Hi I was wondering if somebody can advise me on the best way to add more substrate to my 55gal tank, what is the max depth that the substrate should be. I am new to fish keeping and need all the help I can get. My tank has been up and running for 7 months now.
I would like to have more plants, but so far they just don't seem to be doing well at all....any ideas?
My tank just seems boring!!!!
So any ideas will be much appreciated.
well first of all, welcome to the forum! i think you will find all the help you need here :wink:
now i have plastic plants in my tank (although i would love live ones) so i dont know everything about live plants, but i do know some of the basics. if your plants arent doing well it might be because of temp or the type of substrate you have. what kind of plants do you have in your tank? and what is the temp and substrate?
well first of all, welcome to the forum! i think you will find all the help you need here :wink:
now i have plastic plants in my tank (although i would love live ones) so i dont know everything about live plants, but i do know some of the basics. if your plants arent doing well it might be because of temp or the type of substrate you have. what kind of plants do you have in your tank? and what is the temp and substrate?
Thanks for the welcome :wink:
I have some plastic plants in my tank too. The substrate is a med size gravel, and the temp runs between 78-80.
As for the plants, I have no idea what they are I just bought them and put them and put them in the tank.
Is it possible to add more substrate without having an adverse effect on the fish?
well they may not be growing because of the gravel. i dont think it provides the right nutrients for them. i cant say if the temp is not high or low if the type of plant is unknown but it shouldnt be too much of a problem.
as for the substrate, you could try taking out a good amount of the gravel (you dont have to take it all out but at least half or so) and then putting down a layer of eco-complete or another "plant-nutricous" substrate. after you put down the eco-complete you can put more gravel on top (but you may want to put your plants in before you put the rest of the gravel back just to make it easier). just make sure that when you put more plants in in the future that their roots are in the eco-complete layer.
does that make sense to you? let me know if it doesnt, and i'll explain it defferently.
i forgot to mention in my last post that changing the gravel wont hurt the fish. it will cloud up the water for a bit but other than that it should be fine.
I am using a mixture of Eco-Complete and Flourite (equal amounts). I've read that you should have at least 3" but I have closer to 5". When I first added water to mine, it got super cloudy. So cloudy, you could not see the bottom when looking down from the top. I had to do many water changes to clear it up. Got different problems now. Substrate is rich in nutrients, add plants and adequate light for plants to grow, and wah lah...serious algae outbreak right in the middle of cycling. From my experience, you may want to have a small tank you can put the fish in while your primary tank is going through all the changes.
There is also another thread named "Changing Substrate" in this same area. Follow it as well.
I am using a mixture of Eco-Complete and Flourite (equal amounts). I've read that you should have at least 3" but I have closer to 5". When I first added water to mine, it got super cloudy. So cloudy, you could not see the bottom when looking down from the top. I had to do many water changes to clear it up. Got different problems now. Substrate is rich in nutrients, add plants and adequate light for plants to grow, and wah lah...serious algae outbreak right in the middle of cycling. From my experience, you may want to have a small tank you can put the fish in while your primary tank is going through all the changes.
There is also another thread named "Changing Substrate" in this same area. Follow it as well.
Everything I've read leads me to believe that the problem is too many nutrients. Why would I need to add more? I keep hoping that once my plants get established, they'll remove all the excess nutrients and deprive the algae.
there isnt really a set amount of substrate that you should put in. some tanks dont have any at all. plus you can arrange the substrate to have hills, so there could be 4'' in some places and 2'' in another. as long as there is enough for the plants to put their roots in you should be okay. :wink:
No that's pretty cool and just about right. It was a little high on the weight. It said for a 55g to use 96lbs of Eco-Complete. What I used is the exact same as Eco-Complete and I used 82 lbs withe 3-4 inch bed.
The amount of substrate, using weight as a guide is all relative to the basic weight of the material. Lava rock weighs much less that red flint gravel. 1# of the lava has a volume much higher than that same weight of a heavier stone. The weight guide is, therefore, essentially worthless. It does give one an idea of how much is needed.
Depth should not exceed 3" average for the greater portion of the aquarium. This is especially true when using a ugf. Water, simply, cannot pass thru that depth of gravel. Add to the fact, that the shear weight of the substrate at a 5" depth causes compaction and dead spots in the bacteria bed from lack of oxygen and circulation. This could cause deadly methane gas buildup, kills fish and can explode.
Turtleman said he used a 50-50 mixture of Eco-Complete and Flourite. I questioned this in one of his previous threads. It is a redundancy. Eco-Complete is a stand alone product, meaning that the product is used just by itself. Flourite can either be mixed with gravel or used by itself. Mixing the two doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Just additional cost and labor. The least expensive would be a 50-50 flourite/gravel mix. Another item that on can add is laterite. I don't have alot of experience in using it, I only have it in one tank. That was an experiemental tank and another product out performed it. Just too lazy(and cheap) to change it.
It was also noted that when adding water to the tank, it became very cloudy. Some cloudiness will appear because of the fine particulates from the gravel(gravel dust). This can be minimized by first washing the gravel thoroughly prior to placing it in the aquarium. It's truly a mess if you don't. Since you already have gravel, you may want to use the Flourite, it comes in red and red/black blend. If you have a funky color that won't match and have to change gravel, I suggest the Eco-Complete. Your tank, if already cycled, may go through another "mini-cycle", though.
