There are a wide variety of different substrates you can use in your aquarium. From being visually appealing colorful rocks to nutrient rich plant growing, how do you know which substrate is right for you.
This touches back to our last blog. Your plants. Are they plastic or the real thing? Aquariums with no natural plants don’t have a need for any extra nutrients, so tanks like this can have a huge variety in colorful gravel, eye catching decorations, etc. Also having a high amount of nutrients in the water with out and plants removing them, these conditions can cause algae to grow all over your aquarium.
On the other hand if your aquarium contains natural plants, you might have to do a further dive into the plants needs. Does the plant grow better in sand? Does the plant prefer clay? Is it a floating plant or a stem plant that gets its nutrients from the water column itself? Or does your plant get its nutrients through the substrate? How deep does the plant prefer the substrate to be? All these factors can have a huge impact on how well your plants grow.
You can find nutrient rich packed substrate online in box stores such as Fluval Stratum or Oase Scaper Soil but not all substrate for planted aquariums has to be as costly a some bigger brands. Play sand for sandboxes (yes, like a sandbox for kids) or pool filter are both cost effective alternatives that works great in aquariums. Sand can lack in nutrients though, so the addition of an aquarium safe fertilizer is a great option. (Such as Seachem Flourish Tabs or liquid fertilizers like the ones Aquarium Co-Op offers) Just remember, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Over fertilizing can accelerate algae growth in your aquarium (Although algae is not always a bad thing, but it is unprefered by most hobbyists) or worst case scenario, frying your entire aquarium. For anyone who is new to fertilizers, follow the instructions that come with whichever aquarium fertilizer you use. Fertilizers aren’t something you want to guess with, you could really destroy your entire population in your aquarium.
When it comes to having your plants thriving instead of surviving it’s important to look into individual plants needs and requirements before purchasing fertilizers.
Overall, when it comes to substrate in your aquarium, it’s really up to you and how you decorate your tank.
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