substrate help

[mike455555]

ok, its going to be a low tech tank ,which needs a long lasting substrate without extra dosing on a cheap scale, i was thinking of just using john innes no3 with a sand cap. its going to be a asian biotope

my question is mainly, is there a better option? iv read that others use john innes no3 with cat little on top, would this be caped with sand still? and whats the benefit of adding both

 

[kevin1962]

you wouldn't put sand on top of the litter because the litter would rise up thru the sand

 

[Alastair]

John innes with sand cap or capped with cat litter both work fine but no need to add sand to the cat litter

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[mike455555]

thanks, i'll just use a sand cap then, its only going to be for crypts mainly

 

[Henry]

I've always used B&Q's own brand compost. Best to sift through it and get the odd bit of wood out though.
B&Q Value Multipurpose Compost 10L, 0000003550823

 

[mike455555]

change of plan, or an idea, i have naturally hard water high pH water, would it be a good idea to use a peat substrate to lower the pH (chillis are found in peat bogs), if so which one, is irish peat moss a good choice? it says dont use with lime hating plants wouldn't lime raise my pH more?, any help would be great, also what about adding peat to my filter, how would i go about that? thanks in advance

 

[Henry]

I wouldn't worry a great deal about hardness and ph unless your water is virtually liquid rock. The best way to soften your water naturally would be to add some leaf litter. The tannins leached from them will stain the water slightly, but will also help to soften it and bring down the ph.
I've had good experience buying my leaves from here: blackwater breeding teabags, Ketapang betta fighter discus items in Amy's Ketapang Indian Almond Leaves Catappa store on eBay!
I went for the 'Grade D' leaves and couldn't be happier with my purchase.

 

[mike455555]

how long do the leaves last?

 

[Henry]

In the tank, they tend to take about a month before they get straggly and need replacing. You can pick the old bits out or leave them in, its up to you. An entire bag has lasted me a long time. The D grade leaves I mentioned are incredible value for money if you consider what shops sell them for.