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Caribsea Torpedo Beach Sand & Plants?


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Hello! I’ve done lots of research but really want to be successful so I thought I’d ask my fellow aquarium hobbiests! 
 

I am starting up another tank. It’s a 40 gallon breeder and I would like to do some live, beginner friendly, plants. I plan to stock this tank with corys so I’d like to do sand (I love watching them dig!) but I’ve heard about the challenges that come with sand & plants. I do plan to use root tabs. 
 

I’ve been looking for a more course sand for two reasons, one being plants & two because it’s a little easier to siphon then very fine sand. I’m unsure if I need to put a base of some type of nutrient rich substrate .. or maybe primarily where the plants will go and then top it with sand.. I’m not sure. 
 

Has anyone tried Caribsea’s Torpedo Beach? What is generally beat practice for sand & plants? 

 

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I would not put in any sort of dirt lower layer - there are various reasons  for this comment the biggest being is eventaully it will exhaust. There are a few plants that really do require such (root tabs just don't seem like a proper replacement) but i think the better solution is to just avoid those plants. If this were a plant tank and not a fish tank than a lot of people recommend pure organic soil.

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I recently put torpedo beach in my 29 for much of the same reasons you described (I had moonlight in that tank which is extremely fine and it was causing various issues after 2 years). The overall verdict is still out on torpedo beach (been about a month) but so far it seems to be meeting my objective. Regular green plants grow just fine - in this specific tank the only non green plant i've have put is a new  Crypt Sprialis 'Red' but the verdict is too early on that plant (btw lovely plant) and dwarf lilly which grows in anything. 

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Couple of quick comments: if they have it in stock petsmart has about the lowest price - $26 shipped for 50lb bag - also if you ever want to use a black substrate estes stoney river has very good properties (large enough that it is porous but fine enough fishes can burrow - i wish i could find a  whitish substrate that behaved like this stuff (I've been using it 20 months in my guppy tank). Waste seems to mostly settle on it and is easy to vacuum but there hasn't been any anarobic activity or packing. The moonlight i have was totally foul after 18 months and was producing massive amount of sulfur gas (which is why i replaced it). In addition it was a pia to clean as waste tended to settle into it and mix - last but least it compacted. 

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I generally use root tabs for plants that are root feeders (vals, swords, crypts). 

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btw this is my 29 with torpedo beach:

 

6.jpg.33f9adde4c251c452b33577c339bc929.jpg

Edited by anewbie
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Hi @CorydoraDaisy, there are many ways to grow aquarium plants with sand. As mentioned by @anewbie, you can add a layer of organic soil under the sand or you can use root tabs. You can also simply use plants that prefer to take nutrients out of the water column like most stem plants, floating plants and epiphytes.

It would really depend on how you like to run your aquariums and what type of plants you want to grow. If you can provide a list of plants you want to have in your aquarium, that would be very helpful.

I will give you an example using how I run my aquariums and more specifically my 40 breeder as it houses corys. My 40 breeder has a layer of dirt with pool filter sand on top. I use dirt as I have a lot of root feeding plants and I am also a very busy person who likes to let nature do all the work. I do not want to have to remember to fertilize. The aquarium also grows very little algae and I can go a long time without doing water changes as it has a large plant load and understocked in fish and invertebrates. This aquarium houses 5 sterbai corys and hundreds of cherry shrimp. The sterbai corys also recently started to spawn. I will attach a gif below of the aquarium.

A1896910-062F-4524-A085-4BB48AAF6C82.gif.3546c80d280f2d3b235914340f563ba6.gif

Keep in mind this is only one way to keep an aquarium, we often look for the most “optimal” way to keep an aquarium but I find the best way to keep it is to keep it in the way you would enjoy it the most. 
 

 

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Growing plants in sand is usually very simple if you can get enough nutrients for the plants. I currently am running a 40 gallon tank with amazon swords, crypts, java fern, java moss, some lilies, and floaters and they are all doing great. I thing about sand is that detritus and waster seem to settle on the top of the substrate which allows the plants and fish to kind of benefit from it. The plants will love the extra nutrients (and they seem to grow better in it) and the fish will occasionally feed on it. If you can't get enough waste root tabs or fertilizers will always work. Most of the easier plants will grow in sand but I wouldn't really try anything too hard to grow. I've found that as long as you use a good light and you are keeping up with water changes, the plants should grow very well on their own. 

IMG_1983.jpg

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Thank you so much! This is so helpful and the images/gifs are great! I like how @Isaac M mentioned that the best way to keep an aquarium is to keep one that you enjoy. I think there is a lot of truth to that! 

I am looking to do some Cryptocorynes and Amazon Swords. I love Java Ferns but I don't know that I want to tie or glue it to anything since you don't really plant it in the substrate. My concern with the Amazon Swords though is that I've read that they plecos are known to eat them. I have a rubber lip pleco that I plan to add to this tank also.. so many decisions.

I have considered ordering the Aquarium Co-Op plant rock also. I am just not sure if it will necessarily fit into my plan for the tank though. I am going to try my hand at a (more mild) Pandora/Avatar-esk scape. 

 

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@CorydoraDaisy I have not tried this but I imagine java fern can be “planted” in the substrate, the rhizome has to stay above the substrate but you can probably just plant the roots in the sand. Or hold it down with a plant weight. 

I do not keep plecos very often so I have no idea if a rubber lip pleco will eat the sword. I had one for many many years but did not have a sword with him.

Anyway, crypts and swords are typically heavy root feeders. For those plants I would recommend a lot of root tabs at the base of the plant or some other form of a nutrient rich substrate. If you are already planning to use root tabs, root tabs in the sand will work just fine.

I also would not gravel vac the sand as all the detritus will help feed your plants. If it is too unsightly, you can typically siphon it out by skimming over it.  

Hope that helps! 

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  • 7 months later...
On 4/27/2021 at 2:22 PM, Isaac M said:

@CorydoraDaisy I have not tried this but I imagine java fern can be “planted” in the substrate, the rhizome has to stay above the substrate but you can probably just plant the roots in the sand. Or hold it down with a plant weight. 

 

I also would not gravel vac the sand as all the detritus will help feed your plants. If it is too unsightly, you can typically siphon it out by skimming over it.  

Hope that helps! 

I do this all the time with java fern; to be honest i'm souring on java fern in my aquariums; don't get me wrong it grows well - too well - over time it well grows way too well. Btw this is an updated picture of my 29 with torpedo beach - i guess it has been around 7 months with no issues; you can compare it to the picture above that was taken in april - the below picture was taken over thanksgiving...

29w_new.jpg.a606a62be4702468769dc92402f62822.jpg

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