What substrate should i use?
I've got a bare 35g that i want to start planting in. I just can't figure
out what i should use for the substrate. I know I want it to be black for the contrast with the fish. Would "eco-complete plant substrate" used alone by itself without anything underneath with a depth of about 3 inches be ok to use? Thanks, Jason |
What substrate should i use?
3 things I've learned about planted tanks...
1. UGFs are not your best friends.... Under Gravel Filters, can, be problematic when planting rooted plants, ie, amazon swords, are heavy root feeders, if you use root tabs, the UGF sucks all the nutrients into the water column, away from the roots, thus, being rendered useless. 2. what looks good isn't always plant friendly. Black sand, white sand, gray sand, not a good idea, causes roots to rot, creates anaerobic pockets of gases that can release, causing bad smelling water, so to speak, and can kill fish, IF, a big if.. If a fish passes and inhales thru that gas... never happened to me, but others have warned against it.... 3.It's almost a preference thing.... Color? I used Flourite mixed with similiarly colored gravel for a natural look, not what I thought was cool, or what my friends would be impressed with... the brownish-reddish hues to the substrate only add to somethings, but the plants love me for it.. As long as you know what plants you WANT to use, research to find ways of making them be a thriving plant. If you have the right amount of light, under 2WPG, you won't need CO2... get near or over 3WPG, and you will NEED CO2... trust me on this.. I've had a 29g for over a year, plants, fish and everyone is happy... I have pressurized CO2, and a 55w PCF from www.ahsupply.com that gives me 1.89WPG, and I've never had the first bit of algae, except for some hair, thread algae that doesn't last very long... and with fertilization, you can control algae pretty easily.... Good luck, stick around and ask as many questions as you can..... "Jay" wrote in message ... I've got a bare 35g that i want to start planting in. I just can't figure out what i should use for the substrate. I know I want it to be black for the contrast with the fish. Would "eco-complete plant substrate" used alone by itself without anything underneath with a depth of about 3 inches be ok to use? Thanks, Jason |
What substrate should i use?
Thanks for your suggestions. I will take them into consideration.
Jason "350X_Rider" wrote in message ... 3 things I've learned about planted tanks... 1. UGFs are not your best friends.... Under Gravel Filters, can, be problematic when planting rooted plants, ie, amazon swords, are heavy root feeders, if you use root tabs, the UGF sucks all the nutrients into the water column, away from the roots, thus, being rendered useless. 2. what looks good isn't always plant friendly. Black sand, white sand, gray sand, not a good idea, causes roots to rot, creates anaerobic pockets of gases that can release, causing bad smelling water, so to speak, and can kill fish, IF, a big if.. If a fish passes and inhales thru that gas... never happened to me, but others have warned against it.... 3.It's almost a preference thing.... Color? I used Flourite mixed with similiarly colored gravel for a natural look, not what I thought was cool, or what my friends would be impressed with... the brownish-reddish hues to the substrate only add to somethings, but the plants love me for it.. As long as you know what plants you WANT to use, research to find ways of making them be a thriving plant. If you have the right amount of light, under 2WPG, you won't need CO2... get near or over 3WPG, and you will NEED CO2... trust me on this.. I've had a 29g for over a year, plants, fish and everyone is happy... I have pressurized CO2, and a 55w PCF from www.ahsupply.com that gives me 1.89WPG, and I've never had the first bit of algae, except for some hair, thread algae that doesn't last very long... and with fertilization, you can control algae pretty easily.... Good luck, stick around and ask as many questions as you can..... "Jay" wrote in message ... I've got a bare 35g that i want to start planting in. I just can't figure out what i should use for the substrate. I know I want it to be black for the contrast with the fish. Would "eco-complete plant substrate" used alone by itself without anything underneath with a depth of about 3 inches be ok to use? Thanks, Jason |
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