Substrate...?

[eykis9]

I just picked up a copy of the book, "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Halstad. One of the things she advocates is using potting soil as a substrate. According to her methods, she claims much long term success with this method. Prior to reading this I was all set to use flourite but am seriously considering potting soil.

My questions are: If you use flourite, or another material, how long has your planted tank been established? Is it a stable environment for your plants? Do you know of any serious disadvantages to using potting soil or flourite?

thank you!

 

[Biggen]

I have never used potting soil, so I really can't say anything good or bad about it. However, I use flourite in my 40 gallon tank and I can't say enough about. What a great substrate. Also since flourite is high in iron, I never have to dose iron supplements into the tank.

IMO, flourite IS the substrate for a planted tank. That is not to say that you can't use potting soil, but you sure as heck can't go wrong with flourite.

 

[eykis9]

Thanks so much for your reply, Biggen... I greatly appreciate your input. However, i'm womdering, how long has your tank been established?

 

[Biggen]

how long has your tank been established?

Approx 3 months or so now.


Flourite should never "go old" in a tank. I have read reports of people keeping their tanks 10+ years with flourite and their plants are still flourishing....

 

[eykis9]

so do you put rock on top of flourite?

thanks for your help!

 

[Biggen]

so do you put rock on top of flourite

Nope. Just flourite all the way around the tank. It is about 3-4 inches deep. I guess one could put rock or gravel over the flourite but it may look kinda wierd with two different substrates.

 

[tkos]

There are aquatic soils meant for ponds. They might be a better choice than regular potting soil. Schultz makes it. The problem with potting soil can be that it is often full of fillers that will not sink, so the best idea is to wet it out in a bucket of water first and scoop off all the floating pieces.

 

[bettagirl]

Hi eykis9! I set up my 75 g using Halstad's recommendations about 10 mos ago, with regular potting soil and fine gravel as the substrate. I think seeing the two substrates is cool, in part because of the high contrasting colors between the dark soil and light gravel. Maybe using two rock types wouldn't look as good.