# Substrate Level - Under Substrate



## Bobtastic (24 Aug 2010)

Hi all, 

I'm looking to rescape my tank into a Iwagumi inspired layout, as I'm not having much success with my current lay out. 

I have been wondering it the depth of the tank has been a limiting factor... It is 100cm deep tank with 2x 39watt T5 lighting. I'm getting the feeling that the light isn't getting to the bottom of the tank at the right levels...

So! I was thinking of bedding the stones in play sand or pea grave (which I already have), then put the Malaya Aquasoil I have as substrate atm over the under substrate and around the planting areas. Is that feasible or will this cause me problems??

Are there things that I haven't thought about that might cause me unforseen problems from doing this?


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## Anonymous (24 Aug 2010)

Changing the lights to Metal Halide would be useful in your case.


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## ceg4048 (24 Aug 2010)

Bobtastic said:
			
		

> I have been wondering it the depth of the tank has been a limiting factor... It is 100cm deep tank with 2x 39watt T5 lighting. I'm getting the feeling that the light isn't getting to the bottom of the tank at the right levels...


Try doing a better job of CO2 flow/distribution first, and that feeling will probably go away.



			
				Bobtastic said:
			
		

> Are there things that I haven't thought about that might cause me unforseen problems from doing this?


Yes, there are. Why does everyone automatically assume that when they have a problem growing plants, the answer must be because they don't have enough light? The problems with deep tanks really have nothing to do with light. The problems have much more to do with hydrodynamic stagnation, i.e. poor flow and distribution at the lower reaches of the water column.

You didn't really say what problems you were having so it's a bit of an assumption to determine what fix should be implemented really. I just know that most of the time, when folks think they have a light problem then they usually create more problems than they had before by doing these gymnastics, because they rarely address the root cause of the problem. 95% of the time the issues are caused by poor CO2, flow/distribution.



			
				clonitza said:
			
		

> Changing the lights to Metal Halide would be useful in your case.


Yeah, sure, and it could just as easily be an expensive disaster in this case as well if the root cause of the difficulties has nothing to do with light. It's probably more prudent to have the OP describe these problems in greater detail before suggesting the addition of more light.  

Cheers,


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## Bobtastic (24 Aug 2010)

I didn't what to increase the lighting as such, just ensure that the light that I had would get to the right places.

In the history of the tank I have a Fluval 405 with a AM 1000 Co2 Reactor attached to a 3kg cylinder with a solenoid on a timer that is currently coming through a spray bar. I have a Hador Korillia 2 and a Maxi-Jet power head at either end of the tank, one upper and one lower. I think that the main hindrance to the flow is the dirty great big piece of wood in the corner of the tank (see journal link in my sig)!   

I understand what you're saying ceg4048.


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## Anonymous (24 Aug 2010)

Ceg you are totally right.



> It is 100cm deep tank



Now I see in the journal:



> Planted Tank Journal (240l) .... The dimensions of the tank are 100(w) x 140(h) x 42cm



Erm .. Bobtastic can you post again the tank dimensions? I'm really confused ...


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## Bobtastic (24 Aug 2010)

Lol, yus... I can see where you're confused! I think it was a typo switch the w and the h. I'll have to wait till I get home to remeasure as the website that I got the tank from is... undergoing maintenance... Think it's clear from the images that the tank isn't taller than it is wide, but not by much!


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## Bobtastic (24 Aug 2010)

Well, as I am planning to remove the afore mention "dirty great big piece of wood" and thus improving the general flow around the tank. Would using some form of under substrate to bed in the stones cause me any future problems? I get that it's not required to alter the light strength(?), but I don't really want to buy any more aqua soil if I can avoid it. Especially just to shove a rock in it!


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## Bobtastic (24 Aug 2010)

Well the tank dimension are 100 (w) x 60 (h) x 40 (d) cm.


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