lalynya

I would like to put more plants in my tank and it give it a more natural look but as of thus far I have not been too successfull because of the gravel I think..Is there a way to safely replace the gravel with substate or to add substrate to teh gravel in a est tank?

SereneReyn

well, let me first say i am NOT experienced with plants... but in my next tank i was planning to use something like this...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=9087

supposed to be fish safe and all that... don't know about adding anything to an existing tank, sorry.

King_Snuggles

lots of the bacteria you need is in the gravel. you can replae it with whatever you like but to be safe i would only do half one week and then the other half the next.

susitna-flower

Usually in a planted tank it isn't the substrate that will cause problems. IF it is deep enough, plants can get most of their nutrients out of the fish waste, and you can "feed" them, the gravel just gives your plants a place to anchor and put out roots.

Some materials do add minerals that plants can use, things like eco-complete, which also is infused with bacteria to help jump-start your nitrogen cycle. This is especially valuable in planted tanks that utilize high light and CO2. The fast growth requires higher, more available levels of nutrients, but for most tanks with a moderate plant load, gravel 2-3"thick and plant fertilizer tabs are enough.

Research the plants you have, or want to get at www.plantgeek.net for their light requirements. Light, and not substrate will have the biggest impact on what plants you can successfully grow in your tank.

IF you want to add or replace your substrate, it will entail removing the fish to a bucket (heater & air can be used), dumping most of the water and re-decorating. It won't help your plants though, if your lighting isn't strong enough. Good Luck