Wookii
Member
Having had a number of issues with my current tank with the the particles from the nutrient rich bottom layer of my substrate migrating up through the silver sand to the surface, despite using a fairly fine plastic mesh, I am considering a more robust system from my next tank.
I plan to use solid shallow trays with a stainless steel mesh lid to keep the nutrient layer better locked in place. The question is, how fine can I go on the mesh whilst still allowing sufficient access to the plant roots? I am considering mesh that is around 1mm x 1mm holes, which should sufficiently retain the contents and prevent upward migration, but will this still allow roots to access the nutrient layer beneath? If it in some way prevents access to the roots, and uptake of the nutrients by the plants, it obviously destroys the objective of the nutrient layer.
I plan to use solid shallow trays with a stainless steel mesh lid to keep the nutrient layer better locked in place. The question is, how fine can I go on the mesh whilst still allowing sufficient access to the plant roots? I am considering mesh that is around 1mm x 1mm holes, which should sufficiently retain the contents and prevent upward migration, but will this still allow roots to access the nutrient layer beneath? If it in some way prevents access to the roots, and uptake of the nutrients by the plants, it obviously destroys the objective of the nutrient layer.