Deciding on a substrate for 240L tank

Hello everyone!

I'm new here and just wanted some advice to help with choosing a substrate. I used to have a few tropical tanks a few years ago but with having to move and so much going on at the time, I had to let them all go. Anyway I decided to start back up as I never stopped thinking about my old tanks lol. The difference being that this time I'm wanting to keep errors to an absolute minimum if I can! When I first started keeping fish, like many others it was a baptism by fire to say the least! I did grow plants (despite it being in sand) with use of Co2 injection etc and managed reasonably well with simple growing plants. Anyway this time I do want to use sand again but I understand it's not the best substrate to use for plants. Although as you'll all know there are so many conflicting answers when asking about this. Some say they use sand and it works, some say no you need aquasoil.

So here's what I'm trying to work out. Is aquasoil definitely the way to go? Can I cap with sand? I've been told yes and no on that one. I used to use white sand but if I was looking to use aquasoil underneath I was thinking of going with black sand as to minimise the messy look if it mixed. Then added to that I want Cory's. I've been told Cory's and soil is a no go due to bacteria in the soil? However someone did mention something about putting soil into media bags under thank sand. Which I'm not entirely sure how that would work with roots etc? I've never actually handled aquasoil so I'm clueless what it's like. I believe it goes like clay in an aquarium. Anyway I just wondered if you folks could give me some ideas and info to help me to decide on which way to go. My tank is a Roma 240 and It's not being done in a hurry. I'll be sorting the substrate/plants out first whilst fishless cycling (ammonia.) I assume plants will withstand the cycling? So fish actually going in will be weeks down the line. I'm guessing around 6 to 8 weeks from experience but I'm not rushing things. Sorry for the amount of questions haha. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

Well I tried to message you but that’s not allowed yet ! Here is my experience having just gone through the trial by fire scene ..but thankfully with some Good resources like this site.

Here is my 55 gallon build - hope it at the very least can give ya some ideas. I used a mix of sand and Fluval plant substrate.


55 Gallon - design to now. | Freshwater Aquarium Builds Forum | 513309


Before that build I used specific plantable substrate Carbisea (comes in red and black) … it’s gravelly and I’ve always been concerned for cories I keep in it. They have all been fine - however as I add tanks they will get a sand bottom eventually. its not bad substrate and was cheap at the time for planted stuff. My plants grow pretty well in it so I have no complaints on that end. It’s NOt the Fluval or other “dirt” type substrates but it works fine.

the Fluval “dirt” plant substrate is more like … well compact balls of dirt… it does not really break apart unless you stir it up - I’ve learned how but it’s tricky to vacuum those sections. Plants have grown well in it but not any better I’d say than the gravel. Lately that tank is struggling hard but it was overrun with floating plants ! I have for sure seen sand layered over but I did not try it. It is not super easy to work with in my experience as it is like having dirt in your tank ..

The sand …some plants will work and some wont ..as you stated you have grown in sand before. I tried some stems and they rotted in the middle and floated away.. I’d reinsert in sand same thing. I tried some Val’s but they failed in the whole tank soil and sand. I’ve grown them successfully in other tanks so ..maybe the batch. One did send a runner that poked up from the sand -gave me hope - I will be trying again. I have three huge cardinal plants rooted in the sand. They are doing great other than some brown mulm accumulation right now. I also use some Anubis in that tank attached to rocks etc.


soo… long post short the reason I think there is so much “conflicting“ info and hard to say what is best.. is that every situation is unique .. from water content other than the things we typically measure, the light you use and the sun light in the room, the batch of plants you get and the conditions they were grown in. Everything matters so … do the research to get some ideas and then go with what you want to try! GL.

 

I've done everything from gravel, to just sand, to just Fluval stratum, to layers. I did gravel before I got into live plants so I'll skip that (not to mention the problems it can cause corys).

I've done just sand. I had root tabs broken up and mixed in, but the sand needs to be deep otherwise the root tabs will leave discolored pockets (or you can grind up root tabs or open capsule root tabs and spread it that way). The only plants I've gotten to work in sand are the heavy root feeders like Amazon Swords, Vals, and I've gotten decent results with dwarf sag as well.

I switched to just Fluval stratum when I got more into live plants and as stated above, debris falls between the little dirt balls, so it might as well be plant gravel. My cory don't mind though and shift through the top surface easily. I have one tank that's still all stratum and one that has stratum and sand (not layered, just has both).

More recently I've been on a YouTube binge and found MD Fishtanks who does a very interesting substrate layout in his tanks. He has gravel on the bottom, mesh bags of aquasoil on top of that (he has an amazon link to the bags and the mesh has holes for roots, so it's not a problem for plants), and a sand cap on top of that. Depending on the layout he might not cap the aquasoil or might not bag it, but I've switched two of my tanks to this setup and it works nicely instead of just the stratum. It's easier to see the debris on top of the sand (I've got one tank with black sand and one with white) and what I've done is open root tab capsules and spread the contents where there's no mesh bags or gravel (near the front of the tank) for smaller carpeting plants. So long as the sand layer is about an inch deep or more (depending on the plants you're putting in, I'd go deeper for stem plants), it works out well for me.

I've attached pics of the two tanks I've switched to this method with, but this way the substrate is deeper in the back where most of the bags are and slopes down towards the front without taking away from the view or the plants. And this is just what I've done based on my experience. Can't say it's the best or the worst, it's just what works for me.

