The Puffer Forum

Hey guys. I currently have a 75 gallon planted tank in which I have large shallow creek pebbles. My plants are doing O.K. but I would like to see more growth and more color from them. I have been considering switching out the substrate to either white, or black, sand or this Caribsea Eco-complete aquarium substrate. http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/p ... =529155651

Has anyone used this stuff or does anyone have any suggestions on some plant friendly substrates. Mbu friendly please .

It's not complete as it doesn't contain nitrate or phosphate. You don't need a nutrient rich substrate as plants will also take in nutrients via the water column so you could just dose a liquid fertiliser.

There are many substrates and some run out quicker than others, a good basic description can be found here:

http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=13801

but any planted tank forum will have a comparison thread in their substrate section.

There are many reasons that plants will not grow properly; they need NPK and trace element fertilisation, light (intensity varies due to species), CO2 and good water circulation.

Apologies, the above doesn't really answer your question but I've never used that brand of Eco-complete.

I swear by this company: http://www.yamatogreen.com. The guy's really friendly & gives great advice!

Basically, Iliveinazoo has it right in spades.There is no single miracle substrate - there are several very good commercial substrates, a few excellent ones, and as usual, some poor ones.

But planted tanks in FW are quite a bit like reef tanks in SW. They require knowledge and control. The best substrate in the world will do nothing for you if your lighting is bad or inappropriate. Good lighting will do nothing if your nutrients are not correct and in balance with each other and with the lighting, and is all are correct for the plants and fish included.

It sounds terribly complex because there are multiple factors, all of which must be in balance. In practice it can be easily done if you are the sort of hobbyist who can and will keep several things balanced all together in a tank. But changing one thing alone will not do the job you want. A better substrate (read as: smaller particle size and more appropriate for plants) and you have appropriate lighting (type and time), high water quality and appropriate levels of nutrients, including bio-available carbon.

There are a lot of plant forums which will give you details on handling, but we cannot offer much advice here without a lot more info on your tank and equipment and what you want to do. Planted tanks can be relatively easy and not very expensive, or can be high cost and delicate with every bit as much control and cost as a reef - but you have to have the appropriate materials for whatever level you want to operate.

ADA has some great substrates. Expensive though, but they leach ammonia into the tank for about a month so are great to cycle the tank also.

There are quite a number of ADA users in the local planted tank group. Many of them keep no fish in their tanks. I am not kidding you. They keep plant tanks.

I only do planted fish tanks. I do not do plant tanks.

^ i've seen a lot of plant tanks over here in Hong Kong, seems like the new big thing here now that the economy ain't as great and shops are selling ammano style setups right off the shelf...