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F8 substrat!
Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:48 am
by Canjalaranja
Hello!
Recently I bought 2 F8 puffers, now they are in my 30 gl FW aquarium but i want to change them to my other 65 gl aquarium that is still empty. I have the filter, the heater, the air pump, lots of decor and the marine salt.
The only thing that is missing me is the substrat!
I know that the recomended PH to F8's is +/- 8 and i know that aragonite substrat is very good to mantain the ph in 8 , but i want to put plants too!
Is aragonite good for plants?
Can anyone tell me what is the best substrat for either rising the ph to 8 and fertilize the plants?
Another thing is how should i cycle my new tank? I have to cycle it in FW conditions and slowly aclimate it to BW? Or just turn directly the water in 1.005?
I am from portugal so i dont speak very well english so i apologize any orthographic error.
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:10 pm
by Pufferpunk
There really are not a whole lot of plants that will live in BW:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=14694
library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:25 pm
by Canjalaranja
Yes i know but is aragonite good for plants?
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:05 am
by Iliveinazoo
Canjalaranja wrote: ↑Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:25 pm
Yes i know but is aragonite good for plants?
Aragonite shouldn't affect specialist hard water plants, in fact hard water plants, like Vallis, may even use the carbonate released from it. As long as your water-change water isn't too acidic - which it shouldn't be if keeping Figure 8's - then the sand shouldn't dissolve very quickly at all and I would treat it like an inert substrate when preparing your plant fertiliser.
You could use a planted substrate capped by aragonite but the small size of it may result in the planting substrate rising to the top and the sand falling to the bottom which would render the buffering effect of the sand useless. You also don't need a planting substrate if you fertilise the water column more heavily and regularly.
The recommended substrate is aragonite but if you don't want to use it because you would like an 'aquasoil' or similar then you could decorate with calcium rich stone or place a mesh bag of crushed coral in a filter compartment. Just take note that many aquasoils have an acidic effect so you might want to cap it with a larger grained sand.
SG1.005@25DegC is quite a high salinity for most plants that are commonly available and you may struggle to keep them healthy, if you reduce to SG1.003@25DegC you will have more choice and a greater chance of success.
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 3:29 am
by Canjalaranja
Iliveinazoo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:05 am
Canjalaranja wrote: ↑Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:25 pm
Yes i know but is aragonite good for plants?
Aragonite shouldn't affect specialist hard water plants, in fact hard water plants, like Vallis, may even use the carbonate released from it. As long as your water-change water isn't too acidic - which it shouldn't be if keeping Figure 8's - then the sand shouldn't dissolve very quickly at all and I would treat it like an inert substrate when preparing your plant fertiliser.
You could use a planted substrate capped by aragonite but the small size of it may result in the planting substrate rising to the top and the sand falling to the bottom which would render the buffering effect of the sand useless. You also don't need a planting substrate if you fertilise the water column more heavily and regularly.
The recommended substrate is aragonite but if you don't want to use it because you would like an 'aquasoil' or similar then you could decorate with calcium rich stone or place a mesh bag of crushed coral in a filter compartment. Just take note that many aquasoils have an acidic effect so you might want to cap it with a larger grained sand.
SG1.005@25DegC is quite a high salinity for most plants that are commonly available and you may struggle to keep them healthy, if you reduce to SG1.003@25DegC you will have more choice and a greater chance of success.
Thanks! That is actualy very helpfull because i love the magmatic substrate but all of them lower the ph, do you think that adding crushed coral or calcium stones will hellp raising it to 8? Should i cap it with what type of sand?
Okok 1.003 SG tnx
Can u name some plants that support that salinity plz?
Tnx by the help!
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 9:43 am
by Pufferpunk
Scroll up, I posted a link for a thread & article on BW plants.
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:15 pm
by Canjalaranja
Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Fri Oct 12, 2018 9:43 am
Scroll up, I posted a link for a thread & article on BW plants.
Tnx !
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 7:22 pm
by Iliveinazoo
VAllis, bacopa monierri, crypt wendtii, sagittaria subulata, aponogeton crispus and Ceratopteris thalictroides have done well for me
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 10:54 am
by Canjalaranja
Iliveinazoo wrote: ↑Sat Oct 13, 2018 7:22 pm
VAllis, bacopa monierri, crypt wendtii, sagittaria subulata, aponogeton crispus and Ceratopteris thalictroides have done well for me
Tnx!
Can they chew and eat the plants?
Re: F8 substrat!
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 2:09 am
by Iliveinazoo
Mine never have, some say that theirs have put holes in Java Fern but the theory is that they think the spores on the underside are snails. Mine never touched my Java Ferns and i do have Java Fern it just doesn’t grow very well for me.