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

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

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