# substrate



## hedson_25 (Sep 20, 2005)

hello, i wanted some advise on substrates, i want to put 6 tanks of 90cm/3ft x 40/1.5ft. for selling plants, i want to put 5cm not fro growing them but for keeping they as they get sold.

what do you suggets would be the best option? 

silica?


----------



## marrow (Mar 4, 2007)

What sort of plants, what sort of money do you want to spend.. That would sort of determine the question. These are simply to hold plants not to grow them?


----------



## El Exorcisto (Aug 10, 2006)

marrow hit the nail on the head. If you are selling them and not growing, you want a substrate totally inert and fairly large in size so you can pull bunches without making a mess with soil, etc... If you are looking at growing commercially, you are looking mainly at something like plain old dirt, capped with sand to keep the mess down a little.


----------



## hedson_25 (Sep 20, 2005)

hi agan and thanks for the interest,
1. i want some tanks to hold the plants as they get sold.
2. and some thanks fro growing them,

i will order all sorts of plants from cryptos ,aponogetones, anubias to toninas and eriocauleones.

i got natural laterite, i went to the mountains down here in mexico by the pacific ocean abound the red soil where lots of vegetation grows like crazy, my fear is that it may alther the ph, and i also got some peat moss and over here there is many rivers where i could get some river sand.


----------



## El Exorcisto (Aug 10, 2006)

I would plant the plants you are selling in straight sand. It is dense enough to hold stems down well without beating them up like gravel. As to grow-out tanks, I am sold on a soil substrate capped with sand.


----------



## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

What ever you do, keep it simple. You'll want a durable substrate that won't cloud the water when disturbed since you're going to be adding/removing plants constantly. Eco-complete will gain nutrients and it has some decent CEC. Other substrates such as turface or even kitty litter also have a certain CEC to them.


----------

