AFriendlyWiener
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Messages
- 4
i want to mix some plant substrate in with my gravel, what's the best cheap option and how much should i mix with the gravel? (4 5-gallon tanks and a 3 gallon)
If you’re not using proper substrate your fertilizer is probably going right up into the water column and away from the roots of your plants. Plant specific substrate is designed to hold on to the fertilizer and feed the plant as needed. A lot of aquarium gravel won’t do that. Also depends on your type of plants. Some are root feeders and some will take fertz from the water column. Do you have high or low water current in your tank? Lights? Frequently changing water? Fish load?
I just moved my 36 gallon tank with sand and some of the root tabs I added a year ago were still there. I always saw the high end stuff as containing slow release fertilizer within them. But I have had no problems fertilizing with cheap sand. I can see where it would loose nutrients in gravel, with so many gaps.