I'm having a hard time picking out a substrate

[Robin]

I'm playing with safe-T-Sorb in a 10g. I like the look of it. No fish in it yet as I didn't pre soak it as Bentley suggested but I did give it a high dose of ferts when I set it up so the nitrates are high. So far so good except for a bit of hair algae. The wisteria is growing like a weed and the moss is doing well. I put in a scarlet temple but it hasn't been in there long enough to see how it's going to do.

My next 10g redo I'm going to try medium grade sand and the one after that I'll try Bentley's suggestion of the peace river. I like the sound of that.

 By then maybe the 40's will be on sale and I'll have an idea of which I like the best.

 

[Novabound]

14 hours ago, yannachka said:

one of my favorite substrates is a mix of fluval stratum and fluorite (i use dark). the two combine to make a great texture and a pretty natural look. it’s pretty easy to plant in as well, you just really need to rinse the fluorite well.

//content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2020_09/7819A201-7167-4C27-8060-0BEDFC93A543.jpeg.94fd68ee3bbb01df6c475ae35b3994ee.jpeg

This is what i was planning on my next substrate. Sand looked nice, but being inert and constantly replacing root tabs is annoying

[Byron]

5 hours ago, Bentley Pascoe said:

Busy thread!  If you don't mind me putting in my two American pesos here...

You can combine a LOT of things for various results.  If budget is a concern I highly encourage more people to look into Safe-T-Sorb.  It looks nice, and when charged (literally just let it sit in a tub with enough water to cover it all and pour in a BUNCH of fertilizer... like a half a bottle of easy green or a 10+ root tabs, then let it sit and soak for a couple weeks) you can get some very long term growth.  Just make sure you rinse the stuff really, really well before the soaking process to help get it clean.

I personally prefer active substrates, specifically aquasoils like Fluval Stratum, Brightwell Rio Escuro, ADA Amazonia etc etc, because I'm so used to what I get from them and how to plant in them.  You don't NEED to do this route, I just look at it as the shortcut version of something like mineralized top soil or charged safe-T-sorb without the work and potential negative side effects.

In the end, if you like the look of sands, try looking at something like the caribsea naturals peace river - its a really fine sized gravel that has a semi-sandy appearance, but it's just coarse enough to act as a nice cap without risking compaction.

As many have mentioned, I have an on-going series I call Substrate 101 on my YouTube channel which I would highly encourage watching (clearly, I have no bias... 😅) and thank you to those whom suggested it earlier, but in the end, research is your best friend. Be willing to explore a LOT of options to find what will be best for you and your schedule of maintenance.  Just because someone like me will say "I use X, it's the best!" doesn't mean that will be the same for you.  There are plenty of people who preach one substrate over another and I prefer people look at every option, understand the pros and cons, then decide based on their water, goals, routine and budget.

Hi Bentley, I just started watching your substrate 101 and find very helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to make it. Can I use caribsea natural peace river as a cap over Fluval Stratum?

[Byron]

18 hours ago, yannachka said:

one of my favorite substrates is a mix of fluval stratum and fluorite (i use dark). the two combine to make a great texture and a pretty natural look. it’s pretty easy to plant in as well, you just really need to rinse the fluorite well.

//content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2020_09/7819A201-7167-4C27-8060-0BEDFC93A543.jpeg.94fd68ee3bbb01df6c475ae35b3994ee.jpeg

I really like the look of your mix. I wonder how loaches like the texture.

[Streetwise]

This is where I shop for substrate, not including cap. I don't move plants, I don't mess with my substrate, and I don't gravel vac. $1 per gallon scoop. I pick the topsoil on the right, not the compost on the left. There are many paths, but mine is organic soil.

I grew up on a dirt road, with well water, a septic tank, and a leach field. A bit of grass, lots of trees, a river. The whole ecosystem.

Vermont now actually mandates composting organic waste, so I may end up bringing my own food scraps to this place.

I made sure to get the industrial sifter in the shot.

[Bentley Pascoe]

On 9/18/2020 at 4:39 PM, Byron said:

Hi Bentley, I just started watching your substrate 101 and find very helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to make it. Can I use caribsea natural peace river as a cap over Fluval Stratum?

Yep, should work just fine.

[yannachka]

On 9/18/2020 at 7:42 PM, Byron said:

I really like the look of your mix. I wonder how loaches like the texture.

i dont keep loaches in it so can’t say but they honestly should be fine in it. its not as heavy as gravel so they can still root through it if they want. 

[Robin]

I bought 5lbs of the caribsea naturals peace river just to see what the size and color looked like. Now I wish I'd bought the 20lb bag. Can't wait to try it in a tank.

[Dirtydave]

On 9/15/2020 at 4:49 PM, Pete said:

I've found I like growing plants in sand way more than using fancy substrates like EcoComplete. The sand is so much easier to work in and holds new plants with weaker root structures better than coarser materials out there. It's also 10x easier to get Easy Root Tabs placed in sandy substrates with simple planting tweezers.

