whats the best sort of substrate for live plants in an aquarium?

Question

i want to keep live plants in one of my tanks but im not sure that the medium sized pebbles i have in it are a good "soil" for them to take root in, should i add something finer to it? does it hurt them to pull them up when cleaning the tank then replant them?

Answer 1

Finer substrates will work well with live aquarium plants.Look for a finer gravel or small river rocks.Try avoiding chemicals usually used for medication on fish like malachite green or anything that gets rid of fungal infectionns/algae,they might destroy your plants.Try looking up on that because one day your fish will be sick and certain medications that will probably help will fish will also be a double edged sword as it will kill your plant life.
I use regular natural gravel with no color and i keep the plant planted by putting larger river rocks around it.It looks nice too.

Answer 2

Many substrates will work well for plants. The typical gravel you buy at the petstore works fine for rooting, but provides no source of nutrition for them.

Some types of "play sand" bought at menards or lowes can be helpful, but of course each stores stock is different, and the benefits will never be known for sure, unless added.

I've used Flourite, which is a clay based substrate that contains a lot of iron, and I love it. The plants root in it very well, and it looks nice. I have Eco-Complete as well, and while it looks awesome (black fine grained) and provides many needed nutrients, it is fairly soft, and difficult for some plants to root in. These are just a few of the substrates that would work well for plants.

Try not to distrub the plants root system. You can clean around them, but many plants will utilize the detrius that falls close to them.
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

As you say a aquarium planting medium is a good start this should be mixed with silver sand, you need the medium as sand doesn't hold fertilizer well, then a layer of small gravel to separate the layers off, i take it your using under gravel heating? If you do take the plants out yes you snap the roots off, not the best thing to do with a large plant but always trim the roots off before planting anyway removing any dead or dieing material.

Answer 4

Many people keep live plants in their aquarium just because they look nice. They give hiding places for small fish to hide such as neon tetra or guppies. Tank wise, plants do eat the nitrate that end in the nitrogen cycle and they also produce oxygen for your fish. You could consider a plant a positive, but they do have negatives. Plants can introduce pest into your tanks, such as snails that reproduce like crazy. They also would need lighting, some require little lighting and some require tons. It all depends on the plant you want. Good luck.

Answer 5

Firstly, yes, it hurts them as a plant takes time to stay firmly rooted in its position.By yanking them out, its like pulling one of your teeth.

And secondly, the best substrate would be sand accompanied by some small gravel stones.This enables the plant an easier time in getting rooted into the soft, finer substrate.

Answer 6

Various types of aquarium plants require various type of substrate. It is not logical to pin point them all into one type of soil or base. Could you please go through the below links for some more idea on what you are looking for:

http://home.infinet.net/teban/substrat.htm
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/plants/SelectionandPlantingPlants.htm

Thanks
Nemo