Substrate choice

[Seanogleby]

Hi all,

I'm looking for substrate recommendations? It'll be for a 80litre aquarium.

I've seen some options come in a powder form what are he advantages of these and would these be a better option for a tank that's roughly 45 x 45 x 40cm?

Thanks all


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[MattW]

Hi there,

Luckily you have a broad range of substrates to choose from, the main ones you tend to see people go for are ADA brand & Tropica brand, I'll run through both briefly but do remember there are many other options from Dennerle, shrimp king etc that others have used and may be able to give input.

Firstly ADA substrate:

• ADA has a few benefits, it's generally considered to have a higher level of nutrient content than other brands however it also comes with quite a significant leak when first used - this is that Ammonia will leach from the substrate at quite a rapid rate for the first few weeks. This actually serves to your benefit as this will help cycle the tank while you plan your stocking, do make sure if you go with ADA you take care adding plants in the initial stages as there have been reports of Ammonia burn on plants.
• ADA substrate comes in 3 main colours both with a soil & soil powder option. Beware that there are some variances in nutrition between the three different forms as well however.

Tropica Substrate:

• Tends to leach a lot less, in my experience I've been able to add livestock & plants almost immediately after flooding the tank.
• Only comes in a single colour option, however does have powder & soil options.

As far as soil vs powder, the option really is yours however there is a benefit to powder. Firstly given the small grain size it makes it slightly easier to plant delicate plants into such as Monte Carlo, also in smaller nano aquariums soil powder often gives a greater sense of depth. That said it arguably wont be suited to larger tanks as a matter of personal preference as some may find it too small of a grain given the size of the tank.

 

[Edvet]

Don't forget regular sand. Inert so you will need to feed the plants through the water column, but will last forever and not degrade.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Check this out https://www.ukaps.org/index.php?page=guide-to-substrates
It needs updating a bit but it's still the go to article. The only real omission is Tropica Aquarium Soil http://tropica.com/en/plant-care/aquarium-soil/aquarium-soil/