Best substrate for plants?

[Phillip]

So it looks like I’ll be setting up a new tank soon. We have the bright colored rocks in my daughters tank now.  We use root tabs and the stem plants seem to be doing ok. Is seachem fluorite or aquasoil worth it? Is sand better than rocks? 

[Fish Folk]

1 hour ago, Phillip said:

So it looks like I’ll be setting up a new tank soon. We have the bright colored rocks in my daughters tank now.  We use root tabs and the stem plants seem to be doing ok. Is seachem fluorite or aquasoil worth it? Is sand better than rocks? 

The best substrates for plants seem to be those which absorb nutrients, and which allow easy root growth through.

You might want to nibble away at the “Walstadt method” or “dirted tanks.” But what we use is often Eco Complete, or — more recently — Activ-Flora.

[FrozenFins]

Its important to note that most substrates that are meant for aquariums are okay for plants. The number one thing you should consider when buying a substrate is if you like it or not.

If the substrate is not nutrient riched you may wanna look into inserting root tabs to help the growth of stem plants.

nutrient riched substrates probably the "best" for plants, in terms of whats inside of them. Because they are meant for plants they hold the necessary nutrients for plants to thrive. Unforatunetly these substrates are also very dusty so beware that your going need to really rinse these substrates.

Remember if you dont like the substrate dont buy it. Regardless if its a "nutrient riched substrate". You can also add root tabs to any substrate to make them  "nutrient rich".

Its also important to note that the nutrient rich substrate are also the more expensive substrates.

[gjcarew]

In general, aquasoil > fine gravel > coarse sand > coarse gravel > fine sand.

Aquasoils have high cation exchange capacity (CEC), which is basically the ability of the substrate to hold on to nutrients and make them available to plants. Aquasoils also have a perfect porosity for healthy plants. Topsoil also has high CEC, but it can be messy when moving plants around and needs to be capped with another substrate. 

Structurally, your substrate needs to be both porous and supportive. Fine sands are not porous, they don't allow the roots of plants to breathe and you will end up with poor root development. Coarse gravels sometimes don't provide enough support, the gaps between the rocks don't allow the plant to root securely. Coarse gravels can also let root tabs bleed their nutrients in to the water column a bit too readily, rather than keeping it in the root zone. 

Coarse sands and fine gravels are the best inert substrates. Examples of these would be Seachem Flourite, Caribsea Peace River Gravel, Black Diamond Blasting Abrasive (medium) and HTH Pool Filter Sand. They are fine enough to retain substrate nutrients, but coarse enough to allow root development. Note that they will not start out with any CEC or nutrients. Aquarium Co-op's root tabs include clay, which increases the CEC of your substrate. It's the best root tab choice for inert substrates.

 

[Streetwise]

Organic soil is a fun option. You just have to treat it as a long-term project, and try not to move plants. Adding plants is no big deal.

[Lowells Fish Lab]

I like eco complete. It's attractive, it's heavy and has a rough texture so it holds on to plants well when you plant them, and as far as I know it's inert. Won't push your ph one way or another and won't leach nutrients. It holds on to fertilizer if you use it. Pretty much the perfect substrate unless you have concerns about corydoras scratching themselves on it.

Aquasoil is powerful but volatile. It leaches nutty amounts of ammonia early on and it's light and smooth-- not fun to plant in initially. That light, open texture makes it easy for plant roots to grow through so that's a plus.

I've used flourite black and found it to be finer but a similar experience to the eco complete. Flourite red is kind of a headache. It takes hours of rinsing to get the fine particulates out of it.

[gjcarew]

4 minutes ago, Lowells Fish Lab said:

Aquasoil is powerful but volatile. It leaches nutty amounts of ammonia early on and it's light and smooth-- not fun to plant in initially. That light, open texture makes it easy for plant roots to grow through so that's a plus.

Were you using Fluval Stratum by chance? I've noticed that it's much lighter than most aquasoils, and can be a bit of a pain to plant in. With regards to ammonia, both Amazonia ver. 2 and Tropica soil now leach much less ammonia than they used to, I'm not sure how recently you've tried them out.

[Streetwise]

I tried Fluval Statum in two tanks. It may have properties that are optimal to certain things. However, I couldn't keep plants rooted with just Stratum.

[Sunset Coral]

I agree that Stratum is annoying to plant in. Especially carpeting plants.

[Isaac M]

Hi @Phillip, I personally use organic soil like @Streetwise. I agree that it is more of a long-term project but it offers great rewards. I have found my organic soil aquariums to be very low maintenance and be very balanced.

However, everyone has their own preferences. Coarse sand, gravel, aquasoils are all viable options as well. 

The thing I wanted to mention here however is that with stem plants, they often prefer liquid fertilizer or to “eat” out of the water column. Most stem plants can be grown floating. So if you are sticking with stem plants only, I would recommend getting a liquid fertilizer like easy green first and foremost. 

 

[Jeff]

Agree with the rest. Even the 'best' soils like ADA lose their nutrients over time. So, regardless of what you choose; you'll have to supplement eventually. 
 

Just comes down to looks preference. 

[sudofish]

No clue what the actual best is but I use a lasagna method of fluval stratum on bottom, eco-complete in the middle & a cap of another layer of stratum. I prefer the look of stratum to eco-complete but the eco holds plants much better so I went with a mix of both.

[laritheloud]

I'm already planning a larger tank (75 or 90 gallons -- my husband is even on board!), and I'm pretty sure I'll be using regular old pool filter sand for that tank. Cheap, comes in huge bags, and it's easy to supplement with ferts of your own. I use eco-complete in my 29 gallon and I like it all right, but I'd love to try a sandy bottom next time.

[Gator]

I've got tanks going that I'm using a different substrate in each.

I've got a 29G that has Eco complete and I like it. This has iron in it but I still dose with an iron supplement at every third water change. I have a 10G that has pool filter sand and I have to stir the sand about once every six months, but the plants grow pretty good with just iron supplementation. Another 10G has regular aquarium gravel, the plants and fish are doing great.

Pool filter sand looks great and my plants do very well, but I still have to stir the sand up every now and then.

[Tanked]

I have a Wisteria that failed badly (not quite dead) in the planted gravel tank, but is thriving in 1" of pool sand.  The P.S.Octopus  next to it is thriving in the lava rock substrate.  If you provide their basic needs, the rest is just visual appeal.

[lefty o]

the best substrate is the one you like best. long term they all require adding ferts etc.

[klingy]

Hi, the substrate worked for me the most Tetra ActiveSubstrate I used it as a base under this substrate Tetra Complete Substrate it is a great combination for healthy and beautiful plants and for crystal clear water, because a lot of beneficial bacteria can settle in the substrate.

[ChemBob]

I have the red eco complete running in my 20 gallon for about 18 months and the plants are doing great. I have pool filter sand that I ended up adding CaribSea Peace River to in my 40 gallon for about 8 months, and plants are doing well in it as well. Both have crypts. The 20 has swords that are thriving. The 40 has Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus and Water Wisteria that are doing very good. 

[Dirtydave]

I'm an eco complete guy and doubt I'll change but on a Facebook group there were a few that used kitty ltter.Yep that's what I said,KITTY LITTER.Never once have I heard of that and I've watched countless vids on the subject. Bently Pasco included.