# Planted tank with Sand substrate and question about CO2



## Elizabeth_Collins93 (Oct 18, 2014)

So I have had live plants within my tanks for quit some time and just recently bought a nice 75g that is going to be heavily planted. It has the day/night led light bar. I wanna know what are the pros and cons of using sand as the substrate. Also I'm interested to know if I absolutely need to have CO2 in my tank. I'm new to that part of live plants. I'm also curious to know if the CO2 liquids you but at your LPS can be used as a substitute instead of the high.tech CO2 systems. Please help me! Also one more thing before I forget, im thinking about getting a nice piece of drift wood to put in my tank. Would that be beneficial to the plants as a natural environment for.them to grow on and would it add anything in the water to give a more NATURAL feel for the fish? And if so where can I find it?my LPS doesn't have REAL drift wood. Thanks in advance!!


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

All good questions. First the co2? The light one is using will be what drives the need for co2 supplementation. What light do you have? Second, the liquid "co2" cannot replace actual co2 injection. Are you using any ferts? High light setups need co2 and fertilizers because the plants will consume all that is in the tank so quickly. Co2 will also lower your ph. Not necessarily a bad thing unless you overdose. 

Driftwood is usually a good addition to s planted aquarium. Some fish actually beep driftwood, like plecostomus. One place I know to order some is on this site in the for sale threads. I've also seen driftwood such as mopani for sale at petco. Some plants and mosses will attach themselves to driftwood. Most people boil there driftwood and soak it to get the natural tannins out. This is what turns the water brown. This can actually be beneficial to fish because that's how there natural environment is. Tannins will lower the ph naturally and make for softer water.


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## Elizabeth_Collins93 (Oct 18, 2014)

That's the thing I haven't gotten it set up yet . I know I hear a lot about CO2 being great and I've heard of home remedies. What would you recommend? So if I get a piece of drift wood, I need to boil it or no? Sorry I'm asking all these questions. I just want to make sure that I'm not throwing away money when I buy all this you know?


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## Elizabeth_Collins93 (Oct 18, 2014)

And as far as light goes it's a 48" LED day/night light bar by Marineland. That's all I know. Haven't really sat down and read what type it is yet. I'm at work AT


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## Elizabeth_Collins93 (Oct 18, 2014)

Also does anybody know anything about a dirt substrate? I've heard it's better for the plants and all but I need some serious opinions before I go out buying all sorts of gravel/sand


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

New here, but there are some good you tubes on dirted tanks. Organic soil mix with no additives with a cap of sand to keep silt in. Not all plants in tanks can have their roots in dirt. I am an orchid grower and the main reason for strata in my mind is simply to keep the roots locked down so the plants do not float away. Most orchids do not gain anything from strata except something to hang on to. One of the hardest lessons for orchid newbies is that dirt kills most orchids. The nutrients the plants need is in the water. That is the amonia, nitrates and so on. So you need to reserch what does better for particular plants, and not ask a generalized question about every plant. 

CO2 has been used for orchid propogation and growth as well. It certainly makes plants look good. They seem more vigerous. I am not sure about the consequences for the fish. I guess you have to choose to have a fish friendly, or plant friendly aquarium. 

The tannens in drift wood like mopani, and various leaves (leaves from nut trees if you can get them) are excellent for softening the water. This creates a habitat similar to what is natural for Amazon fish and Indian fish. You would need to read about the requirements of the fish you consider puting in your tank.

I think it is a good thing that the tannens turn the water slightly brown. Over a year or so the tannens in a piece of wood leach out on their own. The decision is whether you mind or not. A large chunk of mopani wood can be a bit expensive. I like to make little piles of it, so the fish have fun hiding and playing. There is no should. There is "do you want to?"


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

If you've already had live plants for some time, how are they doing for you? If you've had success, you can continue with the methods that have worked for you, just in a larger tank.

