Substrate - How important is it?
- Thread starter ggrowney
- Start date
Plants take up nutrients from the water table as well as their roots.
The most popular substrates that are used by plant keepers are the clay-based, relatively fine grained substrates that are Iron rich and have excellent CEC factors.
In other words they are extremely porous (nooks and grannies) giving them the ability to host necessary bacteria colonies.
These substrates are typically more expensive to buy, but are a one time expense and IMO the foundation of a planted tank.
Len
The most popular substrates that are used by plant keepers are the clay-based, relatively fine grained substrates that are Iron rich and have excellent CEC factors.
In other words they are extremely porous (nooks and grannies) giving them the ability to host necessary bacteria colonies.
These substrates are typically more expensive to buy, but are a one time expense and IMO the foundation of a planted tank.
Len
well, RTR commented that in his planted tank with reverse flow undergravel filter the plants will get all their nutrients from the water colom and you only need to fertilize that.
With plants such as anubias, java ferns, java moss, anacharis and hornwort, substrate is fairly unimportant, because these plants are usually attached to rocks and driftwood or even floated (rather than burying the roots in the substrate). They get their nutrients from the water, not the substrate.
I've got cryptocorynes in my tank (roots buried in shallow gravel) who still do fine because I fertilize with liquids in the water column. I notice the roots of these plants tend to grow upward, above the surface of the substrate.
IME, plants such as vallisneria benefit from a nutrient-rich substrate rather than plain gravel. In this case, the choice of substrate seems to make a difference.
I've got cryptocorynes in my tank (roots buried in shallow gravel) who still do fine because I fertilize with liquids in the water column. I notice the roots of these plants tend to grow upward, above the surface of the substrate.
IME, plants such as vallisneria benefit from a nutrient-rich substrate rather than plain gravel. In this case, the choice of substrate seems to make a difference.