Plants and sand

Any advice on keeping plants in pure sand substrate? Currently my tanks have gravel but I'd like to convert them to sand and make my future tanks all sand. I am getting a new tank today either a 29 or 37 and that's going to have a sand bottom. I'd like to convert to real plants as well but I know there's no nutrients in there and that could pose problems with some plants. So any tricks to keeping them in just sand whether it be to use root tabs, other plant food or whatever would be greatly appreciated.

 

No gottI sand, sorry for not being any help, hope you get it figured out soon.

 

I have my plants in a pure sand substrate. I actually don't even put anything in the sand to provide the plants with additional nutrients. I use water fertilizers, and it seems to be working well. I really like using the sand much more than gravel - I think it looks better and it's easier to clean

 

That's what I have in mine and all my plant are doing good. Just plat them just like dirt make a hold and cover the roots just watch when you clean to try and not disturb the roots.

 

One think you need to watch for is anaerobic pockets, I have MTS in my tanks where I have sand it they really help keeping the pockets from forming. I also use root tabs in tanks where I have swords or crypts, but not where I have stem plants only. I prefer the black sand over the white sand, a lot less work to keep it looking clean.

 

How does one vacuum sand?

 

Gamer-Wisteria and hygrophilia grows pretty well in sand, but mostly I use plants attached to rocks and wood in my sand tanks.
LC Scotty - Since debris doesn't get down into the sand like it does gravel you just wave the siphon over the sand without touching it. that kind of stirs teh debris up and is sucked right out. no problem
Carol

 

Are there any plants that shouldn't be planted in fine substrate? I want to get rid of the gravel and Petco sand in all my tanks and use pool filter sand instead. So far the only plants I have are anubias and bacopa, but I want jungle Val, and a couple other low light plants.

How can I keep these plants rooted? Besides glue. It there a weight or something I can bind plants with the keep them from floating up if they become unrooted? My Molly keep pulling baby bacopa up that I'm trying to get rooted.

 

They do sell plant weights, I have seen them on amazon never in Petco/Petsmart...plants that can have a hard time are vals and moneywort, ones that don't have a long leg system ya know

 

Well I specifically wanted jungle Val for the back corners, I could build a retainer type wall and use gravel in the corner for these plants and sand in the rest of the tank. That's actually how I have it right now, I used medium rocks to separate the substrates.

 

that would work, hold them down

 

Btw anubias is a rhizome plants which means it shouldn't be planted in substrate. It needs to be tied onto something not buried.

 

you could glue anubias

 

Or rubberband or tie

 

I also zip tie them

 

I have mine pinned under a fake stump, but plan to propagate it when I swap out the old substrates and rescape