substrate help

hi forum
What would be the best substrate to get was thinking of getting 20mm gravel and the areas that im gonna have plants to use river sand will this work?
I was thinking of pool filter sand but heard wasnt good.

 

Pool filter sand works well... I would still advise you to use fertilizer in the water, and possibly look at root tabs (fertilizer tablets) if you have plants with higher nutrient demands.

 

It really all depends on what you want to achieve. If you're going to be using different types of substrates, then you need to find an effective way to separate them, otherwise they always wind up mixing.

Silica sand is white. It's inert, which means it contains no form of nutrition for any plant. You will need to either use Palm Fiber Peat and Chemicult, or you will need to buy a fertile substrate, which are not so easy to find around here.

 

@Zoom
Would i find that root tabs and fert at a lps or must i order it online?
Thanx for advise

 

I found Seachem Root tabs at a LFS.

 

Sera make a good range of fertilizer tablets.
Seachem make a fantastic range of liquid fertilizers as well.

Both should be easily available from LPS.

Before you make your final decision, just do some extensive research. You don't want to find out that you want to go with a lot of plants, and discover you would actually be better off with a different substrate or nutrient "system". You also don't want to go with a very rich substrate, and then decide you want to go with easy growing plants (which can sometimes feel limiting) because then you land up with excess nutrients that will only help grow algae... and lots of it.

I don't know what sort of plants or ideas you have in mind... but for someone who is just starting up and would like to give plants a try, I would recommend Pool filter Sand (cost effective, and nice granule size for plants), coupled with Flourish Comprehensive (Or DSD- available from Professor Dirk). If you start noticing nutrient deficiencies in the plants, you can start with the root tabs.

Personally, I don't like the LOOK of pool filter sand. As @slagter says above, it is white, and I think it looks unnatural. I prefer a black substrate. I have found my LPS sells an awesome "midnight black" gravel that is slightly finer than pool filter sand, and works amazing. It looks stunning too. It is a bit more expensive, but after I changed from Pool FIlter to the black substrate, I will never look back!

 

OK I feel that I really must mention Red Clay,as the PFP and Chemicult has been discussed to ends and IMO just is not enough.
I personally would use PFP soaked in a chemicult solution mixed with red clay and cap that off with a nice thick layer of pool filter sand.
Planting need to be done before any fishes or water is added.Fill the tank about 1/4 with water when starting to plant.
Root tabs will be needed after about a year(or sooner) depending on the amount of nutrients that the PFP "captured".

 

@Slojo... you have a valid point. I'd like to see some more discussion on the red clay topic.

The questions I have is baked or raw? Because ALL the books I've got on planting substrates claim that raw clay is one of the WORST things you can put in your tank because it goes anearobic.

 

Will do a writeup on a proper mix for substrates.