A lot depends on the type of plants you want to have. Some are rather easy to grow well with no CO2, using just sand or a special plant substrate, and low to medium lighting. Others are more difficult and really will only thrive with high light and CO2, like perhaps some of the carpeting plants. It will depend on how much time and effort you want to spend on your aquascape. 
I am certainly in awe of those who are able to design and maintain some of the more elaborate aquascapes with CO2, dirted tanks and high light.

For me, I'm lazy LOL. And my focus is really my fish. I do not want to bother with CO2 and getting it just right, and I think I would just make a mess with a dirted tank. I use Eco Complete plant substrate, I have both Satellite Plus and FugeRay LED's on different tanks, and I do use Flourish Excel as a CO2 substitute. I have some of the more easy to grow plants - crypts (love them), anubias, java fern, hygros, wisteria, and chain swords.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Alright, let's get started:


Elizabeth_Collins93 said:


> I wanna know what are the pros and cons of using sand as the substrate.


Sand is great for root propagation. It has a high CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity), but is relatively inert so it doesn't have a lot of nutritional value for plants. This is why most "Walstad" tanks use a layer of organic potting mix or mineralized topsoil under a cap of sand - the dirt adds nutrients, and the sand acts both as a good substrate for plant root systems and packs down to help prevent fertz from entering the water column.

If you use only sand, you will need to invest in some root fertilizer tablets for your stem plants such as crypts and swords.

Link for mineralized topsoil and Walstad tank design:
How-To: Mineralized Soil Substrate, by Aaron Talbot - Library - Aquatic Plant Central



Elizabeth_Collins93 said:


> Also I'm interested to know if I absolutely need to have CO2 in my tank. I'm new to that part of live plants. I'm also curious to know if the CO2 liquids you but at your LPS can be used as a substitute instead of the high.tech CO2 systems.


You do not ever NEED carbon dioxide, your plants will subsist just fine on CO2 diffused into the water through natural gas exchange. However, for tanks with high light and added fertilizer, injected CO2 is required to prevent algae buildups from the excess fertilizers in the water.

CO2 liquid supplements are simply gluteraldehyde, which is a substitute for CO2, but not an exact replacement. CO2 liquid supplements are great for zapping algae, and plants do benefit from them, but for a 75 gallon tank that is an expensive substitute (as are any liquid fertilizers you choose - try and go dry chemical if you're going to fertilize).

So yes, for your tank I think CO2 injection would help, but is not a pre-requisite. You could look into a DIY system using yeast fermentation to make CO2. You could even make some garbage can wine using your fermentation process, if you like alcoholic grape juice (just kidding). Seriously though, there are some people who drink the alcoholic solution they brew to generate CO2 for their tanks.

Link for DIY CO2:
DIY CO2 Made Easy - DIY Aquarium Projects - Aquatic Plant Central



Elizabeth_Collins93 said:


> Also one more thing before I forget, im thinking about getting a nice piece of drift wood to put in my tank. Would that be beneficial to the plants as a natural environment for.them to grow on and would it add anything in the water to give a more NATURAL feel for the fish? And if so where can I find it?


Driftwood is great for some plants like anubias and moss that actually dig their roots into the driftwood. It's also great for plecostimus fish to rasp on as part of their diet, as stated. Also, it does leech tannins into the water that color the water slightly yellow-brown and naturally lower the pH of your water.

Manzanita and Mopani are two common types of driftwood, and Cholla wood is great for shrimp as it provides some anti-fungal properties in its tannins. 

I know of a great Manzanita vendor at the following link:
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## discusbreeder (Oct 7, 2014)

I use a sand substrate but sand alone is not all that good. It lacks the electrolytes and minerals to keep plants completely healthy. Crypto "melt" is an example of an outwardly healthy plant that is not truly healthy. With proper electrolytes and minerals available in their substrate cryptos are much hardier, mine have never melted despite some poor experiences. Use laterite clay as a base strata for your plants and sand over it. This provides extra nutrition for the plants and keeps them healthier.


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