Pool filter sand really really is the best option I think. A second choice would be blasting sand which is cheap but coarser. Third choice is what I used; big box pet store brand black aquarium sand. It still didn't break the bank. 

I pay $22.00 for a 20 pound bag of eco complete and the big name box charges 27.00 for the same size black sand.Surpised me also

[Dirtydave]

On 9/15/2020 at 4:49 PM, Pete said:

I've found I like growing plants in sand way more than using fancy substrates like EcoComplete. The sand is so much easier to work in and holds new plants with weaker root structures better than coarser materials out there. It's also 10x easier to get Easy Root Tabs placed in sandy substrates with simple planting tweezers.

Pool filter sand really really is the best option I think. A second choice would be blasting sand which is cheap but coarser. Third choice is what I used; big box pet store brand black aquarium sand. It still didn't break the bank. 

I pay $22.00 for a 20 pound bag of eco complete and the big name box charges 27.00 for the same size black sand.Surpised me also

[Dirtydave]

A FB group im in had some people say they used kitty litter as a substrate. In 53 years in the hobby it's the first time I've heard that.They were raving how good it is.Im an eco complete guy but does anyone have any insight into that thought? Might it be called(kitty complete)🤣🤣

[BIG GREEN]

On 9/16/2020 at 8:24 PM, ADMWNDSR83 said:

Just to chime in without a lot of wisdom, I personally went with black diamond blasting sand.  More coarse than sand, yet still a pretty fine substrate. I love the look, my plants are doing great, and I got a 50 lb bag for under $10.  It's black coal slag.  After rinsing, I had no clarity issues or anything, and my cories seem to love it.

Yeap,  black diamond is cheap and does very well in a tank.....I will say I don't like the very fine though, I think its the blue bag.

[BIG GREEN]

On 9/18/2020 at 1:21 AM, yannachka said:

one of my favorite substrates is a mix of fluval stratum and fluorite (i use dark). the two combine to make a great texture and a pretty natural look. it’s pretty easy to plant in as well, you just really need to rinse the fluorite well.

use 5 gal. Elastic Top Paint Strainer that fits over a 5 gallon bucket, makes it so much easier to rinse

[BIG GREEN]

On 9/17/2020 at 12:15 PM, Amy Swanstrom said:

Glad to hear this, I just put blasting sand in my 75 and a lot of plants, eventually my cories as well.   Took me a bit to rinse it well, but so worth it. 

your cory's will do well in it, I have 18 cory's that love it....

[Guppysnail]

On 9/16/2020 at 3:17 PM, Brandy said:

It sounds like you were FAR from depleted, it was more that you had too many nutrients and had to keep light low to manage algae. I have not had trouble with clarity in a dirted tank with a thick sand cap, not have I had trouble with algae, but I stepped my lighting up slowly, waiting for the plants to catch up. I am not trying to convince you to go with dirt--I only have it in one tank, but I do really love it. I do not love eco complete, my vals, lilies, lotuses, and crypts like it though--not so much fragile roots, and it is annoying to plant it to me. ADA amazonia is highway robbery, but works ok for a monte carlo carpet, and is a little easier to plant in.

If you are looking to have a more precisely controlled nutrient load then going with an inert substrate makes sense, I think you have the best solution right in front of you--use the sand you like, and mix in a larger particle sand or small gravel in the bottom layer where your dirt currently is. You don't say what size tank this is, but economical options include regular aquarium gravel from a big box store, or play sand from building supply stores. I think once you go inert, you are really just looking for a particular look with at least some variation of particle size, best accomplished by mixing.

Agree eco complete is MISERABLE. I ripped it out of both the tanks I put it in after 6 months. 

[Mmiller2001]

On 9/15/2020 at 1:41 PM, Byron said:

I have been running a dirted tank with a pool filter sand cap, but I am going to tear it down and start over. I am going to go with a heavily planted tank with a Fluval 3.0 light and a new substrate. The problem is that I really like the look of the pool filter sand and the smoothness of it for Kuhli Loachs and such, but have read that it is not great for growing plants.

I don't want to go the route of having to replace my substrate because the nutrients are depleted, so I plan on using  inert material and supplementing with fert and root tabs. 

I'd like a sand like substrate that doesn't break my budget and will be good for bottom feeders and plants.

Any suggestions are most appreciated.

Thank you!

 

This is the best pool filter sand I've found. Near perfect in size and weight. Grew this tank using it with no root tabs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JJ5GXSK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

this one is grown in Black Diamond Blasting sand, also no root tabs.

The truth is, substrate really doesn't matter. Some plants just won't grow well in sand versus aquasoil or dirt. And some plants won't grow without CO2. Each of the tanks above are on CO2 and that's the difference. I would save your money on substrate and apply it to a CO2 system. It's not hard, it just seems that way.

I'm using Eco Complete now, but I wish I had gone Black Diamond Blasting sand. Hope this helps.

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[Chloe and Speckles]

Why not keep the pool filter sand and stick root tabs in it? I have just plain old river gravel and root tabs for my heavily planted tank. I just need to replace the root tabs every few months. No problems with nutrient overload so far either.