Plant substrate

[Trainer_Ruby_]

Is sand better than dirt for plants in an aquarium


Keep calm and drum on

 

[bud29]

Is sand better than dirt for plants in an aquarium


Keep calm and drum on

Sand is inert, but you can easily add root tabs to give nutrients to heavy root feeders. Dirt has lots of nutrients, but is very messy - and after a while, the nutrients will all be gone. This leaves you with a messy, inert substrate. I'd personally go with sand - rinsing it all before adding it to the tank can be a pain, but after that, it's a pretty no-fuss substrate.

 

[Reygan2]

^^^^++++1!! I had a dirt tank that was an absolute mess. I hated it! I cleaned it out completely and replaced with eco complete, mainly because I wanted a dark substrate, but sand works well also.

 

[Caliban07]

You can use roughly 1 inch dirt and a one inch sand on top. This helps keep the dirt from entering the water column. Generally you don't want to start moving plants about once they're planted or this will make a mess. After a few weeks, the tank should settle and the water should remain crystal clear.

Soil contains lots of nutrients and can last for a very long time. It is also very beneficial for the natural uptake of plant nutrients. You don't need to use anything fancy other than organic potting soil. If you decide to use soil I would use fine gravel instead as it will be easier for fish waste to accumulate and uneaten fish food to pass through and be broken down by the soil bacteria release and replenishing nutrients.


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[Trainer_Ruby_]

Would 2 20 lb bags of dirt and 1 20 bag of sand work for a 55g. I'm starting a new tank that id like to be well planted not too heavy but not too lite. The plants I'd like to have are

1 Amazon Sword (Echinodorus "Ozelot"), 5-7 in

1 Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri), 6-8 in

1 Amazon Sword (Echinodorus muricatus), plant 7-8 in

2 young Java Ferns, Mcrosorium pteropus- 3-4 in

4 Crypts wendtii (GREEN), Cryptocoryne wendtii , 2-3 in

4 Crypts walkerii (RED), Cryptocoryne wendtii , 2-3 in

4 stems of Egeria densa - 6-7 in

8 stems of Bacopa monnierii 5-7 in

And Indian almond leaves to cover the bare spots


Keep calm and drum on

 

[Mebbid]

Grown with inert sand and root tabs.

For a decent thickness you would need at least 75 lbs of sand for a 55g.

 

[Reygan2]

Just a heads up on some of the issues I faced when I switched to dirt in case you decide to go that route. You will want to have your scape planned in advance. Moving most plants in a dirted tank creates a terrible mess, which also clogs your filters, so you'll need to be prepared to clean them daily during the initial stage and whenever you decide a plant looks good somewhere else. Also, I'd advise you to sift out any larger chunks of wood chips in the soil mix before you add it because they leach tannins, which some folks like, but it will give your water a brownish tint. You also need to have somewhere to keep your fish until the ammonia levels from all the rotting organics in the dirt subsides. My ammonia levels spiked for at least a week. Also, be prepare for lots of debris and cloudy water for a while. I know I risk some serious backlash for this, but I just wanted to let you know some of the problems. As mentioned earlier, even the initial benefits from dirted tanks expire, and you will eventually need to use ferts anyway. Root tabs are so much nicer to add when you don't have to turn your tank into a mud hole every time you add them. Of course, just my humble opinion, but it was formed from experience.

 

[Reygan2]

Grown with inert sand and root tabs.

For a decent thickness you would need at least 75 lbs of sand for a 55g.

Absolutely gorgeous.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

Just a heads up on some of the issues I faced when I switched to dirt in case you decide to go that route. You will want to have your scape planned in advance. Moving most plants in a dirted tank creates a terrible mess, which also clogs your filters, so you'll need to be prepared to clean them daily during the initial stage and whenever you decide a plant looks good somewhere else. Also, I'd advise you to sift out any larger chunks of wood chips in the soil mix before you add it because they leach tannins, which some folks like, but it will give your water a brownish tint. You also need to have somewhere to keep your fish until the ammonia levels from all the rotting organics in the dirt subsides. My ammonia levels spiked for at least a week. Also, be prepare for lots of debris and cloudy water for a while. I know I risk some serious backlash for this, but I just wanted to let you know some of the problems. As mentioned earlier, even the initial benefits from dirted tanks expire, and you will eventually need to use ferts anyway. Root tabs are so much nicer to add when you don't have to turn your tank into a mud hole every time you add them. Of course, just my humble opinion, but it was formed from experience.

I have used root taps in my 20g with sand and Amazon and they turned out real nice. Dirt was always something I've heard mentioned and wanted to know benefits but I think I'll stick with sand for this tank


Keep calm and drum on

 

[aquarium 308]

In a 10 gallon i put 1-1 1/4" of organic soil then put 1.5" sand over it. I do have tinted water but probably mostly from the tannins in my driftwood. If u are trying to create a particular biotope soil as a base may be necessary to color the water naturally. I will say that once my plants take root in the soil they are permanent

 

[Caliban07]

There are lots of different ways of growing a planted tank. I'm not here to say which is best because they all have their own benefits.

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-soil-substrate-or-dirted-planted-tank-a-how-to-guide.18943/

This article should help you decide if you haven't 100% already.

You can adapt a planted tank to suit using a combined methodology as this article author describes. Soil substrates are by no means necessary but this link will provide some answer to your benefits question and talk through some of the difficulties people have experienced when trying to use it.


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[candymancan]

This is my 55G using regular pebble sized black gravel

 

[Bbush]

This is my 55G using regular pebble sized black gravel

OMG!


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[FishyMamma]

Grown with inert sand and root tabs.

Spectacular!



Sent via an unladen European Swallow

 

[FishyMamma]

This is my 55G using regular pebble sized black gravel

Beautiful!



Sent via an unladen European Swallow

 

[FishyMamma]

I've had no trouble with plain aquarium sand, a mix of sand and Eco-Complete with Osmocote granules, and with straight Eco-Complete with the Osmocote. All three have produced gorgeous tanks and happy plants and fish.

This is my Dwarf Puffer tank, hence the jungle look. It's straight EC:



Here is my community tank, it's the mix of EC and sand, the second pic is an older pic from when I first planted it but it shows the substrate well.





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