# Is my substrate too deep?



## Marconis (Mar 17, 2011)

This is my second NPT. This is a 55g using MGOC and paver base. Adding all of it was a hassle; I accidentally added too much water to the soil at first, so I had to remove some. Once it was a thick mud I added on all of the paver base, and it was a really messy process. In some points I fear I may have added too much soil. What do you guys think? In the deepest parts, it goes a little over 3 inches. Is that too deep?



















Left side of the tank:



















Thanks everyone!


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## Crispino Ramos (Mar 21, 2008)

*My planted tanks' substrate is that deep. Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus, Barclaya, tall stem plants, bulbs, rhizomes are deep rooted and will have enough room for their roots to find nutrients.*


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## Marconis (Mar 17, 2011)

Great. I haven't hit the substrate chapter yet of Ecology, and the book is at my parents house. I did some looking around and I noticed a lot of people keep their substrate very thin with the soil, so I was a little worried. In my 10g I have it pretty thin.

Thanks Crispino.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

as MY rule i do 1-2inches in front and try for 4-5inches in the back


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

I think davemonkey's 125 goes as deep as 4.5 - 5 inches in the back and he has no problems. The key, as Crispino mentions, is having large rooted plants in the deeper areas.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Yep, the depth you have is fine. The ONLY thing I would be concerned with (which I experience in my tank) is that if you try to use tiny foreground plants (shallow rooted) and the substrate in the foreground is over 2" deep, you might get some cyanobacteria or some algae in the front portion of your tank during the first few months of the set-up.

My tank's substrate right now is at least 2.5 - 4.5 inches (possibly deeper) with the actual soil layer being about 1.5" all around. The swords and crypts LOVE it.


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## Margit (Feb 11, 2011)

Hi,

the depth of the soil layer is really less important than the plants you put in it. If your soil layer is deep, you needs plants with strong and expansive root systems, that can reach all the way down...

In the swamp section of my tank, the soil is 25 cm deep (about 10 inches), but I planted Cyperus with huge root balls.

Good luck.

Greetings from Nairobi

Margit


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## redchigh (Jul 10, 2010)

If you want to cut down on the risk further, you could start it as a terrarium for the first few weeks.. (Dry start method)

Plant crypts and Echinodorus, and they'll send their roots out before the soil has a chance to go anaerobic..


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## Marconis (Mar 17, 2011)

I'm actually going to redo it. I am not feeling too good about this Paver Base, as I am afraid it will get way too compact (based on what I've been reading). Now, though, I'm unsure of an alternative that is cheap like this.


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