Deep Sand Bed Attempt

[Goodcreature]

Hey guys! I've been away from the forums for a while; it's nice to be back!

I've been planning a deep sand bed in my African cichlid tank for a while now, and I think I'm finally prepared to try it out. I have about three to four inches of fine sand as a substrate, and the anaerobic layers have already developed. Actually, the sand is a little too fine, so the layers are closer to the surface than I thought they would be. My nitrates are now significantly lower than they were previously, which tells me that the bacteria are working as they should. My next step is to see how it benefits the plants.

To test that, I have a potted amazon sword plant in the tank that's produced several healthy runners; I'll plant the "baby" swords in the substrate and see how they do. I don't have any fertilizers in the substrate, only the sand bed. If the plants survive, then I'll know that the bed has produced sufficient nutrients to feed the plants. Fingers crossed! I'll post some pictures later to show you what I mean.

 

[Goodcreature]

Okay, I should be getting hold of a camera today, so hopefully pictures by tonight.

 

[Goodcreature]

Okay, I planted the swords (kind of) and took some pictures. The first two are pictures are one of the swords I planted. I didn't want to disturb the sand too much, so I ended up shoving the bit of the runner attached to the plant into the substrate, with the roots still on top. The roots will have to grow down, so I hope they do okay. The brown stuff around it is actually a mix of algae and mulm. I know: super cool.These are pictures of the anaerobic layer of the sand. The upper black part is the majority of it, but it extends down further and turns the white into a kind of gray. It might be kind of hard to see in these pictures, though.

I planted about six of the "baby" swords, but I'd be ecstatic if even just one makes it. It they survive, that means that the bacteria are producing enough nutrients to sustain the plant, and the bed will be a success. If not, then I'll either have to find some other way to make my plants live without spending too much money, or I'll be doomed to live the rest of my aquarium days growing java fern and anubias.

 

[Goodcreature]

Still no signs of the roots taking hold. I'll keep the thread updated.

 

[TheFishBoss97]

Good Luck! Amazons should do fine either way...I had mine in a 20G with 3" bed and they grew and had many runners...

 

[Goodcreature]

Really? Did you fertilize the substrate? If they grow as readily as you say, that kinda ruins my experiment... I may have to try Vallisneria.

Thanks for the heads up!