# root feeders?



## kennyman (Oct 19, 2005)

I bought two bunches of crypts last week for a new tank. I think they are either pontederiifolia or beckettii. My question is will they do ok in 1" of Tahitian Moon Sand? I am using Kent Freshwater which is a kelp extract with K and Fe supplements. Can the Crypts feed out of the water column ok or do they need a substrate with better cation exchange capacity?


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## Capt. (Nov 24, 2004)

1" is very shallow for crypts I'd say. Usually I try to give them at least 2.5". 

If you provide enough nutrients in the water, especially the macros NPK, they should be fine I think. I pretty much always add Jobes fertilizer sticks around my root feeders though.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Crypts are heavy root feeders and usually do best if feed with root tabs. However, root feeders will intake nutrients through their leaves if they are supplied with enough ferts in the water column. But I don't think with only dosing Kent freshwater that they will.

It is best to have at least 2-3" of substrate. This will help hold the plants down and give the roots room to spread and grow.


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## kennyman (Oct 19, 2005)

Thanks for the advice 

I'll break open the piggy bank and pickup some Eco-complete to mix in with the black sand so I get more rooting space. I really like the Jobe's idea. I work at a garden centre so its not like I will have a hard time finding some laying around


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I've had some of the more common C. lueta in a low light setup with Tahitian Moon Sand substrate since February and they are doing fine with only water column ferts. You could aslo mix another substrate such as Eco Complete with the sand.

If you have a larger tank, you may want to look into some Soilmaster Select Charcoal (gray color but it is called Charcoal) or Turface Gray. They are both much cheaper than Eco and will do well when mixed with sand. 50lbs of the Soilmaster ran us $13 but we ordered in bulk. It may be a bit more expensive for a single bag, but nothing near the cost of Eco. There are some pics in the following link (and in the links in the thread) of both Soilmaster and Turface.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=10128

Soilmaster Select can be ordered from here: 
http://www.lesco.com/?PageID=87&Keyword=soilmaster%20select&Category=25&Group=045&Type=059&Form=1255

Make sure to get the charcoal color unless you want to have a red substrate


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