 

Yes lots of different answers. Only sand in my tanks

 

Hi Badjester1.
Welcome to fishlore.

I definitely don’t feel qualified to write about plants but I thought I would post a picture of what can be thrown together without any substrate. All the plants in this photo are planted on wood / rocks , floating stems and moss or there might be a terracotta pot in there somewhere.
The point is in five minutes everything can be removed. Something to consider is trying to catch fish in a heavily planted tank can be next to impossible. With terracotta pots etc you can remove everything to clean or sort fish .

 

All but my most recent tank have sand substrate, and I have a decent variety of plants doing just fine. Swords, crypts, and vallisneria probably do best.

The other tank is still fairly new, so my experience with it is limited, but so far it's going well. I started with a layer of dry cow manure, then a layer of potting soil, and then capped it with pool filter sand. I set it up specifically for growing pearl weed to sell.

 

I have a 55 gallon that I use pool filter sand as a substrate. It is cheap compared to other substrates, and it works well. I add root tabs once a month, and my vals have been taking over.

 

Wow! Thanks everyone! Definitely lots to think about there.

I've done everything from gravel, to just sand, to just Fluval stratum, to layers. I did gravel before I got into live plants so I'll skip that (not to mention the problems it can cause corys).

I've done just sand. I had root tabs broken up and mixed in, but the sand needs to be deep otherwise the root tabs will leave discolored pockets (or you can grind up root tabs or open capsule root tabs and spread it that way). The only plants I've gotten to work in sand are the heavy root feeders like Amazon Swords, Vals, and I've gotten decent results with dwarf sag as well.

I switched to just Fluval stratum when I got more into live plants and as stated above, debris falls between the little dirt balls, so it might as well be plant gravel. My cory don't mind though and shift through the top surface easily. I have one tank that's still all stratum and one that has stratum and sand (not layered, just has both).

More recently I've been on a YouTube binge and found MD Fishtanks who does a very interesting substrate layout in his tanks. He has gravel on the bottom, mesh bags of aquasoil on top of that (he has an amazon link to the bags and the mesh has holes for roots, so it's not a problem for plants), and a sand cap on top of that. Depending on the layout he might not cap the aquasoil or might not bag it, but I've switched two of my tanks to this setup and it works nicely instead of just the stratum. It's easier to see the debris on top of the sand (I've got one tank with black sand and one with white) and what I've done is open root tab capsules and spread the contents where there's no mesh bags or gravel (near the front of the tank) for smaller carpeting plants. So long as the sand layer is about an inch deep or more (depending on the plants you're putting in, I'd go deeper for stem plants), it works out well for me.

I've attached pics of the two tanks I've switched to this method with, but this way the substrate is deeper in the back where most of the bags are and slopes down towards the front without taking away from the view or the plants. And this is just what I've done based on my experience. Can't say it's the best or the worst, it's just what works for me.

Hey thanks for the reply! I'm actually subscribed to MD Fishtanks so I'll have a look for that video. I'm looking at either layering like that or just sand so I'll have a watch of that video and decide what's gonna be best for me. I was actually weighing up whether to go black sand or white. Then it occurred to me that I might struggle to see debris on black sand when I'm doing cleaning. Do you find that a problem?

I have a 55 gallon that I use pool filter sand as a substrate. It is cheap compared to other substrates, and it works well. I add root tabs once a month, and my vals have been taking over.

Over in the UK I know children's play sand is very popular. I can see why! It's about £2.99 a bag from a local store. As opposed to about £20-25 for the same quantity of aquarium sand! My only concern is if it's the right colour. If I get light sand I was thinking very light so I'll have to go check it out in store.

 

I use inexpensive playground sand from Lowes in most of my tanks. No problems growing several types of plants. I did purchase some pricey Fluval soil in an abortive attempt to grow red plants without CO2 and sufficient light. I put the soil in small clear containers and stuck them in the sand.

 

Over in the UK I know children's play sand is very popular. I can see why! It's about £2.99 a bag from a local store. As opposed to about £20-25 for the same quantity of aquarium sand! My only concern is if it's the right colour. If I get light sand I was thinking very light so I'll have to go check it out in store.

There's nothing wrong with play sand . . . if you don't mind doing a lot of work rinsing it. I prefer pool filter sand. If you get a good brand it doesn't need any rinsing. While it's a little more expensive than play sand, it's much less expensive than sand sold specifically for aquariums.

 

I agree, pool filter sand works better than play sand for growing plants. It's less fine, and easier for the plants roots to penetrate.

 

There's nothing wrong with play sand . . . if you don't mind doing a lot of work rinsing it. I prefer pool filter sand. If you get a good brand it doesn't need any rinsing. While it's a little more expensive than play sand, it's much less expensive than sand sold specifically for aquariums.

got that right, a pain to rinse! Requires multiple passes. never heard of pool sand. Thanks. Will investigate. The playground sand is $5 for 50 pounds.

 

got that right, a pain to rinse! Requires multiple passes. never heard of pool sand. Thanks. Will investigate. The playground sand is $5 for 50 pounds.

You'll probably pay $10.00 to $15.00 for the same size bag of pool filter sand, which is about the same price as 20 pounds of sand sold specifically for aquariums.