The BEST substrate!!

what is the best substrate for a planted tank?

  • gravel

    Votes: 8 18.6%

  • sand

    Votes: 9 20.9%

  • flourite, etc;

    Votes: 19 44.2%

  • all

    Votes: 7 16.3%
  • Total voters
    43
TwoTankAmin said:
Jeez I must be an antique- I lover laterite mixed with gravel or sand. I am not a fan of exporbitantly expensive substrates- they simply are not worth the money and are a lot of hype IMO. I have yet to find a plant I cant grow in my substrate choice.

I have fluorite in one tank simply because it came with the tank.
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I disagree.
I would like to see you grow a perfect HC lawn in gravel or sand.



I like ADA AS and Eco Complete. I heard good things about Solimaster Select too.
 
I've been having really good luck with turface, and the grey color looks good for tanks where you don't want the reddish-brown.

It's relatively inexpensive, and light and easy-to-carry. A 50-lb bag goes a loooong way for $8. I would guess you might get a whole 75 gallon tank done with one bag. The plants seem to like it. If you want to use an undergravel filter it seems to work OK. I don't think it would damage catfish barbels. It doesn't have a lot (amy) nutrients in it, but it holds nutrients well.

On the downside, it takes a lot of washing.
 
fresh_newby said:
I disagree.
I would like to see you grow a perfect HC lawn in gravel or sand.
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Does sand generally prove difficult for lawn growth, or was that comment specific to Hemianthus callitrichoides? Im planning my tank just now and like the idea of some areas of sandy substrate still visible, but would also like to grow some carpeted areas. Not done much research but glosso looks quite appealing
just now.
 
thefirethief said:
Does sand generally prove difficult for lawn growth, or was that comment specific to Hemianthus callitrichoides? Im planning my tank just now and like the idea of some areas of sandy substrate still visible, but would also like to grow some carpeted areas. Not done much research but glosso looks quite appealing
just now.
Click to expand...

I have never sceen it done with sand alone, but I believe there are ways to grow carpet over sand using screen etc. I may add some sand to my next tank for the portions I don't want to grow in. However I'm not sure I am a good enough scapre to get it right the first time and I find that everything mixes together when I try to move stuff around so I might just get the aquasoil...
 
The only real way to grow a "carpet" on sand with a screen is to use a floating plant like riccia or a moss of sorts, although you will be constantly picking pieces form the top that floated out of the screen as it matures < riccia>. You can certainly use sand in some parts and substrate in others and grow your glosso or whatever on the substrate and leave your sand bare to represent a beachy bottom. It is done all of the time. It is a nice contrast, but during water changes you have to manicure the area as it tends to mix. As for growing a lawn in the sand, it will not cut it. I would not even go there.
Check out my friend Steve's tank. His "carpet" is in the substrate part with the border in sand....


http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2006.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=2&id=51
 
Well all I can say is when starting with decent stock I have not tried any plant I could not get to do well. I have never tried HC but Tropica rates it as medium difficulty and I have Hemianthus micranthemoides growing like weeds and Tropica defines that as difficult to grow.
 
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