Adding Planted substrate to established tank with sand

[Gregkarr_09]

Hey Everyone, new here to the co op forum hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. I have a quick question that I can’t find any answers on when I search the internet. So I have a planted angelfish tank (60 gallon) and when I set it up I wasn’t planning on having plants but that all changed. Any how I have lots of Java fern glued to manzanita wood and some anubais nana petit on the bigger rocks and some moss glued to the manzanita as well. I would love to try my hand in some dwarf hair grass or Monte Carlo for a nice carpet with injecting co2 I have everything including the co2 but I know I have to have planted substrate for the lush carpet to grow in. I currently have about an inch and a half of fine white sand and want to swap it out for some eco complete or fluval Brand or even Seachem brand substrate. Any ideas on how to do it without breaking down the tank? I know I can sweep the sand out with a small hand broom but can I add the substrate to let’s say 6 or 8 inches of water? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! Greg

[Dancing Matt]

One idea to add substrate is to have it in a container (cup) and lower the cup into the water and pour out the cup as it is near the bottom, instead of pouring substrate from the top of the tank, to minimize any clouding.

[Andy's Fish Den]

If you don't want to go through the hassle of switching the substrate and like the look of the sand, you can keep it in there. Plants the hairgrass or monte carlo, and use root tabs in the sand to give the plants the nutrients that they need, along with easy green liquid fertilizer. I dont think you will have a problem with growing them in the sand if you use root tabs and you say you want to use co2 as well. 

[Gregkarr_09]

I was thinking about that but everything I read about carpeting plants says that sand is the worst substrate I could use. 

[Dancing Matt]

Worse doesn't mean impossible, you would likely have to work harder to make it carpet. I have a crypt in fine sand that hasn't grown well (I ran out of root tabs, maybe it got one at the start) and its roots are growing into the water column. I have other crypts that I planted in flourite that are growing fairly well, they started with a root tabs and CO2 but haven't had anything in a long time. Both are living but the one in sand is not doing as well and I am lazy with my plants so in the future I'll be avoiding sand.

[Wes L.]

I just did that same thing with my 55 gallon tank. I had sand in part of it, and I wanted it gone so I could replace it. I got rid of it by just using my suction hose that I use when I do water changes. Each week I would just stick the hose down in the sand and it sucked up with no problems. I didn't do mine all at once, although you easily could. Then I replaced it with USN Controsoil because it doesn't have to be rinsed and doesn't cloud the water. It's the easiest stuff to work with.

[FrozenFins]

I beleive cory has said in multiple live streams that planted tank substrate is never mandatory regardless of what kind of scape your making. as far as how, heres what I would do:

-Get your siphon

-And siphon out all the sand

-Then, poor the planted tank substrate in. Be cautious of the fish though.

On 1/11/2021 at 11:47 PM, Gregkarr_09 said:

Hey Everyone, new here to the co op forum hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. I have a quick question that I can’t find any answers on when I search the internet. So I have a planted angelfish tank (60 gallon) and when I set it up I wasn’t planning on having plants but that all changed. Any how I have lots of Java fern glued to manzanita wood and some anubais nana petit on the bigger rocks and some moss glued to the manzanita as well. I would love to try my hand in some dwarf hair grass or Monte Carlo for a nice carpet with injecting co2 I have everything including the co2 but I know I have to have planted substrate for the lush carpet to grow in. I currently have about an inch and a half of fine white sand and want to swap it out for some eco complete or fluval Brand or even Seachem brand substrate. Any ideas on how to do it without breaking down the tank? I know I can sweep the sand out with a small hand broom but can I add the substrate to let’s say 6 or 8 inches of water? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! Greg

 

[FishyThoughts]

Using a section of tubing to suck out the sand as previously mentioned works great. 

And if your wanting to add that substrate to a specific section without mixing in the rest you can use a funnel and section of tubing to direct where the added substrate goes.

I agree with the comments that planted substrate is not required. My first planted tank I used plant substrate, the plants grew fine. Second planted tank I used sand only, the plants grew fine.