Substrate for potted plants in FW fish tank?

[ReneeMarie]

Hi all! I’m in need of some plant expertise.
Last weekend I was FINALLY able to upgrade my 2 FW 55s to a 90 and a 120 short The 120 houses a 10 inch pleco and 4 big fancy goldies and the 90 is home to 2 silver dollars (will ultimately be 5), 3 black skirts (will ultimately be 7), 1 foot long pleco and 2 guppies.
I would now really like to include some live plants. I’ve actually already bought a few – some floating, some 'attachers' and some that require planting (those are still in the little containers they came in). Just a quick note too – none of the fish in either tank has bothered with any of the plants except a few nibbles off the water sprite and the purple cabomba by the goldies.
Anyway, rather than covering the whole of the tank bottom with a plant substrate (I prefer bare bottom with river rocks for easier cleaning) I want to put the plants that need rooting into terra cotta pots.
My question is what can I put in the pots that will not leach ammonia/other toxins into the water or increase the pH of the tanks too much (Cambridge Ontario water is already liquid rock and sits at around high 7's/low 8's).
I thought Flourite was the answer but now I’ve now gotten myself totally confused and paranoid after reading so much contradictory info. I then thought plain old sandbox sand but again – some say yay, some say nay. Then I looked at EcoComplete but there's the ammonia issue. HELP!
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Renée

 

[BigJim]

Gravel would be fine for potted plants. You could also use rock wool, sand, or a plant-specific substrate like Flourite. I've got sand in some of my tanks and a coal slag blasting media in others and my plants do well.

 

[ReneeMarie]

Thanks so much BigJim. And now I'm off to see a man about some gravel!

I'll post some pics this weekend after I get everything just right!

 

[BigJim]

You're welcome. Remember the KISS principle. It will solve a lot of aquarium problems.

 

[roydooms]

You're welcome. Remember the KISS principle. It will solve a lot of aquarium problems.

What is the KISS principle?

 

[BigJim]

Keep It Simple Stupid

A lot of the time, the best solution is the simplest.

 

[roydooms]

Keep It Simple Stupid

A lot of the time, the best solution is the simplest.

Got it!

 

[uh.oh...]

A friend of mine suggested layering Flourite, then Aquarium Gravel, then Sand. That was a terrible idea, so stay away from it. They'll all just get mixed up eventually anyways, so what I have now is a play sand/aquarium gravel/pea grave/flourite mixture. No matter what you go with make sure you rinse it enough. If its flourite, count on being there awhile. I didn't rinse it, and had to redo the whole tank. It was fishless cycling though, so it wasn't too bad.

On a second note, if you do need to go the cheap route like I did, the play sand from a home improvement store (lowes for me) hasn't caused me any trouble yet, and its been 2 months so far. Pea gravel is terrible for plants and fish, to large and rough, doesn't sift well at all. So for gravel definitely stick with those really expensive aquarium versions.

Plants do well with extra CO2, so if you choose to here's a simple DIY yeast CO2 generator. DIY Yeast Generated CO2 Injector (DIY AQUARIUM CHEMISTRY)

Just watch out for pH fluctuations. Happy fishing!

 

[ReneeMarie]

KISS indeed! Sometimes it's hard not to get caught up in all the tech/science especially for a chemistry-minded geek like me!

I planted almost all the rooting plants in gravel today in lovely little glass saucers/bowls (need a few more yet) and as Billy Crystal would say, they look marvelous!

I'll see how well they fair in just the gravel and if need be, I'll add some pool filter sand. If I can avoid Flourite I will - I don't even want to think about having to redo both tanks! I forgot how much work a new set up is mind you the fish are in their glory...they look so small now!

Anyway, the plants already seem to be much happier - the purple cabomba actually appears purplish! So, that said, I'll be off to buy a few more lovlies tomorrow...really, just a few...no more than 10...or so!!!!

Thanks again for the info

 

[mudraker]

Pea gravel is terrible for plants and fish, to large and rough, doesn't sift well at all. So for gravel definitely stick with those really expensive aquarium versions.

I use pea gravel in planted tanks with fish with no problems whatsover. If you go that route, just make sure it is a smaller size gravel.

 

[fort384]

Alright Renee! Time for some PICS of the new tanks!

 

[mgamer20o0]

My question is what can I put in the pots that will not leach ammonia/other toxins into the water or increase the pH of the tanks too much (Cambridge Ontario water is already liquid rock and sits at around high 7's/low 8's).
I thought Flourite was the answer but now I’ve now gotten myself totally confused and paranoid after reading so much contradictory info. I then thought plain old sandbox sand but again – some say yay, some say nay. Then I looked at EcoComplete but there's the ammonia issue. HELP!
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Renée

whats have you confused and paranoid about flourite? its a good substrate completely safe.

sand box sand will work though pool filter sand is better.

there is no ammonia issues with eco not sure where you got that from.

i would go with something that has a high CEC like eco or flourite or some of the other ones out there.

 

[mudraker]

Some mentors here warn that the extra nutrients in Eco Complete can overwhelm the BB in the filter and cause a mini-cycle.

I've seeded two existing tanks with large amounts Eco and never had an issue like that.

 

[ReneeMarie]

Tanks are done - pics are up!

I've just uploaded some pics to the gallery! Thanks for all your help and advice

DUH! So after uploading to the gallery I realized I could create an album. So I did. Enjoy!

 

[fort384]

Very nice!!

 

[Deep Seven]

Very nice set-up. Looks beautiful.