Buffering substrate

[M.Aurelias]

I gather it may be that the deeper the substrate the better, many moons ago this was the prescribed wisdom in marine aquariums with deep sand beds or similar, my memory fails me. Does the same apply with a shrimp only tank, I currently have about 5cm deep of black rounded stone with an average diameter of about 5-7mm in a tank which currently has CRS and a few copper harlequins and I was wondering if I go to shrimp only whether I could top up the substrate, or need to replace it entirely?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I gather it may be that the deeper the substrate the better, many moons ago this was the prescribed wisdom in marine aquariums with deep sand beds or similar, my memory fails me

You don't need a "deep sand bed" in freshwater tanks. The idea behind the marine "deep sand bed" is that the lower levels of the substrate are anaerobic (have a negative REDOX potential), and in this layer NO3 is reduced to N2 and out-gassed (2 NO3− + 10 e− + 12 H+ → N2 + 6 H2O).

We have plants to mop up NO3 (and NH3/NO2) and water changes are easier for us.

cheers Darrel