What is the best substrate for a planted tank?

[da_Fishylover]

There are so many different substrates out there for planted tanks and I can't decide which one to use. For my 55 gallon I am using a bag of Eco complete topped off with some gravel and it seems to be working fine. I need to find a good substrate that is not too expensive. Any suggestions?

[Odd Duck]

I don’t think there is such a thing as a “best” substrate.  There are so many options and just as many opinions.  I use a thin layer of heavy clay soil sprinkled with Osmocote granules, then covered with a fairly thick layer of medium to coarse sand.  I like the look of sand but wanted the nutrient sink of clay.  Clay soil was free except the gas money it took to drive around to find some with lots of red (hoping for high iron content) and a farmer willing to let us dig up a few buckets worth.  I do add root tabs (probably less often than I should) and liquid fertilizers, too (again, probably less often than I should).  I’m still fairly successful at growing plants in general, not as good at stem plants, pretty good with root feeders and floaters.

Plenty of people on the forum growing with minimal to no fertilizers, gravel, sand, foam, whatever substrate, or not even any substrate with some (you know who I’m looking at 👀), and having great success with a whole range of plants including the stem plants that I struggle with the most.

Find what works for your water/tanks, has the look you want, and play around with it to your heart’s content.

Sorry it’s nothing like the answer you were probably hoping for.  Others will have more suggestions.

[Katherine]

On 5/21/2022 at 10:45 AM, da_Fishylover said:

I need to find a good substrate that is not too expensive.

As @Odd Duck said there are as many opinions on this as there are aquarists. For not too expensive I like gravel from the garden/home improvement store. I graveled my 75 for about $10. It's going to be really dirty, but it's not too hard to rinse with a colander or a net like Cory showed in one of the newest videos.

[Mmiller2001]

I really like

Landen Aqua Soil Substrate for Natural Planted Aquarium, Plant or Shrimp Stratum, Clay Gravel and Stable Porous Substrate for Freshwater Aquarium, Black Color 10lbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TQRSS61/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_76EMMXQPB608BV8JGPAM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[JoeQ]

Whats best for one isn't best for another.

I like eco complete because it absorbs nutrients, but it sucks for ease of planting......

Black Diamond plants easy and it cheap, but it it inert and doesn't absorb nutrients.....

Flourite Sand is decent in the way of plant-ability and nutrients, but it is expensive as hell and its silicate content has you battling BGA..... And that's not even getting into aquasoils

See what I mean, the best substrate IMO is the one that has the most benefits and least drawbacks for one self. 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

On 5/21/2022 at 8:45 AM, da_Fishylover said:

There are so many different substrates out there for planted tanks and I can't decide which one to use. For my 55 gallon I am using a bag of Eco complete topped off with some gravel and it seems to be working fine. I need to find a good substrate that is not too expensive. Any suggestions?

Hi @da_Fishylover

As mentioned above there are many options for substrate for planted tanks.  I personally have tried several over the 14 years I have had planted tanks.  I first did a planted tank with natural gravel (Cemex Monterrey Sand) which is inert and contains no nutrients.  Then I experimented with calcined (fired) hardened clay substrates with high CEC (cation exchange capacity) which allows the substrate to absorb nutrients from the water column and make them available to plants in the root zone.  Lastly, when I decided to do a discus tank I wanted an inert substrate that would show dirt and detritus so I am using HTH Pool Filter Sand because it is >99% silicone dioxide and contains no pieces shell, coral, or limestone that would effect the pH of my tank.  In all the above I was able to grow plants very effectively.  When I comes to growing plants I've come to believe that attaining a balance of light and nutrients (including carbon) is much more important for success than what substrate I am using.

45 gallon with Monterrey Sand


10 gallon with Safe-t-sorb (calcined clay)


30 gallon with HTH Pool Filter Sand