# Substrate help? New substrate? Need quick advice!



## DanTheGuppyMan (Dec 31, 2012)

Hi everyone! I just joined here-i actually have a main account on AquariumAdvice but im asking this on as many planted tank forums i can. I have a planted 60g angelfish tank that has been planted and running smoothly since the first of December and its doing great. I really wanted to make an HC carpet, I have all the correct things to grow it (Very hight light, etc.) I am using Fluval Stratum (worst mistake I made in 2012 probably) and I was researching HC and people said it will not grow well in the stratum, because its so light (the substrate) and it can't hold it down. I already knew this, but people said once it makes the carpet if you touch it or a fish touches it, it just floats up chunk by chunk which got me concerned. Could I too off my stratum with a nice thick bed of Eco-Complete and plant the HC in that? I don't want to rip apart my tank and change the whole substrate but I really want to grow HC, but I sadly don't think I will be able to with my substrate so do you think topping it off would work? Or what is a different carpet plant that is compact like HC but is not as light and can root well in the stratum? I already have DHG and dwarf sag so I don't want any of those, and I want to stray from the "needle leaf" look that dwarf sag portrays as well as the dwarf hair grass, and I want something with bigger rounder leaves like S. repens or something. Any ideas?
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60 gallon FW Angelfish Tank- Planted http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...nk-235985.html
5.5 gallon FW Invert Tank- Planted
8 gallon nano SW Reef & 10 gallon Tropical Tank-Planted


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

I've hc in fluval stratum shrimp (small grains) and no problem. I don't have any fish that may uproot it though so it depends on you fauna. Just keep the CO2 high and it will root quite good and carpet in no time, if it start like it will take of, maybe you can put very small pebbles on it...


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## thefishguy (Mar 4, 2013)

if you keep disturbing it yea the gains "weight" wont hold them down. but alone the roots should grow long enough for anhcorage


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