Pls show me your tanks w/ nutrient rich substrates:

[KribensisLover1]

Fluval volcanic sojl

Activ-Flora Floracor Black Planted Aquarium Substrate​

Tropica aquarium soilss

Amazonia

And anything else you have PLS.! I assumed I would wind up with brown fluval balls bc I really want a planted tank made as easy as possible but I have a black background acrylic tank and I do really like the look of black or darker substrate. Can anybody show me pics of theirs? And also tell me if they like or don’t like anything specific? I asked before what’s best but now I’m asking for photos!

 

[DaveKS]

That substrate I would call nutrient lite. It has a minimal CEC value out of the box but after say 6mo underwater it will improve to a usable substrate.

I do love the color of it immensely though. I would rather have that than some baked soil ball that I would have to replace within 3yrs.

 

[KribensisLover1]

That substrate I would call nutrient lite. It has a minimal CEC value out of the box but after say 6mo underwater it will improve to a usable substrate.

I do love the color of it immensely though. I would rather have that than some baked soil ball that I would have to replace within 3yrs.

I am so sorry! Which one do you mean?

 

[Mudminnow]

This tank uses Controsoil behind the rocks with sand up front. The soil's probably not all that rich though as I rarely add root tabs. This tank has no CO2 injection, so there's no need to fertilize all that much.


Here's a shot of one of my older tanks. It had a rich substrate, using ADA Amazonia. This tank had CO2 injection, so I fertilized the heck out of it.

I really want a planted tank made as easy as possible...

The tank in my first photo is a 150 gallon tank. This tank uses soil, low light, no CO2 injection, light fertilization, and easy plants. I change 10% of the water once a week, trim a leaf here or there if I feel like it, add a squirt or 2 of APT 1 when I feed the fishes, and that's it. It's super easy.

By contrast, the tank in the second shot was a 20 long. It required 50% water changes, high light, CO2 injection, heavy fertilization, constant pruning, and fastidious cleaning. This 20 gallon was far, far more work than my current 150 gallon.

If you set up a smaller tank (like a 20 long) in a similar way to my 150 gallon, there'd be hardly any maintenance (at least once it settles in).

 

[KribensisLover1]

This tank uses Controsoil behind the rocks with sand up front. The soil's probably not all that rich though as I rarely add root tabs. This tank has no CO2 injection, so there's no need to fertilize all that
Here's a shot of one of my older tanks. It had a rich substrate, using ADA Amazonia. This tank had CO2 injection, so I fertilized the heck out of it.

The tank in my first photo is a 150 gallon tank. This tank uses soil, low light, no CO2 injection, light fertilization, and easy plants. I change 10% of the water once a week, trim a leaf here or there if I feel like it, add a squirt or 2 of APT 1 when I feed the fishes, and that's it. It's super easy.

By contrast, the tank in the second shot was a 20 long. It required 50% water changes, high light, CO2 injection, heavy fertilization, constant pruning, and fastidious cleaning. This 20 gallon was far, far more work than my current 150 gallon.

If you set up a smaller tank (like a 20 long) in a similar way to my 150 gallon, there'd be hardly any maintenance (at least once it settles in).

Those are STUNNING. So use controsoil?

 

[Archtop]

I use Fluval 12694 Shrimp and Plant Stratum. I chose this because it is readily available from Amazon. I prefer to shop locally but there are no decent aquarium stores within a 2 hour (each way) drive.

I only added this to my tank six weeks ago but now plants are beginning to flourish though I still have some GDA. I installed a DIY CO2 system the same time I added the stratum.

 

[Lucifer]

View attachment 926045
This tank uses Controsoil behind the rocks with sand up front. The soil's probably not all that rich though as I rarely add root tabs. This tank has no CO2 injection, so there's no need to fertilize all that much.

View attachment 926065
Here's a shot of one of my older tanks. It had a rich substrate, using ADA Amazonia. This tank had CO2 injection, so I fertilized the heck out of it.


