Top 5 Substrates for Planted Tanks and 1 you should avoid
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- Опубліковано 16 кві 2021
- Walk through the pros and cons of Carib Sea Eco- complete, regular gravel, ADA Amazonia version II, Fluval Stratum and sand. My recommendations for substrate if you are a beginner to planted tanks versus more patient/experienced hobbyist.
This is one of the most honest reviews 👌👌 I have seen out of my 1000+ hours of watching aquascape videos. Real facts have been explained here and not just the basic principle of using Aqua Gravel + Amazonia V2 + Power Sand for every setup.
This is one expensive video, deserve more appreciation.
Awesome video! Really clears things up!
Thank you so much for watching and so glad you liked it!
Very good information. Thanks.
Fluval stratum in my experience doesnt leach ammonia, if anything its so little that my tests doesnt show it.
Hi, when first setting up a planted tank do I have to condition the water every time since the first few weeks require a lot of water changes or is it okay without it? This is before introducing fish obviously, thanks.
Thank you for this info!
Setting up a tank with aquasoil if you can get filter media from another tank it will definitely speed up your cycle process
Helpful, thank you.
You ever use crushed coral as a base for the soils to bring the ph up naturally?.
The back of 'eco complete" whish reads on bag as eco planted says on the back that it raises ph.
I want to use a mix of fluval and gravel. My ph of tap water is about 7.5
Will it be suitable for guppies & cherry shrimp
HI thanks for your vedio I have a question please I am going to plant a 300 L aquarium 120×50×50
I want to do easy to medium planting ( heavy plant) I have on hand now inleart substrate is called dennerle depo mix 10 in 1
And I have gravel .
I am thinking to buy 1 active soil ADA mix it with the 10 in 1 substrate and on to I will put some gravel
Is that ok about ammonia I do have filters and will deal with it.
Thanks
Great info, thanks!
Thank you Chris
What's the best on to put under unipac sand what won't really mess up my ph was look at tropica substrate
so... if i only have gravel but want to add fluval stratum... and 8 fish... I can't... ? or can i add it slowly over time?
My corydora catfish did end up losing their barbs with the eco complete sadly, will be moving them to sand soon. Other than that, it was GREAT for my plants!
Capping commercial nutrient based substrates with 2" of sand works wonderfully.
@@FatherFish it does! Had my second tank set up like that with no troubles
Thank you very much.
My tap is at 7 and eco complete raised it to 7.6 max. Doesn't give me issues though. I also have seryiu stone and I heard that might raise it a little bit also. So I don't know how much eco actually raised it.
Hard to say. Cap the eco complete with 2" of sand to stop eco nutrients from entering the water column.
Seiryu stone actually raises pH quite a bit if it wasn't acid washed so that might be what happened :o
Fluval /akadama- best for shrimps
Ada- overated soil
It may sadly be overrated, but it IS Very Good soil that lasts a long time. 😉 But yeah... It's expensive! 😳
Have you heard of or tried the dark start method of tank cycling? What are your thoughts on it?
If your goal is to grow plants than you would ideally plant them and let them benefit from the ammonia releasing stage so light would be necessary. So the dark start method mainly depends on your goals and vision for the tank
I have never done a dark start, primarily because I use plants from day 1.
I think it's extremely useful when avoiding any initial nutrient surge ! Why make it any harder than it has to be ? 🤷🏼♂️
Do a water change and add the plants when the smoke clears. 😉
Do you think the aqua soils like fluval stratum is bad for loaches and bottom dwellers that might break the soil?
Never had a single problem in over 20 years. 🤷🏼♂️
informative, thanks
I used stratum with a fish in cycle, plants, and used prime and stability, within three weeks I’m at 0/0/0ppm readings on my test kit. Which is weird because I’ve heard that substrate causes a ammonia spike but it was never an issue for me
I always used fish in cycle with stratum also. Never a problem. I always use filter media from my other tanks which speeds things along fast.
Not all substrates leach ammonia
Fluval doesn’t leach. Negative point is that it doesn’t have plant feeding.
@@Howitzer09global stratum does have plant feeding. It is full of nutrients like Ada aqua soil. Amazonia and fluval is almost the exact same thing.
Thank you!!!
People keep saying eco complete is inert but cribsea lists eco complete as basaltic volcanic soil. So how is it inert?
I loved stratum until just months after having it its turned into powder and it's a filthy mess. Trying UNS and Tropica now.
Howd it go?
Is this better with dirty under the fluval???
Hi! I already have some substrate- white sand (sansibar), and 2kgs of aquarium gravel (I'm planning on having a low light low tech tank. It's 16 gallons / 65 litres). Can I plant some low-light plants directly in the sand? There isn't enough gravel to cover the tank. Thank you!
Yes, you can plant into the sand for sure. Depending on the plants, you might need root tabs. Anubias do better attached to wood, and crypts would need root tabs.
fluval stratum is very light. every time i plant, it will float up. i don't have much budget to increase the thickness of fluval soil. can i put thin layer of small gravel (5mm) on top of the soil?
Yes u can, I also don't like how stratum with no cap and gets my water black
Can you mix some of the substrates instead of just layering then add a cap on top?
Probably ? 🤔 Some of it's going to mix together over time anyway. 😉
I'm wondering if I could use Fluval Stratum as a base and gravel on top to help prevent to much stirring of the lighter Stratum.
SAND on top, not gravel. 2"
@@FatherFish merry 🎄 father fish
@@FatherFish sand will go to the base since finer you have cap with a substrate than bulkier
@@jaydenrussell7491 Only if the substrate is disturbed. If you will not mix it up sand will stay on top even if very fine. I know. I do it always
I'm doing that in a few days probably. If I don't change my mind and just use dirt
Is controsoil good?
