My planted substrates

[Dave66]

My Planted Tank substrates

I've been asked several times how I do my planted tank substrates, and it was suggested by a member I post it.

It's a mixture of various methods I gleaned from books and my own figuring. It is what has long worked for me. I'm not suggesting you try it, just posting how I do the substrates.
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1. First, on the bare bottom of the tank, I place a cable heater. The cable heater has been used in hydroponics a long time to keep the plant roots warm.

I place the heater, which is equipped with suction cups, into a repeating 'S' pattern, covering bottom of the tank.

It is there because heat rises, continually pulling Oxygen-rich tank water into the substrate, making it completely aerobic. That means the substrate nutrient levels stays high, to the benefit of the plants.

If you wish to try a heating cable, make sure the one you have has a digital or analog temperature controller. Otherwise your blow out an electrical outlet if you plug a cable heater directly into the wall socket. Don't ask how I know this.

Also, you'd need a regular heater for your tank. Cable heaters are fairly low wattage, and are incapable of being the sole heat source of your aquarium.

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1A. I place a thin layer of very dark, coarse sand, up to a half-way level of the cable heater. It's there to spread the heat evenly throughout the substrate.

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2. I sift plain top soil that has no modifiers of any kind in it, removing any twigs, bark, etc. I build a sloping mound of the soil; very narrow and almost absent at the front of the tank, higher in the back. I'll list why I slope my substrates at the end of this post.

It's there because aquatic plants grow basically in mud in nature.

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2A. I seal the soil with a layer of very dark sand, covering it totally. It's there to prevent a nutrient bloom resulting in algae, and a dirt bloom in your tank water.

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3. I follow with a sloping layer of laterite, and again very narrow at the front of the tank, higher at the back.

Laterite, the iron-rich mud from the banks of tropical rivers, mostly those in South America, is my secret for outstanding plant growth. I've been using it in my planted tank substrates for decades.

I use real laterite, which is very powdery, not the baked pelleted version sold commercially.

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3A. I seal the laterite with a layer of coarse, dark sand. Enough of it to completely cover the laterite.

This is essential. If you don't seal your laterite, your tank water will be pink until you purchase a diatom filter to clear it. Listen to the voice of experience on this.
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4. I cap it with whatever I have on hand, as long as it is fine grain. Some of my tanks have the original Eco-Complete, some very fine-grain gravel, one or two with the original Flourite on top. Then I start planting the aquatic plants I've selected.
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That's how I do my planted substrates. The cable heater, because heat rises, continually refreshes the substrate, maintaining its plant nutrient levels, and the soil and laterite feed the roots. Plants prefer warm root systems, and grow very well when they are. That, means plants grow like mad, and you'll be trimming every week to prevent your tank turning into a thick jungle without room for fishes to swim.

I should also mention my planted tanks are very high light and with pressurized full-auto Co2. So you could consider them high tech. I'm a savant in keeping all nutrient level (light, Co2, fertilizers) even and stable, so I've never had an algae problem with my planted substrates.

I don't know why it wouldn't work in a low-tech planted tank, so you might try it and see, and relate your experience.

I slope my substrates for several reasons, but two of them are: Fish feces and debris processed by copepods and other benthic life in your tank becomes light tan balls, rather like tumbleweeds, and migrate to the front of the tank for easy removal. Also, sloping the tank, and landscaping it in general, can make your tank look a lot larger front to back than it actually is.


Dave

[Strider199]

Thanks Dave66 for the how-to. An under substrate cable heater? I'll be looking that up for my planted shrimp tank, thanks.

Definitely sticky material.

[Dave66]

Hydor makes a cable heater as I described with a built-in temperature controller. The major online sources of aquarium merchandise stock it. You can find it here.

Dave

[Cliff]

Great write-up Dave

Stridder, the below website also carries a heating cable and a controller (separate items).

Just in case the other website will not ship into Canada

http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquar...810/index.html

[Strider199]

Thanks for the links guys.

The cost is really reasonable. I'll be checking out my local stores tomorrow and if that fails I have a plan B.

[smaug]

Dave you simply MUST post a pic of your planted tanks for us to see! I would truly love to see a pic of any of your tanks

[mikeDUDS]

Awesome write-up mate! I know you said you slope your substrate but what would you say the approx. depth of layers 2, 3 and 4 are? Do you use equal parts soil laterite and top layer?

[Dave66]

Awesome write-up mate! I know you said you slope your substrate but what would you say the approx. depth of layers 2, 3 and 4 are? Do you use equal parts soil laterite and top layer?

Save for the thin sand layer that helps spread the heat of the heater cable. I slope everything else. The depth of the soil varies depending on if the plants I selected have particularly deep root systems or not. Usually the soil depth ends up two or three inches top of the slope, thicker depending on my planned layout and selected plant species.

I usually end up with an inch to two inch layer of laterite, on average.

At the front of my tanks the depth of substrate is an inch to two inches, depending on the size of the tank. The substrate slopes up to about five inches. Sometimes the slope is steeper, depending on the layout, and aquarium size.

Dave

[vinodjbhatia]

Very good post.