DYI substrate or Petsmart stuff?

[Dana C]

I need a little help.
I want to start a 10G fancy guppy tank with plants. I was told that I needed something other than gravel or at least a mixture or layered combination.
I saw a couple of old posts that mentioned DYI substrate but it really didn't go into depth about what was used. There was one mention of potting soil and another of just using black sand and aquatic plant fertilizer pellets. Along with the guppies, I will also have a Cory for clean up work and maybe a snail unless you think that it is a bad idea.
Thanks for your help

 

[Chip82]

Regular Petsmart gravel should be fine for growing plants, you can just use root tabs or liquid fertilizer if you see they need some help. Make sure you check to see if you are able to give enough light to the plants you get.

 

[Craw Chief]

You could try the Walstad method ( http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Walstad_method ) or purchase pea gravel at Lowe's or Home Depot for much cheaper/more gravel than Petsmart.

 

[THE V]

For growing plants there are many different substrates you can use. Sand, gravel, potting soil, dirt, or commercially prepared planting substrate. The substrate choice depends on your personal preference and the species of plants in the tank.

I prefer a sand base with pea gravel on top. Basic physics keeps the sand on the bottom and the gravel on the surface. The sand holds the plants roots in better than just gravel (I've grown plants in just gravel too). I dose fertilizer so I don't worry about substrate nutrients that much. Over the year + have had my big planted tanks set up, the sand is pretty much completely black now due to the buildup of waste. The plants are loving it of course.

Pigmy Cory's, snails and guppies in a 10 gallon sound like a good plan to me. I'd avoid the more common Brig's snails and look for some nerites instead (smaller and more effective algae eaters). They also don't reproduce in freshwater so there is no risk of them becoming a problem.

For a 10 gallon you need to be careful about your choice of plants as many of them get to big for that size of a tank. What are you looking at getting?

You also need to pay attention to lighting, fertilizer, & if you want to do CO2 or not. For a 10 gallon tank DIY CO2 is an option.

 

[Dana C]

Well a few that I like the looks of are: Rotala Indica, Micro Sword, Dwarf Hairgrass, Wisteria I would welcome any suggestions you may have. The plants I have listed seem to be reasonable size wise for a 10 G. Please, I need all your suggestions.

 

[Chip82]

What kind of lighting do you have? those plants are going to need moderate to high lighting levels.

 

[Dana C]

Marineland LED. Would you recommend low to moderate light plants with that? If so, which ones?

 

[ROYWS3]

You can get a much better light for a much better price than that: http://www.aquatraders.com/Fresh-Water-Planted-LED-Bright-p/56272.htm