Gravel/substrate help & opinions plz

[smileyface9]

So I decide I don't want eco complete.. What kind of gravel or sand should I use? That way their roots can grow easier? I want plants like crypt wendtri, cryptocoryne litea, dwarf baby tears, java ferns, or maybe water sprite (still thinking of my options). 29 gallon take. Moderate lighting. Plz help me get ideas of what could work best without always needing root tabs.

 

[MABJ]

So I decide I don't want eco complete.. What kind of gravel or sand should I use? That way their roots can grow easier? I want plants like crypt wendtri, cryptocoryne litea, dwarf baby tears, java ferns, or maybe water sprite (still thinking of my options). 29 gallon take. Moderate lighting. Plz help me get ideas of what could work best without always needing root tabs.

I'd say you can never go wrong with Fluval plant stratum if you want a nice, plant conducive substrate.

Everybody will certainly have a different substrate advice for you.

One thing I can say is any substrate with nutrients for plants in it will eventually run out of nutrients.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Depends if you want to go all out with a specialized plant substrate or go the cheaper DIY route with sand or sand and dirt. IMO you can't go wrong with PFS.

 

[smileyface9]

Depends if you want to go all out with a specialized plant substrate or go the cheaper DIY route with sand or sand and dirt. IMO you can't go wrong with PFS.

I was thinking flourite and sand...but idk if that'll work well or not. I don't want dirt since i'd have to weigh it down with rocks ontop..but i've heard flourite is helpful. What's PFS? And i heard layering different substrates is good too. It might be a slow process for me to get everything for it, but I want to make sure I do it right, because I want to have it moderately planted..not too heavily planted. And with a good carpet plant as well so that there's swimming room for my fish.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

You can cap dirt with sand or fine gravel to keep it from clouding the water. PFS = pool filter sand.
There are lots if substrate threads going on at the moment. Have a look at them and they might give you some ideas.

 

[Nreal]

I have had insane good luck with carib substrate. The gravel/sand mix is perfect for roots -if planted tank is your dream- and yes, the nutrients will go away in time but the ease of planting by holding the root with your thumb and index finger, then quickly moving the gravel/sand with your pointer finger allows the sand to quickly fill in and keep the roots in place while the gravel adds weight so my lobsters have a harder time uprooting said plant life. I never would think of using general dirt as the parasites, fungi, and other dirty gook also would create a hell of a foggy mess IMO. Granted a trip in the oven to kill off the bad also kills off the good bacteria, there are products like aqua mud which mimic dirt with a price of gold. If you have some time just get a 5 gal from petco for 10 bucks and try some combinations. I still say Carib sea planted substrate is, at $17 per 20 lbs. is a steal considering how much it spreads and the ease of use, the beneficial bacteria and the uniform quality- not to mention it's got the nutrients in there for the beginner. Good luck, you have quite a few options! Hope that helps.

 

[ashleynicole]

Personally I love pool filter sand from home depot. It is cheap and looks great. About 5 bucks for a 50lb bag. I just use root tabs to help fertilized the substrate.
This was my low tech 29 gallon before I upgraded to a 55. I use PFS in my kids 5 gallon betts tanks as well.

 

[smileyface9]

Personally I love pool filter sand from home depot. It is cheap and looks great. About 5 bucks for a 50lb bag. I just use root tabs to help fertilized the substrate.
This was my low tech 29 gallon before I upgraded to a 55. I use PFS in my kids 5 gallon betts tanks as well.

Thanks!! that's awesome! So the pool filter sand stays down easily? And doesn't float off? And maybe if I get that I'll mix it with black diamond sand and have a bottom layer of the dirt from petco... Maybe. I'm still in the process of thinking it all through lol.

 

[smileyface9]

I mean Aqua mud.. Not dirt

 

[smileyface9]

Thx everyone! anymore options/ ideas?

 

[Nreal]

It really is a big decision, considering once everything has stabilized you won't be changing it without some load of trouble. Take time, visualize- keep in mind the vacuum will come into play (perhaps) so something that stays down while cleaning is more than a little important!!!

 

[smileyface9]

I decided on first layer laterite, then red fluorite, and then gravel. I'm super excited! I also bought a 24" 10,000 K full daylight spectrum bulb just in case mt light's too weak for plants.

 

[ashleynicole]

Thanks!! that's awesome! So the pool filter sand stays down easily? And doesn't float off? And maybe if I get that I'll mix it with black diamond sand and have a bottom layer of the dirt from petco... Maybe. I'm still in the process of thinking it all through lol.

Yeah the pool filter sand settles nicely, keeps my plants in place well, even stem plants... and the fish love it. Some of my fish like to dig under the driftwood, and the cories seem to enjoy sifting around to getting leftover food. Also I have Malaysian trumpet snails that burrow in the sand. I aways rinse it really well first and it was dusty and kinda cloudy for the first couple of days but no problems after that.

I never vacuum it. My filter and air curtains create enough current to blow junk off the bottom. I turn the bubble wands off occasionally just so stuff can settle and my bottom feeders get a chance to scavenge. and when I do water changes I hover the vac over the top and it gets any lose debris that the filter doesn't take care of.
There are definitely a lot of options out there for substrates, good luck