Gravel as substrate?

[kaden]

So, I was new at planting stuff (aka, had never done it or even thought of it, but said OH PRETTY PLANTS! and got them... ) and everything in my tank is just planted straight in gravel. It all seems to be doing well and growing (just an amazon sword, some other sword type plant, and a crypt) but I wonder if this will last in a gravel substrate.

Thoughts? Changing substrate isn't an option because my tank is well established for my snails and shrimp. Is there anything I can do to boost the health and longevity of the plants?

 

[TankerJs]

Although not many people use regular gravel on this site doesn't mean it isn't viable for plants. As long as your plants receive enough CO2 (I'm assuming you don't have a system, so it mostly comes from your fishes' waste), light, and micro/macro nutrients they should be fine. You can always try to boost your plants growth with water-borne fertilizers, root tabs, and even liquified carbon if your fish aren't producing enough. As the long as the plants are growing, green and algae free you are doing fine!

 

[Fdsh5]

I have plain old gravel in all but one of my tanks and I have no problems with plants. Like previously stated using ferts and the fish poop should be fine for your plants. I dose flourish comprehensive weekly and flourish excel daily. Looks like it works for me. That is my only t5ho tank the rest are all t8 but still no problems. If your tank is well established like you stated already, you've got plenty of fertilizer for the plants. You could always throw some root tabs in the gravel to supplement.

 

[Coursair]

+1 on Root tabs of some sort. Bury them deeply near Swords and Crypts. Both are heavy root feeders. I have a 5g with plain gravel. I'm growing a couple of Swords and a Crypt as well as Java Ferns and random stuff.

Just be careful if you gravel vac.

 

[kaden]

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I'll definitely be buying root tabs. My tank is well established but doesn't have a whole lot of animals in it; just snails and shrimp. Then again, snails do poop an awful lot... I'll be adding root tabs to keep my plants happy! I do have a little brown algae, but I've heard that's normal for newer tanks, and I kicked up the flow in my tank a little to help combat it and that seems to be working pretty well.

Are Flourish Excel and Comprehensive safe for shrimp and snails?

 

[BBradbury]

So, I was new at planting stuff (aka, had never done it or even thought of it, but said OH PRETTY PLANTS! and got them... ) and everything in my tank is just planted straight in gravel. It all seems to be doing well and growing (just an amazon sword, some other sword type plant, and a crypt) but I wonder if this will last in a gravel substrate.

Thoughts? Changing substrate isn't an option because my tank is well established for my snails and shrimp. Is there anything I can do to boost the health and longevity of the plants?

Hello k...

It can take weeks for the plants to get used to the water conditions in the tank, so patience is needed.

Gravel substrate is fine. The "pea sized" is small enough to allow the water to flow through it providing O2 for the plant roots.

You can help your plants by making sure you have the proper lighting, a watt or so per gallon of tank volume is good for the average aquatic plant. Make sure you change out half the water in the tank every week to keep the mineral levels high, they're good for the plants. Also, a fertilizer added once a week is helpful. The local pet stores carry them.

Keep it simple and you'll have a nicely planted tank.

B

 

[Coursair]

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I'll definitely be buying root tabs. My tank is well established but doesn't have a whole lot of animals in it; just snails and shrimp. Then again, snails do poop an awful lot... I'll be adding root tabs to keep my plants happy! I do have a little brown algae, but I've heard that's normal for newer tanks, and I kicked up the flow in my tank a little to help combat it and that seems to be working pretty well.

Are Flourish Excel and Comprehensive safe for shrimp and snails?

You will get different advice, I never use Excel or CO2. If you use Excel, start off with 1/2 the normal dose. I have CRS and believe it killed a couple, but I could be wrong.

FC should be fine.