my 40b's which are shallower than a 29g and they've done fine growing plants without co2.

 

[calfishguy]

Can you recommend a couple of inexpensive fixtures that would work.