Amazonia is hell expensive, especially for someone doing a larger tank. What's you opinion of doing amazonia as a base layer and black flourite on top?
Root tabs
You can put crushed lava stones in mesh aquarium bags as a base layer and then pour Amazonia or whatever on top
@@mikeyeung7412 it also helps with biological bacteria alot good response
Indonesian mini pumice works great too, it's heavier than washed pumice so most of it will sink, it's lighter and softer than lava rocks so the plants would be more happy, and it's generally a better filter media than lava rock.
I'm doing a mix of crushed lava rocks with a kilo of ada powesand under it, spead evenly.
Best both both worlds. Ha ha
It is okay if i make a fluval soil as a base layer and amazonia 2 on top.!! Are they not good option for my tank..?
Should work fine ! 😉👍
followed just to listen to your voice. but a very good vid learnt a lot
My ph is around 7.8 and water is hard around like 8. Planning to use 2 17lb bags of Stratum as a base layer with sand on top. A 125 Gallon Tank. Housing Bichirs and Angel's. How strongly does it affect the ph?
It will lower it neutral to 6.8. Should be perfect for the ph you have. My tap ph is 8 so the stratum brings it down to around 7
@@John_Williams421 decided against using it. Since it needs to be replaced after about 2 year's. Taking down my 125 just to do that would be something 😬
What about going with plain o'l soil, like a bag of organic soil from Walmart?
That's a bit of a stretch, but you should be able to find Pond Soil at your local garden center rather inexpensively. 😉👍 A bit of sand and gravel on top and Y'er good to go.
Eco Complete may definitely raise your pH, and this is know from the manufacturer. Depends on the batch you get. Mine jumped from 7.2 at the tap, measuring 8.2 in the tank
Yeap
Me too even water changes with ro water didn’t effect it had to reset my whole tank with some sand on bottom and samurai soil on top
Within a couple hours the samurai soil dropped ph to 8.0 in the tank
Had to acclimate the fish like if it was a new tank it amazed me with how fast it buffered .2 PH when even a 7.2 ph water change wouldn’t effect it
New sub , great information & I really appreciate that you offer your advise because you are interested in helping others w/ what has worked for your planed tanks , as you stated🌿💚
Hope to see many more fish , aquascaping & aquatic plant videos in the future 🐌 I also have been very pleased w / a base layer of lava especially piled up in back , then Eco & Seachem black sand & it does grow lush plants. Hated how messy & too delicate Fluval Stratum was 💩 Hey Father Fish sends his love 🐟🌎
Hey Stein. L:ots of ways set up a tank. Some work better than others. I have never failed with a deep sand substrate covering a 1" layer of soil.
i wish i had found this like a month ago lol, made so many mistakes im still trying to fix
Well thanks so much for watching, and I wish you the best of luck - it’s all good experiences and learning!
Me too bro haha me too
Which one should be avoided?
Eco Complete... 😝
So if I put half eco planted and half fluval, my ph will be ok?
Just from my experience, my pH hasn’t changed with ecocomplete, but there are several folks who have. Fluval stratum will lower your pH, it’s intended to do that. My advice is to simulate your tank, by putting half/half at similar depth as you would put in your tank into a bucket of water, run an air stone and testing what happens. It will save you a lot of heartbreak in the future if things don’t work out the way you want them to be.
@@naomiwaters thank you so much I will follow your advice ❤❤❤🇬🇷
Floval stratum dropped my ph to 5.5 for some reason
Yes, it’s supposed to lower your pH, but obviously depends what you are starting with. Hopefully it didn’t drop your pH too much than what you expected. What is the pH of your tap water?
You sound like you're from 3 different countries with that accent lol. Great video
I'm gonna go with the eco complete I'm kind of impatient..haha
"Patience" is the Primary Key to success with planted aquariums !
Never "React" to problems... Think your way through the process slowly and deliberately. 😌
Uns controsoil is good
I’m trying this for the first time in a new tank - but I wish I had chosen a finer grain one - I got the Normal 5mm size, but found it difficult to plant into
Garden soil capped with sand is still king.
Sand is categorically the best possible substrate material. It is precisely what aquatic plants are growing in in nature.
Agreed in nature, my experience has been though you must have a substrate underneath the sand to be successful, otherwise compaction and aeration of roots is a real problem. So my point was that you must have something under there for nutrients and aeration, I’ve only seen unhappy results with just sand. Just sharing my experiences, others may be different.
@@FatherFish very deep sand is the huge deal with that statement.
Haha sand is the best substrate for a planted tank… LOL hilarious 😂 The only people that make that claim are the ones that haven’t used anything else.
@@plantsandfish5512 After trying every other possible substrate over a period of 50 years I can categorically say that sand is the most common and most effective material for growing all manner of plants. Adding nutrients by creating a dirt layer under the sand creates a substrate that will grow plants and remove nutrients from the water column for as long as the tank remains established. Clearly you have not tried this system.
@@jhansen6180 Yes it is.
This is why I want to release my betta back into the wild, the price of baked pebbled dirt is killing me and I've not shopped for plants yet 🤣
You've got the most confusing accent I've ever experienced.
Haha - I’ve lived in many different countries that’s why 😀 hopefully still understandable and not annoying tho
@@naomiwaters - Lol. No... Not annoying. Just couldn't tell from sentence to sentence if you were British or American.
All good then - some South African in there too 😀
Sand is absolutely fine. Especially as a cap.
Very helpful, thanks.
So glad it’s helpful! Good luck with your tank!