Cheap, Easy Subtrate Suggestions! Help a Noob!

[DeftAnesthetik]

if you look here you will see what i suggest. I currently have 3 tanks with this in it. I have 1/2" sand as a base, mixed the floor dry with the recommended amount of laterite, for about a 1" layer and also put laterite in spots where I was going to plant, then capped off 1 1/2" with geo-system(its cheap) or flourite. so far i've seen great growth in 2 out of three, the third was just tore down and redone on sunday, so time will tell.

[lauraleellbp]

You can certainly dose low tech tanks if you want to.

I prefer setups that don't require it. It's very possible to set up low tech tanks that need no other nutrients than what comes from the livestock; CO2 from their respiration and all the macros and micros from their waste. So it doesn't matter then what substrate you use, other than one that will hold down the plants and of an appropriate size to encourage both root growth and discourage anaerobic spots.

If you maintain regular water changes on a low tech tank (which I also do) then it's preferable to use a substrate that has a good CEC so that the plants don't lose too many nutrients each time you do a water change.

These are the main reasons that I recommend the substrates I do, especially for first time planted tanks.

And FWIW, it's the iron content that makes regular Flourite red.

[JakeJ]

Thanks alot! that made things alot simpler! I have been thinking of getting Flourite or PFS, but could I combine both? By the way, I will be upgrading my light to a T5 soon! Thanks again! Jake

[lauraleellbp]

Yes you can combine them if you want to.

Once you put a T5 fixture on the tank, keep in mind you're likely to need CO2 and regular ferts.

[JakeJ]

Would DIY Co2 work?

[lauraleellbp]

You could probably make do with DIY CO2 on a 20H tank.

The trick is to make sure you're consistent with keeping the mixture fresh so the CO2 levels stay even in the tank over time.

[JakeJ]

Great! Thanks lauraleellbp! One more question, if I add Flourite to my subtrate and have a 15watt light, could I grow some Crypts, before I get a new light fixture?

[Ariel301]

I don't know if you've already gotten something or not, but here is what I have used for a long time and it works well, though it's a bit messy. It takes a couple of weeks and a few water changes before the water clears up. And you want to avoid disturbing the bottom parts of it later on too.

Bottom layer of potting soil (make sure it doesn't have any weird chemicals in it, just soil)--I used a brand called 'Hyponex' that is really sandy and terrible for potted plants but works great for fish tanks. It doesn't have any of those white pellets in it either, because you don't want those.
On top of that a layer of 'Special Kitty' (Walmart's generic) cat litter--plain unscented stuff. I've also used Hartz pH5 cat litter. (Doesn't actually change the water pH, despite the name) Both of these ingredients are where your nutrients come from.
That isn't very pretty, so cap it with something nice like sand or gravel. I made a fairly deep substrate for my 55 gallon tank this way for under $25

[JakeJ]

Thanks Ariel301! I am going to keep my gravel subtrate for the moment, because as you saw in my thread I am getting interested in ripariums! But you said that you use cat litter? How good is that for a planting medium?

[Ariel301]

The cat litter is the same thing as laterite, only cheaper. I've had great results with it. You just have to be sure it's one that doesn't have any perfumes or anything like that, and you want the 'gravel' style, not the more sandy kinds...I'm not sure how else to describe them, but the smaller grained ones are just too messy.

[JakeJ]

Interesting, I never knew that! Thanks, I may give it a try. (After I setup the rip!)