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I'm new, and need substrate help

1K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  SeaSlug182 
#1 ·
I have done a reef in the past, but never a planted tank. I'm setting up a 110g acrylic and am not sure wether i am going to go hi or low tech, but either way it seems I will benefit from choosing a good substrate. My pre concieved idea was that i was going to cap it with white sand, but wether or not that is a good idea, I don't know. I was hoping for some recomendations for some good, nutrient rich substrate and how deep I should make it.
 
#2 ·
I am not too familiar with substrates, but I think an organic soil is a good start for ideas. I have read that people use that, a clay/sand mix, just sand(like me)... there are a lot to choose from. With sand you will have to use root tabs and fertilizers more than with other types of substrate. And lots of people do sand caps, so I don't think it would be too much of a problem. Good luck!
 
#5 ·
I have a 5 gallon tank with a 9 watt florescent bulb, and currently I don't have a filter. So all my plants are low light. I also have 2(soon to be 3) fish. So I don't even use root tabs or other fertilizers. They do just fine in sand only.
 
#9 ·
If you have the money you can get things like eco-complete or just buy some laterite which is really cheap and mix it with you bottom layer. I used laterite laced gravel for a couple inches on the bottom and then topped it with play sand from home depot. The layers have stayed perfect for over 3 months now. As long as you only gravel vac the surface of the sand, then the layers should stay for a long time. Other then that, pulling up plants could also bring up a little gravel but pretty inconsequential.
 
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