The tank in my first photo is a 150 gallon tank. This tank uses soil, low light, no CO2 injection, light fertilization, and easy plants. I change 10% of the water once a week, trim a leaf here or there if I feel like it, add a squirt or 2 of APT 1 when I feed the fishes, and that's it. It's super easy.

By contrast, the tank in the second shot was a 20 long. It required 50% water changes, high light, CO2 injection, heavy fertilization, constant pruning, and fastidious cleaning. This 20 gallon was far, far more work than my current 150 gallon.

If you set up a smaller tank (like a 20 long) in a similar way to my 150 gallon, there'd be hardly any maintenance (at least once it settles in).

Great summary, you are dead right that tanks with high light, C02 at 30ppm or more and high ferts take a considerable amount of work to keep them in shape and 50% water changes weekly.

I currently have two such tanks, a 75G and a 150G. the 150G in particular I'm wondering if I can switch it over to a lower tech tank and way less maintenance eventually. Its very heavily planted, high lights and 50% water change weekly with DIY ferts. Full of barbs and some clown loaches so its as much about the fish I guess as plants whereas the other high tech is more about the plants.

My low tech, low light tank is amazing for very low maintenance. A water change once every 2-3 weeks, other wise very little.

Have a look at black diamond blasting sand (BDBS). It has no nutrient value but its not strictly necessary.
Plants in a glass box don't care that much where the nutrients come from, as long as they get them. There is one guy who has high end scapes and he is currently doing an experiment with BDBS, with lots of medium difficult plants high light CO2 etc. Now about 6 months in its a success, He previously only used amazonia aqua soil, so proves its not necessary. He DIY'd his own ferts too.

 

[DaveKS]

I am so sorry! Which one do you mean?

Activ-Flora Floracor Black​

 

[Mudminnow]

Those are STUNNING. So use controsoil?

Thank you. Constrosoil's a good option, but the substrate you choose won't make or break your tank. I think soil typically makes the best substrate (particularly when the tank is new), but pretty much anything can work.

 

[DaveKS]

The tank in my first photo is a 150 gallon tank. This tank uses soil, low light, no CO2 injection, light fertilization, and easy plants. I change 10% of the water once a week, trim a leaf here or there if I feel like it, add a squirt or 2 of APT 1 when I feed the fishes, and that's it. It's super easy.

THIS^^^

The simple 10% water changes and almost daily replenishment of nutrient levels at feeding time to keep things stable is the secret.

 

[bgarthe]

Mudminnow,

I have to say that that Pearl Gourami / Hets tank is totally awesome…..super job on the scape.

 

[Blk69]

75G

 

[DaveKS]

I’ll give you another point of view. This is the build up of my 2.5g micro-mini.

Base of coco coir and hardwood sugar maple smoker chips that have been leached in boiling water 2 times, not boiled, just had boiling water poured over them and then drained off next day. Tank bed is basically 11.8x6.7”


Then on top of that a thin layer of well washed spaghnum moss that has been seeded with dirty mulm filter water (gray water) from existing aquarium filter pad then let set in a loosely sealed Tupperware bowl for a week. The biological active layer.


Then that was lightly tamped down and capped with a 1-3mm sandy gravel layer. Pore size of this bed was main concern here, not to fine so as to be constrictive to nutrient flow but tight enough to keep everything thing in place.


Then finalized with more damp sandy gravel and hints of decor.


I left it damp like this for a week, lightly covered with plastic sheet then drip filled it to 2”, planted some crypt plants and finished filling. Filter on, heater on, light on.



Never got an ammonia spike even though bottom of filter bed was full of organic matter.

Here it is 3mo later.


Have trimmed off old growth crypt leaves at this point (c.becketti and lutea, no melting, they didn’t lose a single leaf) and they have filled in with new growth. Giant willow moss, RRF and Japanese Hydrocotyle doing great.

From this point on I have only change about .5-.75gal of water in this 2g tank over last 3 months. Moss, RRF and Hydrocotyle are basically overrunning the tank, thinning out half of RRF is mandatory every week or all light would be cut off from tank. Shrimp are thriving .

