Hello Everyone,
I will be moving into my house soon which means that I will setting up a 20g long planted aquarium, which I had planted before but I moved so I had to take it down. I currently have a planted 5 gallon tank running for a year now with lots of algae problems, which is very discouraging. Through this process I have learned that I still have a ton of learning yet to do. I would like to get some opinions and a better understanding of substrate and what to use.
Equipment: Finnext Planted+ Filter AC5o or a canister, I have yet to decide between the two.
My question is: What substrate is best for a low tech set up? I have read that soil can lead to algae problems early on, which could be why my 5g is overrun by it or my tank isn't planted heavy enough to absorb the nutrients. So is there a better option like ECO complete or florite to avoid major algae issues? If I go with ECO complete do I need to cap it with something?
My other question is: What makes ECO Complete/similar product better than soil? Pros and Cons to the different substrates.
Thanks for the help. I really enjoy this hobby, but am rather discouraged at the moment and looking for the best path to take to bolster my love for this hobby.
I will be moving into my house soon which means that I will setting up a 20g long planted aquarium, which I had planted before but I moved so I had to take it down. I currently have a planted 5 gallon tank running for a year now with lots of algae problems, which is very discouraging. Through this process I have learned that I still have a ton of learning yet to do. I would like to get some opinions and a better understanding of substrate and what to use.
Equipment: Finnext Planted+ Filter AC5o or a canister, I have yet to decide between the two.
My question is: What substrate is best for a low tech set up? I have read that soil can lead to algae problems early on, which could be why my 5g is overrun by it or my tank isn't planted heavy enough to absorb the nutrients. So is there a better option like ECO complete or florite to avoid major algae issues? If I go with ECO complete do I need to cap it with something?
My other question is: What makes ECO Complete/similar product better than soil? Pros and Cons to the different substrates.
Thanks for the help. I really enjoy this hobby, but am rather discouraged at the moment and looking for the best path to take to bolster my love for this hobby.