Red wag platy

Can someone tell me what a good substrate is for a planted tank? Does the substrate provide CO2? And what's a good fertilizer that provides nutrients and minerals found in soft water?

lilsoccakid

eco-complete is a very good plant substrate, provides nutrients for up to a year, but also very good for the plants roots. substrate does not provide CO2, it is found in the water. dont need to worry about CO2 until the tank is extremly planted. a good fertilizer is seachem flourish.

also, make sure you have strong lights. this is the most important part. you need at LEAST 1 watt of light per gallon of water, for the very lowest light plants.

Red wag platy

How do you provide CO2 in an extermely planted tank? Anmd how do you provide terrestrial plants with CO2?

lilsoccakid

terrestrial plants dont need to be provided with CO2, its in the air for the plant.

CO2 can be provided by a product seachem excel, or a CO2 injection system

Isabella

Well, there are many commercially available substrates that should do a good job. It really depends on what your preferences are. You can also use regular gravel mixed with commercial susbtrates and even other media (such as peat moss, pure laterite, and so on ...). Like I said, it depends on your setup and on what you want. You can read this article, especially the section about substrates: General Guide to Low-Light Planted Tanks. If you have the time, read the entire article.

There are also a variety of commercially available plant fertilizers, and once again - their choice and quantities depend on your setup and your needs. If you'll use CO2, you'll need more fertilizers. If you won't use CO2, you'll need very little commercial fertilization or none if you will have only few low-light and non-demanding plants. There are really many factors to consider.