Planted cory tank?

[IlhamSetiawan]

Hello there

So i just bought a 30 gallons tank for my cory tank and i want to keep plants too, but cories need soft sand which some plants can't grow in it

Can i use JBL Aquabasis under the sand or should i get a Japan Platinum soil powder which the grains only 1-2mm?

[GoofyGarra]

i keep my cories on normal aquarium gravel and they are thriving, so are my plants.

[IlhamSetiawan]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:13 PM, GoofyGarra said:

i keep my cories on normal aquarium gravel and they are thriving, so are my plants.

What gravel?

[GoofyGarra]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:14 AM, IlhamSetiawan said:

What gravel?

i dont remember the brand. Its just a generic gravel. Here is a picture for reference.

[TMartins]

I have healthy Cory’s and plants and this is what I use from Petco using ACO root tabs.

[IlhamSetiawan]

So aquasoil would work right?

On 12/4/2023 at 9:27 PM, TMartins said:

I have healthy Cory’s and plants and this is what I use from Petco using ACO root tabs.

 

[jwcarlson]

I don't have a ton of experience with aqua soil, but I'd imagine that the corys will fluff up a lot of stuff into the water column with substrate like that.  I don't think that ruins anything, but you might have cloudy water periodically.  I've got one tank with bare Fluval Stratum.  No corys in there, but everytime I disrupt the water at all there's a little bit wafted up into the water column.

My tanks with corys are bare bottom (for spawning) or sand (play sand or pool filter sand) capped Fluval Stratum.  Have had them on gravel before as well and it seemed to be fine.

Edited December 4, 2023 by jwcarlson

[Mmiller2001]

Sand and aqua soils are perfectly fine for both Cory’s and plants.

Here’s my pool filter sand tank using no root tabs and I have Gold Lazer Cory’s.

 

[IlhamSetiawan]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:42 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Sand and aqua soils are perfectly fine for both Cory’s and plants.

Here’s my pool filter sand tank using no root tabs and I have Gold Lazer Cory’s.

 

Nice tank, do u use any other ferts?

[Mmiller2001]

On 12/4/2023 at 7:43 AM, IlhamSetiawan said:

Nice tank, do u use any other ferts?

Yes, I dose the water column with nutrients using dry salts but any well balanced liquid fertilizer will work. I choose dry salts for significant cost reduction and to be able to adjust individual elements if I need to.

[IlhamSetiawan]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:47 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

dry salts

What is it? Does that increase PH and Salinity?

[Mmiller2001]

On 12/4/2023 at 7:48 AM, IlhamSetiawan said:

What is it? Does that increase PH and Salinity?

It’s not salt like Sodium, it’s just a name thing and does not change salinity. PH is mostly affected by carbonates and bicarbonates. 
 

The liquid fertilizers you buy commercially are made with these salts. You simply cut out the middleman when you buy fertilizer dry, saving a significant amount of money.

[IlhamSetiawan]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:55 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

It’s not salt like Sodium, it’s just a name thing and does not change salinity. PH is mostly affected by carbonates and bicarbonates. 
 

The liquid fertilizers you buy commercially are made with these salts. You simply cut out the middleman when you buy fertilizer dry, saving a significant amount of money.

Just spread the salt in the tank?

[Mmiller2001]

On 12/4/2023 at 8:00 AM, IlhamSetiawan said:

Just spread the salt in the tank?

You can dose directly or make your own liquid and dose that. I dose my water storage to the numbers I want (toss in the dry powder) the tank to be and then use water changes to dose the tank. 
I separate Macros( NPK ) and trace elements. All my Macro dosing is complete on water change day and then I dose micros 3 times a week. I make a liquid solution of micros and use a syringe to dose them.

It sounds more complicated than it is, but after you do it a few times it’s straightforward. 
 

Again though, any well balanced liquid fert will work.

I recently bought a bottle of Nilocg Thrive. It cost 27 bucks, I could make easily 50 bottles (probably more) and the salts cost 30 with shipping.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Mmiller2001

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:27 AM, TMartins said:

I have healthy Cory’s and plants and this is what I use from Petco using ACO root tabs.

I have Corydoras sterbai on a mix of this exact gravel and pool filter sand, and they root around got food in both parts of the tank and are healthy and breeding, with full barbels.