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Plant substrate which won't affect pH

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7.8K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  micheljq  
#1 ·
Hi there. Newb question, I use only rain water from my water butts in my 200l tank and have had no issues so far, but I'm emptying it and adding a dirt layer to help the plants grow better, which is likely to affect the pH, right? I'm after a plant substrate which won't mess with the pH. Any recommendations? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Most plant specific substrates will affect pH - generally reducing it to the low to mid-6's. Using rain water would be fine with those plant specific substrates.

Substrates such as sand or gravel that do not affect pH will require you to add some form of carbonates, a tiny amount of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) would do. This is to provide some form of buffer to keep the pH consistent and prevent stress to livestock.