Planted Aquarium Substrate Overview
Aquarium substrates are incredibly important to the health of your tank. As you do your research on this topic, you’ll find that the subject of aquarium substrates tends to get a bit touchy and controversial in the aquatic community. There has always been different opinions on the importance of substrate, especially in a planted aquarium.
In this article, we will be laying out some basic information and facts on this subject. As a general rule, an aquarium with some kind of substrate is always going to be more stable than an aquarium without substrate. The substrate layer acts as a medium harboring beneficial bacteria. These beneficial bacteria are responsible for the breakdown of organics in the aquarium – this is known as the nitrogen cycle. These bacteria will colonize on any surface in the aquarium. Having substrate adds much surface area for the bacteria to colonize.
A healthy substrate means a healthy aquarium. Thus, proper planted aquarium substrate is imperative for keeping a healthy hassle free tank. With advances in the hobby. There has been an increase in substrates available to the hobbyists. With so many options to choose from, one can feel quite overwhelmed by making the decision on which to purchase. Lets go trough and take a quick look at the popular options available. Substrates available for use comes in a variety sizes, colors, shapes, and even for specific purposes.
Aquarium Substrate Types
As you get started in the hobby, it is very helpful to inform yourself about the types of aquarium substrates that are available on the market. Lets categorize the more popular types available:
- • Most common substrate used is inert gravel/rocks.
- • Nutrient-based and soil type substrate are aquarium substrate types that are geared especially towards planted aquarium hobbyists.
- • Another commonly used substrate is crushed corals, which is mainly aimed at Cichlid aficionado.
Choosing the correct substrate for your aquarium is vital in the health and upkeep of the aquarium.
Aquarium Substrate Types Overview
Inert Aquarium Substrate
Inert substrates are commonly sold to hobbyists and they come in a large variety to choose from. These aquarium substrates are Inert and will not react in anyways to your water so it will not affect water parameters. Over time, nitrifying bacteria will colonize on this substrate and will become a nice healthy bed harboring beneficial bacteria.
Another benefit to this substrate is the grain sizes you can choose from. A larger grain size would allow for better water circulation through the substrate, which helps break down waste faster. However being inert, this substrate is not ideal for having a planted tank and also has zero buffering capabilities.
Nutrient Substrate for Planted Aquarium
Nutrient and soil-based substrates are geared towards planted aquarium hobbyists. These types of soil are necessary for proper plant growth and maintenance. Nutrient and soil-based substrate are not inert. Most of the time these substrates are composed of different materials and additive.
Nutrient and soil-based substrates tend to have a more organic composition to it. This allows for a natural breakdown process which supplies the plants with food. Additives to nutrient and soil-based substrates are peat, volcanic ash, carbon, clay, and other organic materials. Depending on the manufacturers, each brand varies in compositions.
Benefits of having certain additives in the soil is allowing the substrate to have buffering capabilities. Also with the addition of peat to the substrate will allow for the exchange of heavy metals thus lowering your GH value and PH. This essentially softens the water.
Best Aquarium Substrate Products
Here are some of the best aquarium substrate products that we recommend you use for your planted aquarium:
Plant Grower Bed – Black
AZOO’s Plant Grower Bed provides a stable nutrient base for aquatic plants to thrive in. The granular structure creates an open network of spaces to allow unrestricted growth for a healthy root system. The Grower Bed helps to keep pH stable in the aquarium and delivers nutrients for up to 18 months from initial planting setup. AZOO’s Grower bed is cleaner and clears faster than competing brands. It does not need to be rinsed. Considered the standard to compare to by advanced hobbyists.
Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate 20lb
Eco-Complete contains live Heterotropic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. It establishes a natural biological balance which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer. It is conditioned with Amazon buffered black water solution for immediate organic water conditioning, with unsurpassed macroporosity for healthy roots and bacterial efficiency. You would have to buy 4 bags of ordinary gravel to equal the surface area of this one bag of Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate.
Crushed Coral Substrate
Crushed coral is a substrate that’s mainly used for cichlid aquariums and saltwater aquariums. Certain cichlids requires the water to have more alkaline. Saltwater aquariums require high levels of alkalinity and pH naturally.
