# Planted Tank Substrate



## ale36 (Dec 1, 2010)

Hello, I'm looking at setting up my 4ft tank to replace my current tank.

as i'm goin to setup the tank from scratch i wanted to do a planted one, the problem I'm having is I don't know what to use as the substrate, as there is a lot of conflicting information and ones better than others, has any one made their own mix if so what was the result or if any one has experience in this please guide me

i been told to use laterite at the bottom then cap it with gravel but I'm not sure if that would work or not, most the ones i seen have used dirt/soil of some sort and mixed

its all confusing!


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## Christie_ZXR (May 14, 2011)

Hiya, I use john innes no 2 from the garden centre in my 3ft capped with gravel (2-3mm) and it works a treat. Using the same soil in my 30L biorb (which is modded) and capped with sand and small pebbled. Can't recommend the stuff enough! Much cheaper that "planting substrates" and it works a treat. I've got roughly an inch of soil and about the same of stones in the bigger tank. An inch of soil, but slightly thicker sand in the biorb because of the shape of it.


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## ale36 (Dec 1, 2010)

Christie_ZXR said:


> Hiya, I use john innes no 2 from the garden centre in my 3ft capped with gravel (2-3mm) and it works a treat. Using the same soil in my 30L biorb (which is modded) and capped with sand and small pebbled. Can't recommend the stuff enough! Much cheaper that "planting substrates" and it works a treat. I've got roughly an inch of soil and about the same of stones in the bigger tank. An inch of soil, but slightly thicker sand in the biorb because of the shape of it.


Thanks did you have to mineralise the soil? If so how? Also do you have a pic of ur tank?


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## Christie_ZXR (May 14, 2011)

Nope, just chucked it in!

That's the 3ft running with co2 and ferts:









This is the biorb. No co2, ferts or filter. Running as a walstad tank:


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

I had the idea of having to top off plant substrate with sand or gravel as i always pull up and replant plants and move things until they grow how i like them and i risk mixing the substrates into a mess!

This time (as like last time lol) I have gone for just a very deep 2" bed of JBL Manado, perfect for feeding plants and can top it of with the JBL 7 Balls, Its brown but will eventually be carpeted in plants so no matter, dont need to cover it!


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## ale36 (Dec 1, 2010)

Christie_ZXR said:


> Nope, just chucked it in!
> 
> That's the 3ft running with co2 and ferts:
> image
> ...


The look nice. What ferts do you use? Root tabs or liquid?


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## Christie_ZXR (May 14, 2011)

Thank you . It was liquid, the JBL ones. The co2 was a diy fire extinguisher kit. The 3fts been taken down now so it can be shifted for the floor to be re done, but I'm hoping to set it up as a natural planted tank next time. 

Well, when I say taken down...it's still full of water and the filter etc are still running because there's one little sod of a cory in there that I can't catch for the life of me!! Must be having the time of his life with that tank to himself!! lol


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## Gt Turbo (Feb 9, 2011)

I tried the soil experiment and it hasn't worked for me. Maybe I'm using the wrong type of soil and maybe I didn't use enough gravel to cover it. However my problem is the algae. It seems as if the nutrients in the soil, are so much that the plants can't use up enough of it and the algae takes over. I'd show you a pic but i'm too ashamed. I was so disillusioned with it that I've decided that i want to take the tank apart and start over with only gravel.

Interestingly enough, i have a 10 gallon on my desk at work, with an incandescent hood (switched to energy saving bulbs), the substrate is the fun aquarium kind, black and blue, and the plants are growing like crazy. Every other month or so, i have to clean it and by that i mean de-bush it. lololol. For some reason the tank on my desk works and works well but the soil substrate one, just isn't. and interestingly enough the one on my desk should not work anywhere near as well as the one at home.

The more i think about it, the more confused i become.


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## ale36 (Dec 1, 2010)

Gt Turbo said:


> The more i think about it, the more confused i become.


I know how you feel I'm still confused even tho I been reading about soil and substrate for 2/3 days now


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## Christie_ZXR (May 14, 2011)

As far as I know, if you plant very heavily from the outset with fast growing stem plants, you usually escape the algae issues. But every tank is different, so it's really a case of try it and see


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