Peat under the substrate

[naps]

So I am thinking about doing a new 55g planted tank and it'll have to be a cheap one, so I will be using pool filter sand most likely and I was thinking about using a layer of peat under the sand for the plants. Does anyone have any experience with this. Good/bad, pros/cons...

Any info would be great or other good/cheap planted tank substrate. Thanks!!

[PhishPhreek]

Years ago I used peat, covered with newspaper covered with sandblast sand.
worked great for about a year and then I had to tear it all down, don't remember why.....

[wesleydnunder]

Naps, when I lived in Japan, the first planted tank I was taught to build used peat and laterite under coarse sand substrate. It worked out well. Once the plants root though, if you move them it pulls the peat up with the roots.

Mark

[naps]

Naps, when I lived in Japan, the first planted tank I was taught to build used peat and laterite under coarse sand substrate. It worked out well. Once the plants root though, if you move them it pulls the peat up with the roots.

Mark

I was hoping that you would chime in here Mark...It was your tank that I saw that had the sand and then the peat on the bottom.

Would it be better if I just used a thin layer of Flourite insted of the peat ( I know that this isn't the cheapest)...I want to have a smooth top layer so that I can have Cory cats in this tank. Or are their good cheap and smooth substrates for the planted tank that I do not know of??

Thanks again for the info

[fishboyt]

I think there is flourite sand.

[wesleydnunder]

I was hoping that you would chime in here Mark...It was your tank that I saw that had the sand and then the peat on the bottom.

Would it be better if I just used a thin layer of Flourite insted of the peat ( I know that this isn't the cheapest)...I want to have a smooth top layer so that I can have Cory cats in this tank. Or are their good cheap and smooth substrates for the planted tank that I do not know of??

Thanks again for the info

You're very welcome. I think peat and some laterite would work well for you, topped with an inch or two of sand. It would be relatively inexpensive for you and will grow many plants well. Hopefully Navarro will contribute to your thread. He has tons of insight into making fertile substrates. There are lots of expensive ways to go; ADA, eco, onyx, all at a higher cost than you want to incur, I think. Fluorite and SMS are good at transporting nutrients to the roots but I don't think either are necessary for you. I've got about 4 gallons (4/5 of a five-gallon bucket) of fluorite you can have if you want to use it.

Mark

[JStrider]

you could try mineralized top soil.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/library/52554-how-mineralized-soil-substrate-aaron-talbot.html

[naps]

Thanks for the input so far guys!! Keep it coming!!

Mark I may take you up on that, will let you know later down the road. Just trying to plan/cost things out right now. I don't even have a tank yet, just the 55g stand.

Thanks again everyone!!

[kwc1974]

I tried peat years ago, worked great and the plants flourished. Then the anarobic conditions began. The smell was bad. THe combo of fine sand and peat made for a hot bed for anarobic bacteria. It would contantly release large gas bubbles into the tank.

Some people still like this method, but I will never go back, there are too many comercialy solutions availible today.

[naps]

I tried peat years ago, worked great and the plants flourished. Then the anarobic conditions began. The smell was bad. THe combo of fine sand and peat made for a hot bed for anarobic bacteria. It would contantly release large gas bubbles into the tank.

Some people still like this method, but I will never go back, there are too many comercialy solutions availible today.

So what cheap "comercialy solutions availible" are you talking about?? I don't want to use Flourite because I want to have cory cats in this tank, or I guess that I could use Flourite sand...

So what options do you recomend then??? Thanks!

[grillmasterp]

Soilmaster select is pretty affordable

[kwc1974]

I currently prefer ADA amazonia, not cheap I know but pound for pound not that expensive. Most people will cap off the Amazonia with the powder type to have the smaller grain size.

I have also used Flourish in the past with good results, you can do the same thing with Flourish sand.

It is all a matter of preferance, what I did back then may have been the type of peat I used, how much I used or any number of factors. Once I started using comercial brands then price was less of a factor over the thought of tearing down a tank due to the peat going bad on me.

[wesleydnunder]

Soilmaster select is pretty affordable

I've used SMS in two tanks. The plants grow well, but initially I found the SMS very light and had trouble holding down larger plants unless the SMS was layed in pretty deep, 3" or so. Also, after several months it got soft/muddy. You're right about the affordability. It was around $20, I think, for enough to plant a 75 and a 20H.

Mark

[kwc1974]

I've used SMS in two tanks. The plants grow well, but initially I found the SMS very light and had trouble holding down larger plants unless the SMS was layed in pretty deep, 3" or so. Also, after several months it got soft/muddy. You're right about the affordability. It was around $20, I think, for enough to plant a 75 and a 20H.

Mark

Never used SMS but have heard similar stories +1

[naps]

So would it be a good idea to just use something like Flourite as my bottom layer ( i am looking at a 55g) and then just layer the Pool Filter Sand on the top? That shouldn't be too expensive...but do you think that the Flourite will migrate to the top? I don't want it to cut the cory cats.
Thanks.