Depth should not exceed 3" average for the greater portion of the aquarium. This is especially true when using a ugf. Water, simply, cannot pass thru that depth of gravel. Add to the fact, that the shear weight of the substrate at a 5" depth causes compaction and dead spots in the bacteria bed from lack of oxygen and circulation. This could cause deadly methane gas buildup, kills fish and can explode.
I guess I pretty much disagree with everything you posted here. I'm doing it and my tank did not explode! Who's text are you quoting and what publication are you referring to when you say "Depth should not exceed 3"?
Turtleman said he used a 50-50 mixture of Eco-Complete and Flourite. I questioned this in one of his previous threads. It is a redundancy. Eco-Complete is a stand alone product, meaning that the product is used just by itself. Flourite can either be mixed with gravel or used by itself. Mixing the two doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
Again, I think this is just your personal opinion. There's no scientific reason behind what you are saying. I know others who have this mixture and it is working exceptionally well. You can fill the 3" to 5" of substrate any way you want to. You don't have to use just one kind of substrate just because it say that it can be used as a stand alone.
Well I apparently can't comment on this anymore because if I disagree with Mr. Herefishy, he locks the thread. Sorry but I don't think that his advice was correct in my particular situation.
Incidentally, I have done a significant amount of research and I can show you plenty of articles that say 4", 5" & even 6" of substrate can be used toward the back and tapered down to 3" in the front.
If I can't disagree with someone then I'll probably be better off on one of the other forums anyway.
If you don't mind, would you please give us some links to the information on the depth of the substrate? While many have the way they do things the hobby is always changing and new relevant information is always useful.
No not at all. Please don't take what I said that way, that's not how it was meant at all. I guess I was trying to say what Kate said..I'm just not as diplomatic as the mods.
I have read both of these threads and all I have to say is this is stupid.
This hobby is all opinion, and experience. The two may not always co-inside but they are always the 2 main factors. There is so many variables in this hobby, that there is no real "right way" to do something, just some that are better then others. All day i hear well i did this in my tank and it worked great, well someone else will come back with - thats stupid it will cause more problems then its worth. Water Supply, Water Chemistry, Fish instincts, fish personality, and even random occurence and events all play a part of it. Some people have success "braking the rules" some people do not. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE ARE HERE TO ARGUE.
Simply put the OP was simply looking for input on a substrate choice, not an argument on who has the best way of doing it.
Get your facts from a number of sources and choose the way that best suits you. Heck of your curious try your own way, it might not work out but at least youll have a good bank of experience from it.
thats my two cents.
As for your question -
Depth wize i would stick to 3inches - for two reasons. There is the very real threat of anerobic pockets and methane pockets. one of our members actually had this happen and it killed many of his prized plecos last year.
the second reason, maintenance is alot easier with less gravel.
as for substrate choice if your changing it or adding more.
I too have the same problem i am using sand and its not a great substrate for plants. many people have turned me towards Eco-complete, and many will tell you this substrate is not all that its cracked up to be. i personally have gone with it in a smaller ten gallon tank and yet to have seen anything spectacular out of it - but it does get the job done.
Fluorite i have never tried it - its pretty much an economical eco-complete is the best way to put it. tho not nearly as nutrient rich and balanced it will still do a good job.
My suggestion would be - pick the substrate you like best esthetically, and work from there. any substrate with a little work can be changed into a nutrient rich base for a wonderful eco-garden.
my two cents.
P.S Turtleman - just because you do not like someones advice - does not mean you should publicly de-nonce it. you went a different way - good for you, two completely opposite paths can still lead to the same ending though.
Hi I was wondering if somebody can advise me on the best way to add more substrate to my 55gal tank, what is the max depth that the substrate should be.
Depth should not exceed 3" average for the greater portion of the aquarium. This is especially true when using a ugf. Water, simply, cannot pass thru that depth of gravel. Add to the fact, that the shear weight of the substrate at a 5" depth causes compaction and dead spots in the bacteria bed from lack of oxygen and circulation. This could cause deadly methane gas buildup, kills fish and can explode.
Turtleman said he used a 50-50 mixture of Eco-Complete and Flourite. I questioned this in one of his previous threads. It is a redundancy. Eco-Complete is a stand alone product, meaning that the product is used just by itself. Flourite can either be mixed with gravel or used by itself.
Yes I can, but I'm not here to debate this with anyone. What's published is readily available. I'll continue to trust in these written sources. What I didn't appreciate was that because I disageed with an administrator, the thread was closed. The web is full of forums.
WHY the heck anyone would want to have 5" of gravel in their tank? It's more work to clean out and less swimming room for the fish, and not very pleasing to the eye IMHO (especially with those little bits of fish food that tend to work their way down into the gravel, right up front...yummy).
As for the methane pockets...you'll find out the hard way I guess, no matter what advice you're given.
Excuse me, but I didn't start this thread. I wasn't asking anyone for advice about the depth of my substrate. And I don't intend to vacuum my gravel. And I don't have a problem with trying things and learning from them. We all don't have to do this the same way.
Thread is turning into a forum of disputes and becoming argumentative. Thread locked. My apologies to the OP.
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