which substrate for possible new tank?

[Ben M]

hi, i have the opportunity to purchase a new 12" acrylic cube, and i would like to heavily plant it. but i'm not sure which substrate would be needed. i'm thinking of using a proper plant substrate such as the Oliver Knott or ADA aquasoil. but how much would i need for a 30cm sq base? and which one would be best? i intend to have a carpet of dwarf hairgrass, with possibly a few stems, and it will be stocked with shrimp. and could i keep the substrate forever, or would it need replacing? i'm on a low budget, so are there any cheap ones?

cheers

 

[ceg4048]

Hi,
People on a low budget have absolutely no business buying ADA products. There is nothing you can accomplish with AS that you cannot accomplish using a cheap substrate and by dosing the water column. Any clay substrate will do. See the Akadama sticky at the top of this section. Cruise through the substrate section of any high quality LFS near you and read the contents of the substrate packages.

Sediment type is not soo important that it's worth blowing your budget. In a pinch you can even use sand. That's because no matter the sediment, organic waste will be broken down and will provide opportunity for bacteria in that sediment to recycle the waste into nutrients for plant roots. Some sediments are enriched and by their nature do a better job than others at redistributing the nutrients to the plants.

Of course, sand or pea gravel are not ideal, but with good nutrients and CO2 added to the water column, along with good flow, the disadvantage of having such basically inert substrates can be mitigated. potting soil from your garden center actually does a better job of growing plants, but it is really very messy so if you can afford it AS satisfies all the needs. But if you can't afford it then dose the water column and don't worry about it.

Here are a couple of threads with more detail => Substrate Questions
Powersand question

Cheers,

 

[Garuf]

Pest, Pm me. I should be able to sort you out with a couple of litres of used ADA aquasoil with the tank.

 

[Ben M]

thanks for help ceg4048. i've pm'ed you about the aquasoil Garuf. so, hopefully i can get some decent substrate at a good price.

cheers

 

[Simon D]

Hi Pest,

Where in the world are you?

I've got more than enough Oli Knotts Nature Soil for a tank of that size. You're welcome to a few litres!