Planted substrate questions...

Hi all...as we all know too well, we always say "I want to keep to the basic stuff and not bother too much with getting too technical...just yet...I will leave it to the experts and keep to my no-maintenance plastic plants..."

And then the bug bites and you pick up some awesome looking plants at the LFS without thinking, and only after the initial impulse you actually, finally, start thinking...they don't look too happy with me, just being plonked down anywhere...they probably won't do well in plain PFS...they need stuff.....and off you go on a massive researching spree all over the forum to see what your options are.

Now...basically I have come to a few conclusions...and conclusions usually lead to more questions...and that is where I need help from people who actually know what they are doing. And being low budget, I am obviously going with a DIY substrate. So here goes...

1. Palm fibre or Coco fibre/coir? What is the difference? Can they both be used safely in a planted tank? I can easily find Coco fibre, but the Palm fibre I am not sure of.

2. Top soil? Do you need it if you are using one of the above mentioned in no.1? Or is top soil just better on it's own? I read that potting soil isn't great because it can build up gasses, etc. What if it is used as a mix with coco fibre or vermiculite? Would that make any positive difference? As I know potting soil is easier to source than top soil.

3. Peat/Peat moss? Which one is safer/better, and do you only use it with top soil or should it be added anyway if you decide to use palm fibre/coco fibre?

4. Vermiculite? Is it really safe and how well does it work? To be used with no. 1 or no. 2 or either one?

5. Nails...how safe is it really? I know it should be burried in the substrate and that it provides iron, but the safety/health issue with fish bothers me a bit.

6. Rabbit "pellets"...anyone got anything new to say about these DIY root tabs? So far it sounds fairly ok to me.


So I have been thinking that these are my basic options:

a) Coco fibre + Vermiculite AND/OR Top soil

b) Topsoil + Vermiculite AND/OR Peat

c) Just plain Top soil OR Coco fibre

All of the above would of course be supplimented with rabbit poo "pellets" and steel/iron nails and then capped with PFS, as well as dosing the water collumn regularly with something like Flourish.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

You can get palm fibre peat at most garden centres or nurseries. Comes in blocks, and you soak in water to reconstitute it. I have used it alone with a capping of river sand, with great success. That's over the period of a year..... Can't say what the longer term result will be.

 

Hi mate.
Check out this thread. Tank is still running strong.


DIY potting soil substrate for a planted tank

 

1. Coco fibre tends to be more coarse than palm fibre. Needs to be capped.
2. Top soil must first be mineralised to get all the fertilizer and unwanted chemicals out. Must be capped.
3. Peat moss is more dense than potting soil and doesn't have the unwanted little pieces of twigs and stuff. Makes a hell of a mess when disturbed if you add new plants. Must be capped
4.Nails must be rusted to release the Iron. Galvanized nails will take years before it'll help. To get rid of galvanizing, just drop the nails in some pool acid for a few minutes, rinse and add to tank. (watch the fumes as it is not good for you)
5. Been using rabbit dung for 3 years now, no complaints

 

Ok thanks for the replies everyone will see what I come up with eventually.