Do plants grow in plain sand?

[Jaap]

Hello,

will plants grow in plain sand if appropriate CO2, EI water column dosing, circulation and lighting are provided?

Any disadvantages?

Thanks

 

[DrRob]

I certainly hope so, otherwise I have no idea what those are in one of my tanks. How good it is depends a whole lot on how fine it is. Really fine stuff is not ideal for rooting into, so things float away a lot.

 

[Yo-han]

will plants grow in plain sand if appropriate CO2, EI water column dosing, circulation and lighting are provided?
Any disadvantages?

Yep! I can only think of two disadvantages. The first is that sand does become anaerobic sometimes. This happens more often with thick layers of sand, a large bioload and little maintenance, but could be an issue. The second is that you don't have a 'buffer'. When PO4 hits zero, there is no more phosphorous available for your plants. With a clay(like) substrate, there will always be reserves in the bottom.

I do disagree with Rob about the fine stuff. The smaller the grains the more likely it will get anaerobic, but the better plants root. Especially small plants like HC and Utricularia. They root waaaay better in sand and are less likely to flow IME.