Baroness Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Sorry I know some of these questions have been asked before How deep should substrate be in a tank that is going to be heavy on plants? And I know there is no right answer but is coarse sand better than pebbles? Will the sand from my local landscapers be OK? Its a yellowish coarse sand usually for sand pits... and what are the pros/cons of lighter vs. darker colours for substrate? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Lighter colour of substrate=easier to see fish poo,gunk... i prefer pebbles because it is not as easy to suck up the sand when vacuuming. i have my tanks around 5cm deep with heaps of plants.... Hope that helps Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 How deep should substrate be in a tank that is going to be heavy on plants? At least 2inches. is coarse sand better than pebbles? depends on the plants you grow, but sand like daltons propagating sand is cheap, looks great and is perfect. Darker substrates bring out the colours of the fish better and looks more natural in a planted tank. Although in a true planted tank there should be plants on the gravel so you don't see it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 I know someone giving gravel away in Wanganui if it helps you at all.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroness Posted July 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 OOohhh free gravel, awesome, what colour is it? I'm keen.... 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Dunno I can pass his details on to you if you want.. Did you want to be added to the local club email list? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroness Posted July 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 ummm, yep, will PM you now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imsweet Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Go to loaders and say it's for a fish tank - they usually give you a few bags full for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 LOL ok so there are lots of rules to planting a tank all are meant and are broken every one has a differeing opinon but I have found this useful put fertiliser base on bottom of tank..say a cm thick then sand about 2-3 cm and then a layer of fine gravel 2-3 cm fine gravel helps poo settle into sand and become fertilser and stops sand becoming dislodged when do water changes. also IMO looks better colour can be an indication of pH. you need to select to best suit your plants acidic, nuetral or alkaline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Navarre it right. For fertiliser, you can use JBL Aquabasis Plus, because apparently it's super-good and it doesn't cost a fortune. Then there's latarite, and belive me that stuff will make you broke! But it's really rich in iron though, so a little bit wouldn't hurt. Same thing with the price of Seachem substates too, but they're quite good. Dalton't Aquatic Mix it good too, but make sure that you cover it with LOTS of substrate otherwise it will cloud the water and it will be next to impossible it get rid of that problem once you have it. If you do use the Dalton's, never stir your substrate or vaccume it with a gravel cleaner. If you are having plants, I highly recommend CO2 injection. It made a HUGE difference in my tank. The best way to do it is by using CO2 Nano Pollen Glass diffusers. They're better than ladders ect. Also they are good for DIY systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 yes I never vacum the substrate in my tanks and in the big discus tank only water change mid water collum this stops substrate being disturbed and fouling water and also allows excretment to become plant food. there is some risk around anearobic pockets but with good plant growth the roots take care of this quite well Over time...a number of years the substrate goes quite dark under the gravel and this is also a good sign in my tanks as this is the mulm feeding the plant roots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Just in case the idea of c02 and fertilizer is a bit daunting, I have a well planted tank (including amazon swords) with no soil or anything under the gravel (grey grit from HWFF) and no c02. I also have only 1x t8 tube on a 155L tank. The only special thing i do is chuck a bit of liquid mico-nutrient fertilizer every now and then. I have no problem getting decent growth and everything looks healthy, in fact my big sword is out growing the tank and reproducing like mad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 Yes I, as those who know me, also run a low tech crypt and sword tank. this is a standard 3 footer with 2 old tubes and no filter pump or co2. and very few fish. SO while those other things are nice they are not a must. go with how it looks match and balance are the key Nav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 Oh come on don't be lazy! A 3liter juice bottle, some sugar, water, yeast, a bit of tomato sauce, a check valve and a length of airline! If you don't want to pay the $20 or so extra dollars to order a Pollen Glass diffuser, then just ram the airline into the filter outlet or cut/drill a hole into it if it's a hose of some sort. Then shove the airline into the hole. The mixture lasts for up to 3 weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroness Posted July 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 I do want to run DIY CO2 in my tank....where do I get a 'pollen diffuser' from? since you reccommend them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepsound Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 yes I never vacum the substrate in my tanks and in the big discus tank only water change mid water collum this stops substrate being disturbed and fouling water and also allows excretment to become plant food. there is some risk around anearobic pockets but with good plant growth the roots take care of this quite well Over time...a number of years the substrate goes quite dark under the gravel and this is also a good sign in my tanks as this is the mulm feeding the plant roots +1 Nothing to add. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepsound Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 I do want to run DIY CO2 in my tank....where do I get a 'pollen diffuser' from? since you reccommend them I also use DIY CO2. It works very well. You can use a venturi system : plug your DIY CO2 on the outlet of your filter Really easy to do. Or, for a better dissolving of the CO2, plug it on the inlet of your filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 you guys have got me interested now, ive got a box filter running peat, could i plug the co2 into the airline? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 Talk nicely to phoenix44. He sent me mine - 2 for $35 including postage and tracking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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