mixing black diamond sand with flourite...

[genocidex]

So plants needing about 3" deep of substrate... Plant substrate is very expensive... Those are all facts. Ive read i can mix sand with the plant gravel to give me extra depth. I am hoping to get some cheaper substrate and mixing it with about 33% bds.... Ive read you can do 50/50 mixture without much difference. I will be root tabing. Any ideas if that set up would work with swords and or dwarf tears?

[Honey Badger 1]

You do know Flourite makes a black sand substrate? Sand and gravel will eventually separate, which may not be a bid deal aesthetically if they are both black. I have a 60/40 mix of a Flourite sand and a plain sand in my 120g and the plants did great until my jerk fish decided they wanted to live in a barren wasteland and destroyed all the plants.

[funkman262]

I have 80 lbs EcoComplete and 50 lbs Black Diamond Sand in my 90g tank. My amazon sword (along with everything else) has grown incredibly fast with this combo so I don't see any issue with mixing the BDS with another planted substrate.

[genocidex]

Tbh i like the look of the normak flourite with black eco complete so im hoping it will look similar. Im trying to keep costs down by staying with the normal flourite and mixing lol. Thanks for the input