# Crypts, Anubias and substrate



## Jaap (17 Nov 2015)

Hello

if creating a low tech with crypts, anubias, ferns and some easy stem plants, what substrate should I use?
Plain gravel or JBL Aquabasis topped with plain gravel? 

What I am trying to understand is that if certain plants that have roots into the substrate would benefit from the aquabasis or will it be the same to have plain gravel and add fertilizer through water column?

Thanks


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## Bacms (17 Nov 2015)

Ferns and anubias have to be attached to wood or rock so are perfectly happy with just ferts through the water column. Stem plants and specially crypts like enriched substrates but they aren't mandatory. You can also use a plain substrate and add root tabs


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## john dory (22 Nov 2015)

My crypts and swords do very well in plain sand


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## matt (22 Nov 2015)

Hi

The general consensus for running a long term low tech is to have an enriched substrate, a capped soil such as pond soil or even a compost such as John innes no 2
can be used and are very cheep.

Or you could use specialized aquarium substrates such as the JBL you mentioned, there are many others.

Caribsea Eco-Complete
Colombo Flora-Base
Seachem Flourite 
to name a few, these three I mention as they don't need to be capped BUT are very expensive compared to the soil/compost.

As others have said, yes you can use just a plain gravel and add root tabs and ferts but IMO your better off with an enriched substrate from the start in a low tech,
your plants will thank you for it.


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## matt (22 Nov 2015)

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-soil-substrate-or-dirted-planted-tank-a-how-to-guide.18943/

Good info on soil tanks.


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## Jaap (14 Jan 2016)

I have decided to use ADA Amazonia as part of the tank substrate. I know I should perform daily water changes for 2 weeks. Does this also apply if I am not adding CO2 (low tech)?

thanks


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## Bacms (14 Jan 2016)

The daily water changes are to reduce the ammonia levels on the water due to the ADA soil release. So yes it is still advisable to change water quite frequently until the ammonia peak has passed then you can start your normal water change routine


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## dw1305 (14 Jan 2016)

Hi all, 





matt said:


> The general consensus for running a long term low tech is to have an enriched substrate, a capped soil such as pond soil or even a compost such as John innes no 2


 It is probably better, but you can keep long term low tech. tanks with a 100% sand substrate, possibly because over time it accumulates dead roots etc and this humus gives it some CEC and fluctuating REDOX zones. 

cheers Darrel


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## faizal (15 Jan 2016)

Jaap said:


> I have decided to use ADA Amazonia as part of the tank substrate. I know I should perform daily water changes for 2 weeks. Does this also apply if I am not adding CO2 (low tech)?
> 
> thanks


Hi Jaap.....i am not sure its a good idea (so maybe someone else could confirm it for me) but i think you could just run the tank without water changes with no lights / plants / fish for about 2 weeks & this might help to cycle your tank (i.e. the ammonia released by the aquasoil). Without the presence of light / fishes i dont think the ammonia could cause any issues but one can take advantage of the excess NH4 released into the water by cycling the filter?


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## dw1305 (15 Jan 2016)

Hi all,





faizal said:


> (so maybe someone else could confirm it for me) but i think you could just run the tank without water changes with no lights / plants / fish for about 2 weeks & this might help to cycle your tank (i.e. the ammonia released by the aquasoil).


I'd plant it up straight away and keep on top of the water changes. All the recent evidence suggests that the nitrifying organisms (often <"Ammonia-oxidising Archaea") that occur in mature filters form a very different community from those that occur under high ammonia loadings.

The prime metric in biological filtration is really oxygen rather than ammonia, and as plants are net oxygen consumers and net ammonia users plants are a _win, win_ situation.

There is some more detail in this thread <"New High Tech...... ">.

cheers Darrel


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## BigTom (15 Jan 2016)

I think you mean net oxygen producers Darrel  

Posting from my mobile, please excuse brevity!


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## MirandaB (16 Jan 2016)

I'm a bit of a crypt addict and in my low tech tanks I find they do best in Eco Complete although I know a lot of people are not keen on that as a substrate


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## zozo (16 Jan 2016)

I'm currently growing a bunch of larger crypts in Fuji sand, base layer 0,5 mm / 20 mm toped with a fine grained Fuji sand 0,5 / 2mm caped again with a fine black HS aqua gravel. Added some HS aqua clay cones to it. After 4 weeks i wasn't kinda happy with the placement of 1 crypt and i tried to move it but it rooted itself that fermly, i couldn't get it out without disturbing to much so i left it. Tho it's a non co2 tank i'm not liberate to say it's low tech, cause i use a bit of daily easy carbo..

A great deal of the crypt parva i placed in the foreground in HS aqua nature gravel only (which looks kinda like a mix of fine silica and vulcanic gravel, but do not know) but it is also doing great. It's a nice gravel with a good weight to it, easy to plant in..


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