Substrate for 5.5 Gallon Planted

I am starting a 5.5 gallon planted tank using a Finnex Fugeray Planted+ clip on light. This is my first dedicated planted tank, and I want to do it right. My 36 gallon with the Satellite Freshwater Plus is doing well growing Java Fern and Riccia; the upgraded light was an afterthought however. With this tank, I am setting it up specifically for plants. Thus, any advice you can provide would be great.

As for substrate, I was looking at Flourite Black Sand. Would this be a good choice? I plan on keeping shrimp and some micro fish in the tank as well. Is it best to use only Flourite, or should it be mixed with something else? Are there any special requirements or things to consider when choosing substrate for a planted tank?

Thanks everyone.

 

Flourite will work well. You will still need some root tabs for the root feeders. Flourite as a high CEC which is good for plants. CEC (cation exchange capacity) is the ability of a substrate to store and release elements to the plants. A high CEC means they can absorb the free flowing nutrients from fish waste and leftover food, then release this to the roots of the plants over time.

For most easy low light / low tech tanks the substrate really doesn't matter too much, as the plants will grow in anything, as long as you provide the occasional root tab for some nutrients. The fancier, plant specific substrates are more for the high tech tanks or more particular plants that have special needs. For example I have regular black gravel in both of my tanks and have a pretty dense jungle going in both.

 

EcoComplete is my favorite, but harder to find in the right size bag for your tank. Flourite will work fine, just make sure you rinse it really, really, really well.

What plants will you have in this tank?

 

Well I want to try to do a Riccia mat of some kind. I have a ton from my 36, and don't want to just throw it away. I was considering getting some sort of mesh and covering the entire back wall with Riccia.
I also have some Java Fern plantlettes, and intend to use those.
I was thinking of Corkscrew Val and maybe some dwarf hair grass.

I'm open to suggestions though!

 

The hair grass does best with co2 at higher light levels and I don't think that kind of light would be sufficient. May want to change that one or look into it more. Java ferns and cork screws would be nice tho

 

So maybe no Hair Grass then.
Does the Val require any special substrate? With the plants I listed above (with the exception of the Hair Gras), do I need a special substrate at all? Or would plain sand do just fine?

 

Sand would be fine in my opinion. Maby with a root tab for the val's

 

So what exactly makes the Flourite different than regular sand?

 

Flourite is designed for planted tanks. It contains trace minerals that plants need. It also isn't necessarily sand... "regular" sand doesn't contain any trace minerals and will not benefit the plants in any way. If you use it, you have to supplement minerals and nutrients in the tank. Sand prevents nutrients from getting to the plant roots, as fish and plant waste can't penetrate the sand layer.

Gravel is, IMO, a much better choice for plants if you're not going to get a special plant substrate. It allows nutrient transfer, and does not get anaerobic like sand can.

Edit: Nutrients will likely eventually reach the plant roots in a sand tank, but it will take ages, as the waste would have to dissolve in the water before it could penetrate the sand. However with water changes and everything we do in maintenance of our tanks, this isn't a very effective way to go.

 

Bought the Flourite today. Thanks everyone! Also selected some rocks to use to create an uphill landscape.