Substrate layering

[evonner]

I'm setting up a new Guppy planted tank. I have purchased eco-complete. I read that heavy rooters dont do so well establishing their root base in eco-complete alone but i dont know. Any feed back?

I want to layer my substrate with maybe some stratum to help the heavy root feeders and I need the help with lowering my pH. I have higher than ideal pH, GH and KH in my tap and in other tanks.

I plan to get some type of bottom feeders and read that I have to be careful of not using a substrate that is too small, too big and too sharp. What exactly would that be? 

[Scapexghost]

If your keeping guppies, its almosy impossible to have too high pH, KH, or GH. The higher the better for guppies.

[Mmiller2001]

Although completely annoying to plant in, broke more stems than Evel Knievel broke bones and being a substrate I would never use again. It still grows plants. Here's my old tank with Eco Complete.

 

[Andy's Fish Den]

I have used a 50/50 mix of stratum and eco complete in a few tanks, and it has worked good. What I have started to do after watching several MD fish tank videos on YouTube, I put it in mesh bags in the areas I plan to plant, and then use sand or a finer gravel, such as Carib-sea Peace river on top. The mesh bags allow the roots to penetrate to get nutrients, but if I ever want to change things up in the tank, I can scoop out the top layer and the aqua soil mix stays in the mesh bags and can either be reused or tossed out, and everything doesn't get all mixed up. 

As for pH, guppies love  higher pH, if you're in the high 7s and into 8 or above, they will thrive. 

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 12/30/2022 at 10:58 AM, Andy's Fish Den said:

I have used a 50/50 mix of stratum and eco complete in a few tanks, and it has worked good. What I have started to do after watching several MD fish tank videos on YouTube, I put it in mesh bags in the areas I plan to plant, and then use sand or a finer gravel, such as Carib-sea Peace river on top. The mesh bags allow the roots to penetrate to get nutrients, but if I ever want to change things up in the tank, I can scoop out the top layer and the aqua soil mix stays in the mesh bags and can either be reused or tossed out, and everything doesn't get all mixed up. 

As for pH, guppies love  higher pH, if you're in the high 7s and into 8 or above, they will thrive. 

The thing I've always wondered about the MD style substrate-in-bags approach is with root tabs. I know plant roots can penetrate the bags but I can't get root tabs in there, and while aquasoils don't need nutrients for a while, they will eventually. Or are the bags just set up knowing that the whole tank won't run beyond, say, two years anyway? I know MD seems to think anything past a year or so is ready for a teardown, but I also know he has a YouTube content beast that he has to keep fed.

[Andy's Fish Den]

On 12/30/2022 at 12:39 PM, Rube_Goldfish said:

The thing I've always wondered about the MD style substrate-in-bags approach is with root tabs. I know plant roots can penetrate the bags but I can't get root tabs in there, and while aquasoils don't need nutrients for a while, they will eventually. Or are the bags just set up knowing that the whole tank won't run beyond, say, two years anyway? I know MD seems to think anything past a year or so is ready for a teardown, but I also know he has a YouTube content beast that he has to keep fed.

I use root tabs still, and push them as far down as I can, usually to where I can feel the mesh bag on my fingertips. 

I know a lot of his tanks are not set up for a long time, like most of us do, because of needing to be able to create new content constantly, but I have seen in a lot of his newest videos he is doing a layer of organic topsoil and aquatic compost that is sold for potting pond plants then capping with sand or gravel, but he also either grinds up root tabs or places prices or tabs under the cap layer. 

[evonner]

The Eco-complete was hard to plant in??  Was it hard on roots of plants that are deep root plants like swords? Did the produce a good root base?

[Schuyler]

On 1/1/2023 at 9:30 PM, evonner said:

The Eco-complete was hard to plant in??  Was it hard on roots of plants that are deep root plants like swords? Did the produce a good root base?

I've only planted in three substrates: sand, fluval stratum, and eco Complete. I personally think eco Complete is easier that stratum because it has some weight to it. I think the trick is having lots of depth to work with and coming in from an angle.

 

Also, my 40 gallon tank is eco complete layered with a planted substrate (UNS Controsoil). It's only been up for a few months but things seem to be growing well

Edited January 2, 2023 by Schuyler

[evonner]

Do all aquarium soils break down over time and need to be replaced?

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 1/2/2023 at 1:15 AM, evonner said:

Do all aquarium soils break down over time and need to be replaced?

As far as I've heard/read, yes, either a substrate has active nutrients but breaksdown over time (could still be root tabbed, though) or is inert from the start but is essentially unchanging.

[Mmiller2001]

Root tabs are 100% not necessary and aqua soils turn to mush over time. ADA tends to go mush a bit faster and that's why they swap around a year or so. Landen aqua soil last longer and can stay in form for a good 5 years 

[evonner]

In my existing tank, I have stratum with gravel on top. It's over a year old, close to 1 1/2 years old. It turning to mush, baffles me as it's still in good condition but not helping my pH.  I snapped some photos (the yellow is just the flash).