What is better for pllants? Sand or gravel?

"Rich Conley" wrote in message
...
What is better for pllants? Sand or gravel?

Neither.
You wouldn't stick your prize roses in a bucket of sand nor a bucket of
gravel so why do teh same with aquatic plants?

Ideally you should use about 10-15cm of fertilizer / sand mix and hold the
lot down with 4cm of gravel, 2mm diameter.
Steve

what do you guy sreccomend I use...its a 20H tank, and I really dont want to
use anything that I'll have too worry too much about clouding my water or
anything like that..... It'll have mostly java fern and java moss in
it...attached to some cork bark I have siliconed to the back....but I woul like
some swords and crypts...and maybe some carpet type plants....How much light do
you guys reccomend? and what for substrate..what for fertilizer..?

And actually...my workmate grows his prize bonsai trees in gravel...

Mr GTV wrote:

"Rich Conley" wrote in message
...
What is better for pllants? Sand or gravel?

Neither.
You wouldn't stick your prize roses in a bucket of sand nor a bucket of
gravel so why do teh same with aquatic plants?

Ideally you should use about 10-15cm of fertilizer / sand mix and hold the
lot down with 4cm of gravel, 2mm diameter.
Steve

Ideally you should use about 10-15cm of fertilizer / sand mix and hold the
lot down with 4cm of gravel, 2mm diameter.

You mean mm, not cm.

--
Victor M. Martinez | The University of Texas at Austin
| Department of Chemical Engineering
http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv | Austin, TX 78712
If we knew what we were doing it would not be called research, would it?

I used 1,5" (4 cm) of Flourite Red (Seachem) and about 2" (5 cm) of small
Natural Gravel from BigAl's, it should be 50% Gravel and 50% sustrate,

Francisco Caamano

"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
Ideally you should use about 10-15cm of fertilizer / sand mix and hold
the
lot down with 4cm of gravel, 2mm diameter.

You mean mm, not cm.

--
Victor M. Martinez | The University of Texas at Austin
| Department of Chemical Engineering
http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv | Austin, TX 78712
If we knew what we were doing it would not be called research, would it?

any idea how much in pounds this would be in a 20H....IE how much Flouorite do
I need to buy.
Rich

"Francisco Caamaño" wrote:

I used 1,5" (4 cm) of Flourite Red (Seachem) and about 2" (5 cm) of small
Natural Gravel from BigAl's, it should be 50% Gravel and 50% sustrate,

Francisco Caamano

"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
Ideally you should use about 10-15cm of fertilizer / sand mix and hold
the
lot down with 4cm of gravel, 2mm diameter.

You mean mm, not cm.

--
Victor M. Martinez | The University of Texas at Austin
| Department of Chemical Engineering
http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv | Austin, TX 78712
If we knew what we were doing it would not be called research, would it?

I have a 29 gallon setup with standard gravel and UGF. My Java Fern is
incredibly lush and the Java Moss grows like nuts. Both were doing
great even without CO2 or PMDD (which I've recently setup to try and
revive a rotting Crypt).

My feeling is that gravel substrate is perfectly fine for the fern or
moss because they are not deep rooting plants, they will attach to the
gravel or whatever you have in the tank. My moss has attached to
gravel, sea shells, rock, and driftwood.

Good luck.


In article ,
Rich Conley wrote:

what do you guy sreccomend I use...its a 20H tank, and I really dont want to
use anything that I'll have too worry too much about clouding my water or
anything like that..... It'll have mostly java fern and java moss in
it...attached to some cork bark I have siliconed to the back....but I woul
like
some swords and crypts...and maybe some carpet type plants....How much light
do
you guys reccomend? and what for substrate..what for fertilizer..?

And actually...my workmate grows his prize bonsai trees in gravel...

Mr GTV wrote:

"Rich Conley" wrote in message
...
What is better for pllants? Sand or gravel?

Neither.
You wouldn't stick your prize roses in a bucket of sand nor a bucket of
gravel so why do teh same with aquatic plants?

Ideally you should use about 10-15cm of fertilizer / sand mix and hold the
lot down with 4cm of gravel, 2mm diameter.
Steve

what do you have for light...etc...because my java fern grows like a weed...but the
moss doesnt seem to grow much....mostly dark greeen....get very little of that
bright green growning tips...

Barry wrote:

I have a 29 gallon setup with standard gravel and UGF. My Java Fern is
incredibly lush and the Java Moss grows like nuts. Both were doing
great even without CO2 or PMDD (which I've recently setup to try and
revive a rotting Crypt).

