# Tell Me How To Set Up Your Substrate



## Do78521 (Dec 15, 2006)

I am planning to redo my 55g tank, currently I only have gravel, due to my unexperienced in this hobby. Now I want to take the whole tank down and redo the whole substrate. 
I need help on what are some of the important steps I should take and what are all the ingredients that can help my plants grow better (I am planning to grow ferns, anubias, some crypt and some kind of tall plants in the back like a valeneria (dont know how to spelled the word). 
Please tell me how would you do this and what would you place on the bottom to the top. I visited all the lfs over here and all they have ti ECO COMPLETE, is this a good products?

Tell me how you set up your substrates and if you can provide the store you got them from, THAT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Eco Complete is one of the best planted tank substrated available.
the Best is Aquasoil by ADA.
there are a number of products that go along with the ADA, there is powersand to use under it and many substrate fertilizers and bacteria cultures to add to this.
You can also use the Aquasoil alone, I have in a 20 long holding tank and it is working just fine.

the Eco complete is a stand alone product, it has water from the Amazon river and is cultured with bacteris (so they claim), but it works very well and IMO it is the most attractive substrate for the planted tank, that is without using decorative sand and such.

Aquasoil might be considered an advanced hobbyist's choice and might not be a good choice for a first tank. It has ammonia spikes for up to 3-4 weeks where you shouldn't add fish, among other things.

Eco could be used for the first set up, but if you want to go cheaper then you can use Soil Master Select (SMS) or schultz aquatic soil (available at Home Depot or most nurseries) which are considerably cheaper then any product packaged for specific use in the planted aquarium.
With these you can get some Peat Moss (about $3 for more then enough) and some Laterite (optional, adds iron, but the SMS or Schultz is Iron rich to start with). You should just barely cover the tank, OK to be able to see the tank bottom thru the moss, then put about 2.5 to 3-4 inches of the SMS or Schultz, sloping high in back down in front and you can make one side higher then the other, or make both sides higher and the center lower.

Of course thee are other substrates that are industry specific like Seachem's Flourite and Carib Sea's Flora Base, the Flourite is similar in composition to the SMS, just slightly different, but they both work well, the SMS comes in charcoal (most attractive IMO) and red clay (it is used for baseball pitching mounds) and the flourite comes in a dark red color and a more brick red color, not so attractive IMO, but many lilke it.

Hope this is enough to get you started and helps some.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Oh, if you want to get Eco Complete, the cheapest online with cheapest shipping will be either
Dr. Foster and Smith ($21.95 per bag - $19.99 or $18.99 when on sale) they do flat rate shipping and don't raise the price for the extra weight of the items, every body else (big al's, that fish place, and most other online vendors do) or www.aquariumplants.com - they are flat rate $24 per bag.

So if you are getting one or two bags, then $24 per bag is the way to go.
If you are getting 4 or 5 bags, then foster and smith are the way to go.

SMS can be bought locally or online at www.lesco.com if there is one near by, or you can ship, but at 50lb per bag, it will likely be around $30 per bag, but at $17 per 50lb bag (one 50 lb bag should do your 55 gallon tank) then $47 with shipping is cheaper then bying 4 or 5 bags of Eco for sure.

www.aquariumplants.com also has a substrate they sell in a 5 gallon pale which is said to be charcoal SMS or Turface(another similar to SMS product) and is around $50 shipped (imo the 50lb bag of SMS will be more for less if you can find it and shipping is $35 or less.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I have only used 4 different substrates and here is how I rate them in this specific order.....

ADA Aquasoil/Powersand
Red Sea florabase
Inert Tahittian moon sand w/ Seachem flourish tabs
Eco-Complete

I would personally never mix gravel or what not with any soil substrate cause it's just plain ugly....

With ADA soil I would lay the Powersand down first and then some of their substrate additives like TourmanlineBC, Penac....etc and then a nice thick layer of Aquasoil on top. Try and keep from disturbing the substrate too much and you should be good to go! 
The ammonia spike has never lasted more then a week for me and it has been brought up that the low PH turns the ammonia a less lethal state but regardless the ammonia is to jump start the cycle process. I like to squeeze filter media from another established tank into the new tank and the following days do water changes and like I have stated, no more then a week later it is all good to go!


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## Do78521 (Dec 15, 2006)

Hi,

Thanks for your replies, it helps a lot but I have some question that goes along with it, for the Soil master, you should or should not cover it with graverl? because I talked to the lfs guys and he said for the eco complete, you should add about 2 to 3 inches on top of that? so I was wondering if I should do the same to the soil master? and what about water change? when you vaccumm the gravel, dont it suck up all the substrate? how would you do your water change?


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I wouldn't add anything on top of the eco....I change water like normal just no gravel siphoning, keep the hose above the substrate and it will siphon up the debris.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

No Gravel, if the guy at your LFS is telling you to add gravel on top of the ECO, then you need to find a new guy or a new LFS.

The SMS is light, you will experience several dayw with air escaping form the soil unless you poke at for hours to get it out.

when planting some plants may need anchors or something to help keep them down until they root.
I have never had the problem, but have heard of people have ing that problem, but if you go with 2.5 plus inches, you should be able to get them planted deep enough so that they won't pull out.


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## Do78521 (Dec 15, 2006)

Thank you for your input, it helps alot, now i gotta save my money to buy enough eco complete for my 55, I think I might need like 3 - 4 bags, you think>?? oh yeh, and what would be a good sand for me to add in the front of the tank, just for decoration purpose. Can I buy anykind of sand or do you recommend any specific one?

Thank you


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

pool filter sand


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

silica sand at the Home Depot, but it is sold in 100lb bags for like $6

If I were you I might bring some kind of bag down there and ask the guy if you can take 1lb or 2 from an already open bag, they usually have at least 5 bags burst open leaking all over the place.

Or it is cheap enough to just get the 100lb's, maybe you have another use for it.
you can't use it in a sandbox for kids though, you are not supposed to breath it in because of the airborne silica.

It is aquaruim safe and safe in general, just the fine silica dust is not good to get in your lungs.


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## Do78521 (Dec 15, 2006)

I figured, those need to be rinse beforep placing it in the fish tank?? right?


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

you could, I did not rinse mine however.


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