Substrate For A Possible Planted Tank

hello, I’m thinking about starting up a new 29 gallon tank and I want it to be highly planted like my other tanks. For my other tanks I just have a very deep sand bed for the rooted plants and they seem to be doing fine. The stockingnplan will either be dwarf puffers, red eye puffers, or a large amount of nano fish. But I plan on having three inches of substrate but am unsure if I should use have ecocomplete gravel with sand on top of it, all eco complete, or just a 3 inch regular sand bed. If I do the nano fish I will have a large school of Pygmy Cory catfish. I’m also leaning more toward the nano tank.

 

I’m bias towards using aquarium soil. It just looks natural and I feel better for the plants. Sand is hard to get nutrients into and I’ve had issues with it leaking gases into my tank.

 

I use and love black flourite.

 

I did a layer of black sand and covered it with Eco Complete, as I like a more natural earthy look for the top layer

 

I am a very big fan of planted tanks - they natural look is aesthetically beautiful when done well and there are so many benefits to having plants that honestly they are a must having in any build I do these days.

As a substrate I have a had a lot of success just using potting mix with a collender to get the bit pieces out. Dampen the soil then add a thin layer of gravel to hold it in place. If you want to add depth you can use rocks to creat banks with this method and it looks really stunning. And just add a tiny amount of plant fertalizer a few times over the first few weeks until the plants are well established. But once your plants are established at the rought size you want then the natural ammonia produced by your stock should sustain the plants depending on the size of your tank and the number of fish you have. Just remember that this kind of setup can promote algae growth as well so you will need some bottom feeders to help keep it in check.

There are a ton of additives and optional extras like CO2 that can really help but they arn't absolutely necessary. It just means your plants grow slower.