Substrate for Planted Aquarium?

4 Responses to “Substrate for Planted Aquarium?”

1. Miguel R says:

   March 1, 2010 at 8:43 pm

   I use Fluorite with a thin layer of gravel on top for my planted aquarium. Originally, I had plain gravel, but everything died in 2-3 days. I came across a site on planted aquariums where it was recommended. It’s been over a year and even when my fish died from a heatwave and other problems, the plants are still going strong.
2. nosoop4u246 says:

   March 1, 2010 at 9:27 pm

   For my 55 gallon planted tank, I use simple pool filter sand (diatomaceous earth). It gives the plants a better chance at root growth than gravel or similarly sized particles would, and doesn’t really have any downsides. In my 10 gallon tank, I have a layer of potting soil under about 1″ of fine sand– this allows the plants a fine medium to root through to reach the nutrients in the soil. I’ve had no problems with either, and both are very cheap! Assuming you have decent lighting and relatively difficult plants, you’ll need to use a liquid fertilizer either way, so whether it’s the main source of nutrients (as it would be with just sand) or if it’s secondary (like if you had Flourite or Eco Complete), your plants can still grow very well.
3. Darryl R says:

   March 1, 2010 at 10:08 pm

   I went from gravel to Fluorite/Eco-Complete/ADA Soil. The last 3 are plant growth substrates, but I have not seen any good performance. Doesn’t mean they aren’t thriving but it seems they still grow better in the water column rather than in the substrate itself.

   (“‘(o.o)/”‘)
4. Jeff S. says:

   March 7, 2010 at 6:48 am

   ADA Aqua Soil is the best I have ever used. I design, install, and maintain aquariums professionally and have tried all the available substrates in my 25 year career.