Crushed coral substrate is just that – crushed corals. This substrate is high in calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate slowly dissolves into the water column, which will raise the hardness level, pH, and buffer the alkalinity of the water. African cichlid keepers and saltwater hobbyists tend to prefer this aquarium substrate type over conventional ones. Planted aquariums is a small specialty niche in the hobby of aquarium keeping. However planted aquariums are now gaining popularity.
At SevenPorts, we can see the trend and it is our goal to provide quality products. We realize the specific condition and care required for having success in the planted aquarium. Being the foundation of a planted aquarium. Substrates have to be of high quality and standards. The substrates formulated for this purpose has to be of good quality. Lower quality substrate tend to break down extremely fast. Some has a life expectancy of roughly one year. Having the correct substrates can decipher the success of a planted aquarium. Plants requires proper substrate to thrive. A few key points when search for substrate is its buffering capabilities and compositions. Will it help buffer your PH? Will it lower your GH? Aquatic plants tend to grow best in soft substrates as opposed to hard gravel and rocky substrate.
Aquarium Substrate FAQs
Aquarium substrate is what covers the ground at the bottom of an aquarium. There are multiple choices for your aquarium substrate: these can include soils, gravels, nutrient-rich substrates, or inert substrates. Choosing the right substrate will bring health benefits to the plants, fish, and invertebrates in your tank. Some aquarium substrates are key to the overall health of the habitat, while others are merely aesthetic in nature. Depending on the type of aquarium you plan to keep, this will affect the type of substrate you end up purchasing. Be sure to research and know your options when it comes to substrate.
How do I clean my planted aquarium substrate? This is a controversial topic in the aquarium-keeping community and cleaning varies depending on the type of tank setup you have. For example, in a high-light tank with lots of organic waste and detritus, you will need to lightly vacuum your substrate on the surface. For slower-growing tanks, this will need to be done less frequently (around every 2-3 weeks or so). We recommend washing your new gravel prior to adding to a new fish tank. When in doubt about cleaning your tank, talk with an experienced aquarium hobbyist about how to clean your substrate.
When building up substrate, it requires many layers. As you build the substrate, you’ll need to layer the base, porous substrate, additives, sand, and soil. You will need to stack them in such a way that they don’t all combine over time. Some of the tools you may need to build up your substrate include: Styrofoam plates/base, porous substrate, additives, protractors/nets/mesh, sand/soil, decorations, plants, and a spray bottle with water.
As you just get started in the hobby, a question you’ll likely have is, “What is the best aquarium substrate for plants?” When choosing your substrate, you will want to factor in porosity, CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity), buffering capacity, aesthetics, and finally cost. Some substrates we recommend include: Azoo Growers Bed and Mr. Aqua Water Plant Soil. If you have questions relating to substrate, please speak with one of our experts today.
If you have an established aquarium already, you may be wondering what the process is for adding/replacing substrate to it. To begin, we recommend that you DON’T remove your old, existing substrate. The reason is because many of your beneficial bacteria is currently residing on your existing sand and gravel. As a result, we recommend placing your new substrate over it, so you don’t lose any of your bacteria. You shouldn’t remove your fish (except for bottom-dwelling fish) because you don’t want to cause any stress/potential injury. If there are any decorations in your way, you’ll want to remove these. To actually add your new substrate, we recommend you use the water bottle method.
The Importance of Planted Aquarium Substrate: Summary
At Sevenports, we offer many different types of substrate. One is the Mr. Aqua Water Plant Soil, which is a nutrient based substrate with buffering capabilities in lowering GH and keeping PH stable. Your values may vary from others as all water sources are different.
The second offering of substrate is the Azoo Growers Bed. This is a volcanic ashed based soil substrate. The benefit of volcanic ash based substrate is that it becomes more enriched over time with nutrient. Azoo Grower bed has buffering capabilities as well in terms of buffering PH and lowering GH. Both substrates are considered soft growing bed. With proper care and maintenance both substrate can outlast the aquarium and plants will thrive under nominal conditions. Have a great week!
To learn more about aquarium substrate for plants and to see test results see the Plant and Shrimp Substrate article.
-The SevenPorts Team
