I place about 2 inches of course gravel and cap it off with pool filter sand. I have a large number of corydoras, and they prefer a sandy substrate. My rooted plants do very well in this substrate.
Great vid as always... I'm growing plants very well in a sand only substrate with the fish waste as the only means of a fert source. Val's and Elodia for the most part and a lovely Amazon Sword Ruben's which is showing great colours. It would seem that some plants will thrive in just sand, and Val's is one of them. As long as your fish waste is getting deep enough into the substrate (I stir mine gently each two weeks before a water change). This ensures that I mix the waste into the sand deeply enough for the plants to feed from. The tank is about five months old and the plants are of good growth using this method. There are many ways which we can assist with such plant health, and while I have not seen any vids suggesting my methods, it is working well for me. Keep up the good work!
This is a question like "What's the best car?" Answer: It depends. You have laid out the advantages and disadvantages of each. Traditionally, I used the usual aquarium gravel sold in stores. When I restarted in the hobby over two years ago, I at first went with white sand. I wanted to grow plants, and it wasn't the best substrate for plants, so I put it into a new 5-gallon tank. My golden Ancistrus loves it, and we enjoy watching him constantly rescape his tank. That tank will remain untouched as long as he's alive. I have Flourite Red in my show tank. I like it, and most plants seem to like it, but the rinsing and rinsing and rinsing was a pain. I am (finally) getting in my 75-gallon tank tomorrow, Saturday. I have all the ingredients for your soil recipe, but I'm gonna add some Seachem Aragonite "Pearl Beach" coarse sand to it, as I'm planning on having a livebearer tank of Endlers and neocardina shrimp. To cap it, I have in some Black Diamond that still needs washing. To say that I cannot wait to get started is putting it mildly. I'll let y'all know how it is coming. Take care, and cheers!
I prefer gravel (5mm) with an undergravel filter, 7cm deep. My plants are doing very well. My Amonia, Nitrite and Nitrate counts are now at zero. My system is working. My water is crystal clear.
![[LIVE] Why Angelfish Can Be So Hard To Keep! Plus A Fish Q&A!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4pzTR5u-Kuw/mqdefault.jpg)
I place about 2 inches of course gravel and cap it off with pool filter sand. I have a large number of corydoras, and they prefer a sandy substrate. My rooted plants do very well in this substrate.
Great vid as always...
I'm growing plants very well in a sand only substrate with the fish waste as the only means of a fert source. Val's and Elodia for the most part and a lovely Amazon Sword Ruben's which is showing great colours.
It would seem that some plants will thrive in just sand, and Val's is one of them. As long as your fish waste is getting deep enough into the substrate (I stir mine gently each two weeks before a water change). This ensures that I mix the waste into the sand deeply enough for the plants to feed from. The tank is about five months old and the plants are of good growth using this method.
There are many ways which we can assist with such plant health, and while I have not seen any vids suggesting my methods, it is working well for me.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the comment, sounds interesting.
This is a question like "What's the best car?" Answer: It depends. You have laid out the advantages and disadvantages of each. Traditionally, I used the usual aquarium gravel sold in stores. When I restarted in the hobby over two years ago, I at first went with white sand. I wanted to grow plants, and it wasn't the best substrate for plants, so I put it into a new 5-gallon tank. My golden Ancistrus loves it, and we enjoy watching him constantly rescape his tank. That tank will remain untouched as long as he's alive. I have Flourite Red in my show tank. I like it, and most plants seem to like it, but the rinsing and rinsing and rinsing was a pain. I am (finally) getting in my 75-gallon tank tomorrow, Saturday. I have all the ingredients for your soil recipe, but I'm gonna add some Seachem Aragonite "Pearl Beach" coarse sand to it, as I'm planning on having a livebearer tank of Endlers and neocardina shrimp. To cap it, I have in some Black Diamond that still needs washing. To say that I cannot wait to get started is putting it mildly. I'll let y'all know how it is coming. Take care, and cheers!
Enjoy the ride!
@@droeksonfishkeeping IT'S HERE!
Where do you buy the Flamingo rounded gravel? I haven't been able to find it online in South Africa. Do you know of any shops that stock it?
I prefer gravel (5mm) with an undergravel filter, 7cm deep. My plants are doing very well.
My Amonia, Nitrite and Nitrate counts are now at zero. My system is working. My water is crystal clear.
Had an undergravel filter too back in the day. Worked very well like many old school methods.