# suggested substrate idea's



## Crazy_NDN (Apr 21, 2010)

going to set up a 90g with simple 48" odyssea hot5 trio lighting, looking for ideas for substrates? thanks for your input!


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

What are you hoping to achieve with plants? Any ideas with plant species you want to grow?


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## Crazy_NDN (Apr 21, 2010)

no solid plans really on plants, something nice lol. long as they grow and dont die i will be happy.

i have just regular play sand and root tabs in my 120 and some plants do ok and some not so good. hoping to do something better then that.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

I should've asked if you were gonna run CO2 as well.

Most of the redder/challenging plants require lower pH, softer water, and CO2, that's when you need to start considering substrate like ADA. These include plants such as certain Ludwigias, Eriocaulons, Nesaeas, Rotala Macrandra, Rotala Wallichi, Cabomba Furcata, and Tonina Fluvitis to name a few. There are other nutrient rich substrates such as Eco Complete, Fluval Stratum, and Florabase. These tend to be more neutral with pH, GH and KH buffering, with exception of Eco Complete which tends to buffer pH, and possibly GH and KH a smidge higher. Eco Complete is also more like gravel so not so great with hairgrass as a foreground plant. 

However, some plants such as most Crytocornes, Cabomba Caroliniana, Bacopas, Egerias, some Rotalas, and Hygrophila Polysperma don't need CO2 and they also aren't really that fussy with substrates so you would be ok with some sort of sand or even gravel, though neutral nutrient rich substrates will help their growth. They will prefer some sort of bioload (fish poo) to draw nutrients from if you go with an inert sand or gravel. I've grown all of these plants in ugly blue aquarium gravel and they've done very well. 

Other plants such as Cyperus Helferi, any of the Amazon Sword (Echinodorus) plants, some foreground plants (HC, Glosso, Ranunculus, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis), and Ludwigia glandulosa who draw nutrients from their roots will do much better with nutrient rich substrates but may not need CO2.

I say that if you intend to have a nice lush planted tank, even if it's not CO2 injected to choose any of the substrates Fluval, Florabase, ADA, Eco Complete. Just keep in mind that the latter two will change your water chemistry.

Plants I've listed are ones you can find fairly easily in Vancouver.

Only substrate I'm not familiar with is Flourite. It is an iron rich but inert substrate. Perhaps someone else can speak about what plants grow well in it.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

IF you want to do a planted tank, I did a layer of micracle grow organic potting mix capped with eco-complete and it has been working extremely well! The plants seem to love it and that mix will be packed full of nutriants. you should need to worry about ferts/root tabs for quite some time.


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## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

+1 on what Recon had said.


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## Crazy_NDN (Apr 21, 2010)

@reckon thanks for the great info, i may want to try co2 in the future with the set up, and maybe better lights.

@shift does the miracle grow get very messy at all?


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