"Sharp Tooth" wrote in message
...


Hi:

I have three tanks that are 36 X 12 X 18 inches and have had some
success growing plants in black gravel and using under gravel filters.
I do not vacuum the gravel since I don't want to disturb the plant
growth which covers almost all of the bottoms, but I do make regular
partial water changes.

If you are using an undergravel filter and you are not vacuuming the gravel,
then your filter is not working. An undergravel filter requires flow
through the gravel, so it must be cleaned regularly. So, in reality, you
haven't been using an undergravel filter anyway.

I am now looking at buying a bigger tank 48 X 18 X 21 and was told at
the LFS to not use an under gravel filter if I wasn't prepared to
strip down the tank every six months.

Undergravel filters are useless, especially in planted tanks.

Instead, an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Rena Filstar XP canister filter
was recommended. I have a Rena air pump and am quite happy with it.
How about the filter, is it any good?

If I do go with a canister filter, what should I use as a substrate?
It costs $30 Canadian for a 7 kg bag of Seachem Fluorite. How many
bags would I need and are there any effective alternatives to this
substrate that don't cost as much?

There are numerous options to choose as a substrate. For someone not
knowing much about the hobby, however, I would say, go with the Flourite.
It has proven to produce results time and time again.

Finally, I have a number of Nutrafin CO2 Natural Plant System
canisters. Is there an alternative to buying the yeast and stabilizer
packets? I don't know what the stabilizer is comprised of. Does
anybody know?

You can just buy yeast at a grocery store and add baking soda as a
stabilizer.