# lakebed sand witout undersubstrate fertilizer



## kenneth_kpe (Oct 1, 2005)

well im currently facing a dillema right now... I recently aquired a box full of riverbed black sand, really nice (got it from a friend who collected it from a lake 3 hours drive away and maybe an hours worth of hiking to collect it.. in other words its no that easy to get).

The question is this, I think the sand is nutrient-wise a bit low... and I really wanted to layer sera floredepot underneath it (or some other undersubstrate fertilizer) but! I am hestating because it will mix with the sand and I wont be able to use it again ! 

Do you think it is a big gamble to just dose via the water column ?

These are the plants the might go into the tank.
HC cuba
elatine triandra
Limnophilia aromatica
Some crypts maybe
Ludwigia inclinata var cuba and var non cuba(?)
stargrass

what do you guys think?

Lighting params (4X36 watt pl lighting, 35 gallon, pressurized co2)
this is what the sand looks like in the tank.


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## yildirim (Nov 25, 2004)

> Do you think it is a big gamble to just dose via the water column ?


This issue has been discussed in many threads. My vote will always go for high water column fertilization. Most of the plants will do fine this way. IMO substrate is mostly important for viewing pleasure. By the way sand is also much easy to plant. But when the height of the sand is too much (say more than 2-3 inches) anaerobic pockets are likely to happen and for this reason I suggest using of some plants with large root structures like echi.s, apon.s, crypts, lotus, etc. For these kind of plants you may also use some initial sticks under their roots besides water column fertilization.

By the way wood and that sand suits well and lots of plants will make a fine view.


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