lets do it right this time!

S

steelhumm

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May 23, 2008
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Ok..I am re-doing my 55 this weekend, I have lots of plants coming from Jaysen, have some driftwood and other plants coming from various other peeps from here so I figure I might as well redo the tank all at once and be done with it for now.

Think I am leaning towards a black gravel/substrate...what should I get and how much of it?

I'm running almost 3wpg and have quite a few plants coming so whats best? I don't mind having to fert if needed but I'm not into c02 at all.

I know there are tons of opinions on this subject but I'm sick of reading through all the search results...so feel free to discuss..

thanks!
 
For a 50g tank use Turface as the substrate. 50lb bag of high quality gravel for around $20, can't beat that.

If you don't want to use CO2, reduce the light. There's no way around that, you're going to need to use CO2 at 3wpg. You will of course need ferts at that level as well.
 
ya know, I was looking at turface or SoilMaster Select, but SMS isn't available anymore except for the stuff at aquariumplants.com which is basically repackaged sms. I've read alot of reports of severe ph drops using turface or SMS. I can't have my fish in the smaller tank for two months while I stabilize PH levels.

after tons of reading I think I'm just gonna go with plain ole sand and add ferts and tabs. cheap, effective and I like the look of sand better.

C02 will come next I'm sure..one thing at a time..lol

Any cons to plain ole sand?
 
Dramatic ph changes are rarely harmful to your fishes, its the large swings in kh and gh which are harmful. My tanks see a wing of over 1 degree in ph during water changes and after CO2 injection with no adverse effects.

Sand has very low CEC ratios, meaning it does a poor job holding onto nutrients and you will need to compensate for that by adding ferts to the water column. If you provide enough nutrients then there are no negatives to using sand aside from the compacting issue for deep sand substrates.

If you are going to use 3wpg, I would suggest not holding CO2 for later. If you want to hold off on CO2, reduce the light for now. Using 3wpg without CO2 is inviting algae.
 
thanks for the info... I'll back the lighting down some for now.

I went to two home depot's and a loews and can't find any freekin sand of any kind...except for base sand for pavers which is basically a bag of dust.

Went to two LFS's after that and all they carry are 5lb bags of regular gravel...no sand, no nothing. So bcak to ordering online I guess..but I ain't gonna pay shipping for sand so I'll get something else. Will look more into the turface more.

thanks again for the help.
 
Pea gravels make good substrate for low tech tank. I would suggest the lighting should be around 2wpg.
 
i use soilmaster and it doesnt affect the ph at all. I dont know who told you that but I have never heard of anyone who uses it complain of ph drops.

Your plants would benefit from additional co2 and lower light than just higher light without a carbon source. for a 55 you are going to need pressurized co2 as well.
 
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