# New substrate for 50g - advice please



## ChilliPepper (29 Apr 2011)

Just used the calculator and think I need 20l of substrate for my 190l 50g tank (100 x 40 x 55cm).

I would like to get some sort of fertiliser for my plants, but cannot use gravel on top as I have Cories and Khuli loaches who need sand.

I was thinking of getting some more silver sand or something, and having a layer under it of a plant fertiliser. Possibly Tetra Plant Complete Substrate, although it says to use it with pea gravel. Or Fluval Plant Stratum or CaribSea Eco Complete Planting Substrate, but I don't really want to spend that much.

Has anyone got any ideas? Or would the sand on its own, plus root tabs (recommendations please!) plus EasyLife Profito be sufficient?

I don't think I can afford Co2 for my size tank, the cheapest I can find seems to only do up to about 150l, and we haven't got time to be DIY'ing. 

The plants, if it makes any difference, will be:

2 x Anubias Nana on wood
1 x Aponogeton Boivinianus Bulb
1 x Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green
1 x Cryptocoryne Nevellii
1 x Echinodorus Parviflorus
2 x Cryptocoryne Wendtii Brown
1 x Nymphaea Tiger Lotus Red 

Thank you!


----------



## Tom (29 Apr 2011)

You might be better off with plain old aquatic potting soil. I've used it several times under silver sand for my low tech setups and it's worked brilliantly for up to 3 years (still good at this point). I had 3-4" soil and 1" sand. 

What lights do you have?


----------



## ChilliPepper (29 Apr 2011)

Thanks Tom, where could I get my hands on some of that?

Standard Aqua One T5 lights 2 x 39w.


----------



## JenCliBee (29 Apr 2011)

ChilliPepper said:
			
		

> Thanks Tom, where could I get my hands on some of that?
> 
> Standard Aqua One T5 lights 2 x 39w.




Most garden centres will sell it


----------



## Tom (29 Apr 2011)

B&Q is probably your best bet as it's pretty cheap. I use their kiln dried sand too rather than silver sand as it's half the price than from our local builder's merchants, but as with all sand you need to rinse it thoroughly to get rid of the dust. 

Is there any way you can turn off one of the T5's? 2x39w might be quite a lot to run without CO2 (I found that on the Juwel 180l anyway), but you can only try it and see.


----------



## ChilliPepper (29 Apr 2011)

Thanks a lot. I suppose I'd have to remove all the fish to replace the substrate like this. Hmm. 

I can't turn off one of the lights unfortunately, they are operated by the same switch. 

How much roughly would CO2 cost me to set up and maintain on this tank?


----------



## Tom (29 Apr 2011)

Cheap CO2:
http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=266


----------



## ChilliPepper (29 Apr 2011)

Thanks, haven't got time to be doing any DIY at the moment though. Got a baby due in 4 days   

Any root tablet recommendations or would I be OK with just the Profito? I don't think any of the plants I have chosen are demanding, but please correct me if I am wrong  8)


----------



## Tom (29 Apr 2011)

Fire Extinguishers are only DIY in that you buy the cylinder, regulator and diffuser/tubing separately. If you can pick up something like a 2 or 5kg FE (Dan Crawford sold me mine a while back), then an 'UP' regulator with solenoid valve off eBay, some CO2 tubing and bubble counter/difffuser then you're set to go. Would probably be so much cheaper than a ready-made kit. Other than that, I used to have a JBL Pro3 CO2 kit with re-fillable 500g cylinders. They did 2kg ones too I think. 

If you use the soil you shouldn't need any root tabs, especially If you dose the water column too.


----------



## ChilliPepper (29 Apr 2011)

Thanks, what is the make of the soil? Sounds good stuff.


----------



## toadass (1 May 2011)

> If you use the soil you shouldn't need any root tabs, especially If you dose the water column too.



Tom are they just a waste of time in general or depending on various substrates?, eg would they be ok with ADA Amazonia? surely it wouldn't be a harm to put these in? Or at worst just do nothing?

Toad


----------

