# LF your thoughts on planted tank substrate



## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

I will be setting up a 125 gallon planted tank in the next couple months and I am looking for your thoughts regarding substrate. I have been using the storebought substrate that doesn't need topping. Can't rememmber brand but, you know, the black finer grain stuff and the red chunky stuff. Kinda lava like.
Both have worked really well although planting in the red stuff was tricky.
My concern is that I will need quite a few bags for this new tank and it is a little bit expensive.
Alternatives anyone?
thanks, Rick


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## Aquaman (Apr 21, 2010)

Y6-8 bags or so eh Rick ...sounds like eco complete your talking about.Some people have used worm castings as a base and toppe it with other substrate only problem is it gets mixed in a bit. I have seen people used a layer of thin paper mat as a barrier between them ....just push back the top cover ,poke a hole and plant . As you know I have a smogishboard of diffrent stuff in mine . ADA,eco complet ( both colours  ) and who knows what else.. 
Some people swear by ADA and some by ecocomplete. Dont know of any others personaly.
ttys
bill


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

If you can pick up some free gravel that you like from someone who is downsizing, then you can put it over a layer of Sera Floredepot. I have this in some of my tanks and it works well. Floredepot can be put only in the areas that you want to plant, too. It's very clean (doesn't make a cloud of dust) and looks a bit like fine peat. 

I have bought Sera Floredepot from Aquariums West but I don't know of anyone else who carries it. It's not meant to form your entire substrate; it's just meant to be put underneath.


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

Go with plain gravel.

You just have to keep up with fertilizing. This tank was mainly fertilized with fish waste and ran at 3 bps CO2. 1 dose of 9 ppm KNO3, 2 ppm PO4, 1 tsp turbo calcium, and 3/4 tsp epsom salt per water change bi-daily micro nutrients

Here is a photo with plain gravel back in 2004


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## ubr0ke (Jan 10, 2011)

I would go with mts...its cheap and good. Its kind of a process but well worth it...If you want the instructions just ask..


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

EDGE said:


> Go with plain gravel.
> 
> You just have to keep up with fertilizing. This tank was mainly fertilized with fish waste and ran at 3 bps CO2. 1 dose of 9 ppm KNO3, 2 ppm PO4, 1 tsp turbo calcium, and 3/4 tsp epsom salt per water change bi-daily micro nutrients
> 
> Here is a photo with plain gravel back in 2004


This is an amazing tank. Nice work. What would you say the advantage, aside from cost and possible cloudiness depending on the substrate, to working with a plain gravel? 
Doesn't sound like a particularly difficult or complex regime. Would that seem like an accurate assesment?


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

ubr0ke said:


> I would go with mts...its cheap and good. Its kind of a process but well worth it...If you want the instructions just ask..


I would love the instructions and to hear a little bit more about your experience with it. Any pictures?


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

Morainy said:


> If you can pick up some free gravel that you like from someone who is downsizing, then you can put it over a layer of Sera Floredepot. I have this in some of my tanks and it works well. Floredepot can be put only in the areas that you want to plant, too. It's very clean (doesn't make a cloud of dust) and looks a bit like fine peat.
> 
> I have bought Sera Floredepot from Aquariums West but I don't know of anyone else who carries it. It's not meant to form your entire substrate; it's just meant to be put underneath.


Yeah, I have been recommend this product as well by the folks at aquariums west. How long have you been using it? Any complaints? Any pics?


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

Aquaman said:


> Y6-8 bags or so eh Rick ...sounds like eco complete your talking about.Some people have used worm castings as a base and toppe it with other substrate only problem is it gets mixed in a bit. I have seen people used a layer of thin paper mat as a barrier between them ....just push back the top cover ,poke a hole and plant . As you know I have a smogishboard of diffrent stuff in mine . ADA,eco complet ( both colours  ) and who knows what else..
> Some people swear by ADA and some by ecocomplete. Dont know of any others personaly.
> ttys
> bill


as always, thanks bill


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## ubr0ke (Jan 10, 2011)

Rick,

Rather then type it out, Ill just give you a link.

Mts-substrate


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

With any 'planted' substrate i.e. flourite, ada soil, floura base, the root zone grows a bit better because the substrate is more porous which allow for the fine root hair to grow into the substrate. More Oxygen in the substrate. 

As for nutrients in the substrate. Over time gravel do build up with mulm (fish waste and dead leaf matter) which can also provide nutrients and bacteria/organism or used mineralized soil to speed up the process.

The main difference is the porousness of the substrate. I am not 100% sure if plants can actually use the nutrients content that is in flourite since the nutrients doesn't leech out of flourite. If anything, the fine root hair would have to pierce into the flourite to draw the minute amount of nutrients out. (which does happened in my tank, the roots does wrapped around flourite like java fern/anubias wrapped around root).

For eco complete and ada soil, the nutrients and bacteria/organism they added to the product and the pH buffering. 

eco complete raises pH (7.00 last I heard, never used this)
Ada soil lowers pH (6.00 pH) mine is around 5.9 pH stable

Your product sounds like Flourite red chunky clay stuff


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I have been using Floredepot in some tanks for about 9 years, give or take. It's very easy to use. That said, Edge's tank is WAY more beautiful than any of my tanks. Mine are planted and I'm happy with them, but I don't use CO2 or anything. I think you could sum up my planting style as "jungle featuring survival of the fittest."

I would love to have a tank like Edge's but I don't think I can even decipher the directions for the dosing.



rickwaines said:


> Yeah, I have been recommend this product as well by the folks at aquariums west. How long have you been using it? Any complaints? Any pics?


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## ubr0ke (Jan 10, 2011)

morainy...what don't you understand about dosing?...Its actually quite simple.
co2 is the tough one...But you can still have a beautiful tank without co2 addition.. It just takes alot longer for plants to fill in.


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## fishclubgirl (Apr 29, 2010)

I use florite but mix it with sand and smaller gravel(as I'm not that rich!!!). Am quite pleased with results.


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## ubr0ke (Jan 10, 2011)

I've used just strictly florite both sand and chips...Ive had good results with both but like fishclubgirl said kind of...its expensive


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## lednail (Apr 22, 2010)

I like Turface MVP Soil Conditioner
GrowerCentral - Wholesale Horticulture Supplies
It looks like Florite but smaller and more uniform in size. It is about $22 for 50lbs at Evergro


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