Having kept mixed Mbuna in large unplanted tanks before I'm finding setting up my first planted tank has it's own set of issues and a very different set of considerations.
I don't really like the aesthetic of aqua soil and would like to have a nice natural sand at the bottom of my tank. The question is, what (if anything) should I put underneath?
Aquasoil? Compost? Aquasoil in mesh bags, or compost in mesh bags? Sand in foreground only with aquasoil covering the rest?
For aquasoil Tropica seems best for the budget and for compost John Innes no3 seems well recommended.
I like the idea of the mesh bag approach since it's easy to both add height and separate the substrate. Then I see people recommending crushed lava rock or gravel in the bags with aquasoil on top then finally capped by sand.
The more I read, the more indecisive I seem to become 🙃 I don't want to overcomplicate it all but as much as trial and error is great I'd like to get the initial set up done right and save myself a headache down the road once plants and fish have been added if possible.
So what would you recommend and why? What have you tried, and how did it work out? Pro tips welcome for someone who is admittedly prone to overthinking things 😄
If it helps the tank will be low tech (at least initially), I have TNC complete for water column ferts (since I saw numerous recommendations on here for it as an all in one) and a bag of 100 root tabs if needed.
Look forward to your input 😊
I don't really like the aesthetic of aqua soil and would like to have a nice natural sand at the bottom of my tank. The question is, what (if anything) should I put underneath?
Aquasoil? Compost? Aquasoil in mesh bags, or compost in mesh bags? Sand in foreground only with aquasoil covering the rest?
For aquasoil Tropica seems best for the budget and for compost John Innes no3 seems well recommended.
I like the idea of the mesh bag approach since it's easy to both add height and separate the substrate. Then I see people recommending crushed lava rock or gravel in the bags with aquasoil on top then finally capped by sand.
The more I read, the more indecisive I seem to become 🙃 I don't want to overcomplicate it all but as much as trial and error is great I'd like to get the initial set up done right and save myself a headache down the road once plants and fish have been added if possible.
So what would you recommend and why? What have you tried, and how did it work out? Pro tips welcome for someone who is admittedly prone to overthinking things 😄
If it helps the tank will be low tech (at least initially), I have TNC complete for water column ferts (since I saw numerous recommendations on here for it as an all in one) and a bag of 100 root tabs if needed.
Look forward to your input 😊
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