Basic point is that I curated and built my own soil based tank (that layer is 3/8” thick at most at bottom) without using any actual soil on start up. The seeded spaghnum layer provided the bacteria culture. The coco coir and maple chips (time released decomposition components) are well on their way to becoming full aquatic compost with a very high CEC value.

 

[Mudminnow]

DaveKS, your approach to substrate is unlike any other I've seen--very interesting. Have you done this before, or is this more of an experiment?

 

[DaveKS]

DaveKS, your approach to substrate is unlike any other I've seen--very interesting. Have you done this before, or is this more of an experiment?

Definitely an experiment. My minds vision of using knowledge I gathered from my friend Jeff (fresh water biologist, RIP) and my readings on Walstad type tanks. He taught me there is no kind of normal organic matter that is bad for an aquarium as long as it is not something that fish find poisonous and is properly managed.

Opposite approach, Jeff had me build my 6g bow front out by installing .25” layers of his “mulm pie” in back corners on top of substrate. You can see mulm beds, look at red arrows in pic.



Then I stuck in some rotala cuttings he gave me and within a month I had this. Rotala climbing around tank, spreading across substrate. I added RRF.

After 1st month I never changed water in this tank, only thinned out floating plants and Rotala and threw in trash. Carbon in (fish food), carbon out (plant trimmings).

Finnigan the betta was with me almost 6yrs in this tank. All I did was dose Thrive at 1/3 strength and thin out plants. Also, I never once cleaned the glass in this tank, never. Were a few pink pearl ramshorn that handled all the minor waste. Snail,poop is the best plant food ever.

Were also some ember and neon tetra in this 6gal.
Betta outlived them all.

 

[neskry]

The first photo is from October, and the second was just now. Looks a little bit yellow at the moment. Not entirely sure why, but I think that's because there's Christmas lights all over the room right now.

I used a layer of aquatic soil (for ponds, very thin layer, maybe a centimeter or so), then aqua soil on top of that and then a layer of old recycled substrate (which also had aqua soil in it) and then sand and decorative gravel. I also put in some fertilizer pills throughout, and there's CO2 running on it.

Definitely an experiment. My minds vision of using knowledge I gathered from my friend Jeff (fresh water biologist, RIP) and my readings on Walstad type tanks. He taught me there is no kind of normal organic matter that is bad for an aquarium as long as it is not something that fish find poisonous and is properly managed.

Opposite approach, Jeff had me build my 6g bow front out by installing .25” layers of his “mulm pie” in back corners on top of substrate. You can see mulm beds, look at red arrows in pic.

View attachment 926220

Then I stuck in some rotala cuttings he gave me and within a month I had this. Rotala climbing around tank, spreading across substrate. I added RRF.

After 1st month I never changed water in this tank, only thinned out floating plants and Rotala and threw in trash. Carbon in (fish food), carbon out (plant trimmings).

Finnigan the betta was with me almost 6yrs in this tank. All I did was dose Thrive at 1/3 strength and thin out plants. Also, I never once cleaned the glass in this tank, never. Were a few pink pearl ramshorn that handled all the minor waste. Snail,poop is the best plant food ever.

Were also some ember and neon tetra in this 6gal.
Betta outlived them all.
View attachment 926221

So strange! And very interesting. Is the "mulm pie" what you created in the post above or something else?

 

[DaveKS]

Is the "mulm pie" what you created in the post above or something else?

No the mulm was lifted from one of Jeff’s long established (decades old) plant grow tanks. Just 3 sausage patty sized mats lifted out with some kitchen tongs after being cut out with paring knife.

They had all the organics and live cultures needed to jump start the tank. Think of it as seeded in tank filter media. Then add 5-6 ramshorn snails and Rotala cuttings, all of which came from that same tank. Did this all before I slowly filled tank so as to keep mulm mats in place.

Nice looking tank you got there. I’m seeing some mulm layer action going on there along back edge.