Help with substrate

[Furgan]

I have a discus tank that I’m converting into a low maintance tank, last few discus waiting to be re homed.

Reason why is I have started a nursing degree and struggling to be able to keep up with the demands of discus keeping ie heavy feeding and regular water changes.

I have a 200 litre cube tank with corydoras sterbai that I’m looking to keep along with some bristlnose plecs (might keep). I’m looking to add possibly green neon tetras and some neo shrimp (possibly yellow).

Currently I have sand and a whopping big bit of spider wood. I’m going to be adding a load of rocks covered in moss, and the bog wood will be covered in susswasatang on the branches with anubias at the base. I’m looking add further plants as well in the substrate at the back maybe val or something nicer looking and hopefully some staurogyne repens as a carpet.

I might go co2 after selling the discus this will be in budget.

Now the question, I’m looking for a substrate, I think black that will be good for the plants, I’m not to bothered about active to reduce the ph as our tap water here is, ph 6.5. What I’m worried about is I hear some active soils do ammonia spikes and if I have fish in the tank this won’t be good. I have heard about keeping it in buckets for a month for the soil to go through this but not sure if it works.

I have no issues with neutral substrate as I also don’t want to be changing the gravel in a year because it’s stopped working (back to too busy). Pref I would like something that would also be ok for the Corys (but not sand).

One of my LFS recommended tropicas aquarium soil powder they do a finer grain which might be better for the corys.

Any advise will be greatly appreciated

 

[roadmaster]

Well,how large are the Discus?
At eight month's ,the fishes will be about as big as they are gonna get and feeding's and subsequent water changes can be scaled back.(once a day feedings, and once a week water changes).
I think you will miss the Discus.

 

[Furgan]

I prob will, I have sold half of them already. I can always go back to them in a few years once uni is finished. I think I will enjoy a pretty aquascaped tank though as I’ve never gone all in. I do have a 50l Dennerle tank in the kitchen Scaped and it is lovely.

 

[Chubbs]

You might want a substrate with some nutrient content in it (I.e not sand) as you might be so busy at uni you’ll forget to fertilise. I’ve currently got Fluval Stratum in my tank, it’s almost black in colour. Very tiny ammonia spike, I was adding it to a cycled tank though, I added the fish back instantly and all has been well. I did two small water changes in the first week and by the second week ammonia was back at reading zero. It is more expensive than others. I paid about £40 per 8kg bag and needed 4 of them. it will also buffer your PH, which you might not want.
It’s a peat based soil, pellet form. Not that dissimilar to ADA soil. I love it, I’ve also had Seachems fluorite black sand and fluorite clay gravel. Both compacted quickly, stunting plant growth and making it a nightmare to maintain. But the black sand was beautiful.

 

[Furgan]

I’ll look at the stratum, it’s all so confusing with all these different products at say they do different things. I’m also thinking about some peat or actual soil underneath as well, was wondering if this would be beneficial and also save a bit of money

 

[Edvet]

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

 

[Chubbs]

I’ll look at the stratum, it’s all so confusing with all these different products at say they do different things. I’m also thinking about some peat or actual soil underneath as well, was wondering if this would be beneficial and also save a bit of money

I found the same experience, hence why I went through a couple options first. For my needs it’s a great substrate. If you do get it, DONT wash it first, just place it straight in the tank, plant and fill. I did this and my tank was crystal clear within an hour, with no neee for anything special added to the filter.

It’s a very light substrate and found my HC carpet floated quite easily during the first couple of days but now that it’s settled it’s fine.

 

[Chris25]

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

I've just followed this using the Irish moss peat and aquatic soil capped with sand. Did it on a 5x2x2ft tank and it cost less than £30. Did a fish-less cycle with it, did have an outbreak of algae initially during the cycling but did a big clear out and now it's been fine. No Co2 and slowly building up the macro/micro nutrients to a suitable level.