My feeling is that gravel substrate is perfectly fine for the fern or
moss because they are not deep rooting plants, they will attach to the
gravel or whatever you have in the tank. My moss has attached to
gravel, sea shells, rock, and driftwood.

Good luck.

In article ,
Rich Conley wrote:

what do you guy sreccomend I use...its a 20H tank, and I really dont want to
use anything that I'll have too worry too much about clouding my water or
anything like that..... It'll have mostly java fern and java moss in
it...attached to some cork bark I have siliconed to the back....but I woul
like
some swords and crypts...and maybe some carpet type plants....How much light
do
you guys reccomend? and what for substrate..what for fertilizer..?

And actually...my workmate grows his prize bonsai trees in gravel...

Mr GTV wrote:

"Rich Conley" wrote in message
...
What is better for pllants? Sand or gravel?

Neither.
You wouldn't stick your prize roses in a bucket of sand nor a bucket of
gravel so why do teh same with aquatic plants?

Ideally you should use about 10-15cm of fertilizer / sand mix and hold the
lot down with 4cm of gravel, 2mm diameter.
Steve

"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
Ideally you should use about 10-15cm of fertilizer / sand mix and hold
the
lot down with 4cm of gravel, 2mm diameter.

You mean mm, not cm.

No I mean mm (milimetres). Gravel pieces 2cm diameter are called stones!
Steve

"Barry" wrote in message
...
I have a 29 gallon setup with standard gravel and UGF. My Java Fern is
incredibly lush and the Java Moss grows like nuts. Both were doing
great even without CO2 or PMDD (which I've recently setup to try and
revive a rotting Crypt).

My feeling is that gravel substrate is perfectly fine for the fern or
moss because they are not deep rooting plants, they will attach to the
gravel or whatever you have in the tank. My moss has attached to
gravel, sea shells, rock, and driftwood.

Java moss and fern will also grow with no substrate at all.
Steve

I know I know...the java stuff is gonna grow on the cork on the back wall of
the tank. I want to plant Amazon swords, crypts, adn microsword type plants
in the substrate....what do you think I should use.

Mr GTV wrote:

"Barry" wrote in message
...
I have a 29 gallon setup with standard gravel and UGF. My Java Fern is
incredibly lush and the Java Moss grows like nuts. Both were doing
great even without CO2 or PMDD (which I've recently setup to try and
revive a rotting Crypt).

My feeling is that gravel substrate is perfectly fine for the fern or
moss because they are not deep rooting plants, they will attach to the
gravel or whatever you have in the tank. My moss has attached to
gravel, sea shells, rock, and driftwood.

Java moss and fern will also grow with no substrate at all.
Steve

Mr GTV wrote:
No I mean mm (milimetres). Gravel pieces 2cm diameter are called stones!
Steve

I meant for the other measurements. A total of 14-19 centimeters of substrate?
That's huge!

--
Victor M. Martinez | The University of Texas at Austin
| Department of Chemical Engineering
http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv | Austin, TX 78712
If we knew what we were doing it would not be called research, would it?

In article , LeighMo wrote:
If you're thinking of growing other plants one day, invest in Seachem Flourite
or Onyx. It's worth it.

I setup my 29 gal with Onyx and I haven't been to impressed with how
it's worked out. An Amazon Sword plant took to it nicely, but plants
that I expected to grow like weeds have been reluctant to develop strong
roots - water sprite, hygro type stuff.

My lighting is good - 72W, 12 hrs/day. An occasional dose of
fertilizer. I know some of it is my skittish pleco zooming around the
bottom of the tank everytime someone walks past, but compared to my
gravel tank that hooks plants like glue... Maybe I just haven't found
the sweet spot for that tank yet.

--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.

In article , LeighMo wrote:
In general, it's harder to plant fine substrates. Planting my Onyx Sand tank
was a PITA. As you note, larger gravel holds plants down better. Plus both
Flourite and Onyx are lighter than regular gravel. But once the plants got
going, it was fine. And some plants, like Glosso, really prefer fine
substrates.

Ah ok. Good to hear it'll eventually get into the groove once
everything gets going more. I was a bit worried for a while ::-)




Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/


--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.

I think I'm just gonna stick with my sand and very fine gravel mixture...as its
cycled and I'd rather not

Ross Vandegrift wrote:

In article , LeighMo wrote:
In general, it's harder to plant fine substrates. Planting my Onyx Sand tank
was a PITA. As you note, larger gravel holds plants down better. Plus both
Flourite and Onyx are lighter than regular gravel. But once the plants got
going, it was fine. And some plants, like Glosso, really prefer fine
substrates.

Ah ok. Good to hear it'll eventually get into the groove once
everything gets going more. I was a bit worried for a while ::-)




Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.