# Flourite or tropica substrate



## David1970 (9 Sep 2021)

What substrate is everyone using? I have a 230ltr tank. I'm looking at tropica substrate or seachem flourite black, flourite is so expensive how do people use this under gravel where your plants are or full bottom of tank. Any advice on any other substrate I'm all ears as a total beginner in aquascaping


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## MichaelJ (9 Sep 2021)

David1970 said:


> What substrate is everyone using? I have a 230ltr tank. I'm looking at tropica substrate or seachem flourite black, flourite is so expensive how do people use this under gravel where your plants are or full bottom of tank. Any advice on any other substrate I'm all ears as a total beginner in aquascaping


@David1970  Are you planning to inject CO2 ?  if not, any decent inert gravel will do. I use Red Eco-Complete in both my low-tech tanks. Cheap, and plants are thriving just great. However, if your planning to inject CO2 investing in a more refined premium substrate that better holds on to nutrients is generally recommended given the much, much higher demand for nutrients in an injected tank. But you can do just fine either way.

Welcome to UKAPS! 

Cheers,
Michael


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## David1970 (9 Sep 2021)

Yeah planning co2 Michael, also looking to get plants organised want everything here before I start been a while since I've had a fresh water tank.


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## MichaelJ (9 Sep 2021)

David1970 said:


> Yeah planning co2 Michael, also looking to get plants organised want everything here before I start been a while since I've had a fresh water tank.


@David1970  Well, from what I can tell, you don't need a whole lot of the under gravel substrate (perhaps 1-2 cm) which you usually add a thick layer of gravel on top off.  Alternatively, you can also go with soil - such as Tropica soil. With that you don't need an under gravel layer. Expensive though. Besides this section, I would look around in the Planted tank gallery and Journals for inspiration (lots of top notch scapes there) - If you see something you like you can ask what it is, if it's not listed up. At the end of the day you wan't the gravel or soil to meet your aesthetic demands as well. It's one of the things you want to get right from the beginning for obvious reasons.

Cheers,
Michael


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## zozo (9 Sep 2021)

I'm using Flourite Red in one of my tanks, price-wise, fortunately, a very small tank... But I find it the most attractive and natural-looking substrate I ever used.

But I get it!? To fill up a 230 litre (100x50cm bottom?) would be quite an investment... Not really in my budget, but if so, I wouldn't think twice.


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