Aqua Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Hey all, I'm wanting to make a nicer bed for my plants in my tanks, and I was wondering what you considered a good mix? I was thinking some soil of some kind as a base, then coarse sand/gravel on top of that... I just need something for the plants to be able to root into properly, as I'm sure that that would increase their growth and health significantly, because at the moment, they're just sitting in the tank with their roots being held down by the gravel, so there can't really be that many nutrients etc floating around for them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 12, 2003 Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 I've used the following with excellent success. Bottom Layer: Standard Sterilised Potting Mix 10-15mm thick. Mid Layer: Aquatic Plant Mix 15-20mm thick. Top Layer: Fine Gravel 2-4mm in size 50-150mm thick. Both mixes are available at Palmers and are pretty cheap. Finding 2-4mm Gravel is fairly difficult, especially if you want something with a bit of colour. Southland Sand and Gravel in Invercargill has a very good range, but they usually only sell a minimum of 500kg. If you call them to find a distributor in your area you may be able to get what you want. I've always purchased direct. The first order I did was only for 500kg but the last one was for 1000kg. The gravel is really cheap but the freight is a killer. The landed cost at my door was still about 1/4 of the retail price however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 500kG????? are you kidding??? :lol: I only have 2 tanks lol - and they're not even 100L all added up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 12, 2003 Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 I had 32 tanks at the time, but the gravel was only for 3 of them, 1 x 6', 1 x 8' and 1 x 10'. I sold the 10' and some of the gravel. I still used over 1/2 of it on the 6' and 8' tanks. The 8' has 500kg in it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 8'.... Man would I love a tank that size!! It'd have to live in my garage though, I don't think our floors would support that kind of weight... :lol: So you suggest I go to a plant store and get just some potting mix & aquatic plant mix... I'm thinking I want to use some of the large flat stones I have in my tank to make sort-of terraces as well, I've heard that someone else has done that, and it sounds very good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 12, 2003 Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 Yes, it seems to be good stuff. Have used it on a few of my tanks and excellent growth either with or without CO2. You don't have to use the potting mix, but it certainly make the plants grow faster and the fertiliser in it lasts longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 And I'm taking it that I definately need the sterilised mix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 12, 2003 Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 I don't know, I've always used it just in case. I don't know how much bacteria there is in unsterilised mix. I don't know how much is in the sterilised stuff either for that matter. Once its been sitting around in storage for a while who knows what gets back into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted March 12, 2003 Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 I'm interested in whether you need soil and fertilizers at all... All you are doing is introducing more nutrient into the tank. If you have seen hydroponic gulleys you will understand that you don't need dirt just the nutrient, in fact the more air space you leave for roots and air the faster the plants grow. I don't use soil, gave up a long time ago. I have plants growing on top of my tank fed by the tank water alone, no soil, no fertilizers, and they are pretty healthy, i use them to reduce my nutrient load.... Just a thought... I have plants growing out the top of my tank, no soil, and bugger all light. I use scoria from garden centre and some rounded tank stones because the sharp edges of scoria cut fish and plant roots (or I would have used scoria only). peet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 13, 2003 Report Share Posted March 13, 2003 Fertilisers yes, soil no. Potting mix is mainly peat and pumice with a little organic vegetable matter added as well. It is a rich source of fertiliser but will eventually get used up. The pumice / peat combination is ideal however. You cannot run the level of nutrients the roots need in the water without massive algae problems. The pumice & peat store the nutrients in a concentrated form until they are needed. The top gravel layer stops the nutrients leaching back into the water faster than they get used up. The gravel fertiliser needs to be rich in N, P, K and Fe. Once the fertiliser that comes with the potting mix is all used up all you have to do is push solid plant fertiliser tablets through the gravel into the potting mix. The potting mix also allows the roots to breath as it is quite porous. If under gravel heating is also used the roots breath even better. You have to adjust the heating ratio so not too much of the nutrients wash back into the main water. With hydroponics, you run a rich nutrient mix past the roots with the rest of the plant in air. You have to do the same in the aquarium without the nutrients getting into the main water column. Some plants can do fine without substrate fertilisers (well they survive at any rate). These are mostly stem plants that can draw most of their nutrient requirement from the water. If root fertilisers are present they just grom stronger and faster. Most sword plants and crypts need substrate fertilisers. Most swords need iron rich fertilisers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted March 13, 2003 Report Share Posted March 13, 2003 Nice.... I agree my plants don't grow very thickly or lush. They just seem to hang in the balance. Just less trimming to do ... ta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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