# Soil, sand or gravel?



## NerdyCheshire (Mar 30, 2018)

Which one do you use and why? Any pros/cons of each ? How would they work for a low tech plant?


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## mjfa (Apr 23, 2018)

I am no expert but, in my limited experience all the three have worked for me, being soil the more difficult to deal with.

*Soil* is easily disturbed when planting, replanting, during tank maintenance chores and by fishes that search the bottom for food. It could adversely influence water chemistry due to the minerals it may contain and, in some cases, may lead to ammonia spikes, so testing is a must before adding critters. On the other hand, many rooted plants will grow on soil better than on sand or gravel. If I were to use soil as substrate in a planted tank would cap it with a layer of sand. 

*Sand* is usually stable and once it has been thoroughly rinsed with water won’t influence water chemistry. Rooted plants seem to grow better in sand than in gravel. You’ll possibly need to use root tablets or liquid fertilizers with sand.

*Aquarium Gravel* is the most common and readily available, it works well with many rooted plants and as with sand you’ll possibly need to use additives to grow plants. For plants it is recommended to use fine grained gravel instead of coarse grained gravel.


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## Cranly (Apr 14, 2014)

I like mjfa's breakdown. 

Substrate can also effect the bottom feeders you might have - for instance, cory cats need a very fine substrate (like sand) so they don't hurt their barbels when rooting around.


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## debs0n (Feb 12, 2018)

I use gravel and it works well with my low tech lamp. My tank is 5 gal and the light doesn't quite reach the whole way across so I put my plants mainly towards the light. How good it is for bettas though, I don't know. I must also add that I usually go to my aquarium store and go "give me the lowest-maintenance plants you have" so.... XD


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## poisonousgiraffe (Jan 24, 2018)

I like using sand, I think it just looks nicer from an aesthetic point of view. I actually have two tanks with a mix of sand and gravel, which looks pretty nice too. As far as planting goes, trying to keep the plants from floating away when you first plant them is a pain with both types. But I've had better luck with sand, especially if I'm planting something in the tank after it already is full of water. With gravel I have to practically bury the whole plant in order to get enough gravel around it to keep it from floating away, and I end up damaging the roots trying to push the gravel around. 

Using soil is really good if you want to plant stuff like cryptocoryne and swords, since they are big root feeders, and in my opinion using soil helps them establish a strong root system which will keep them from escaping from the substrate lol. Using soil can be kind of annoying though, since it can be messy.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

funny thing is, I use all three. Well for each tank. I have one with soil one with sand and one with gravel. 

for me Gravel is the best. That is IF you wanna be able to move the plants around. I love mixing natural colors of gravel around. like black brown and white.
Sand I have a hard time cleaning with the siphon and depending on what color you chose, it looks dirty after a long time. 
Dirt... I love! but you cannot move the plants and it gets very messy when you end up redoing the whole tank.

my tank with sand:









my tanks with gravel: 

















and my natural planted tank with soil.


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## shooter (Dec 25, 2014)

I use Aquasoil with a sand cap. I like Aquasoil because it is a soil substrate, but it is somehow formed into little pellets. They don't murk up the water.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

that works too. I was thinking about getting Aquasoil but ended up only getting anubias plants for my 10 gallon so didn't need it.


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## shooter (Dec 25, 2014)

Tree said:


> that works too. I was thinking about getting Aquasoil but ended up only getting anubias plants for my 10 gallon so didn't need it.


You just need to be sure and REALLY cycle your tank with Aquasoil before adding fish. It produces and serious ammonia spike during the initial cycle.


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## trahana (Dec 28, 2015)

I love gravel and sand, both look good if you buy or gather the natural kind. 
I live by the coast so I get my own gravel and sand occasionally, to do that just wash 3+ times with water(removes debris), then let sit with a vinegar mix for about an hour(removes bacteria), rinse well 3 more times, let dry completely, and then rinse once more before adding to the tank. By gathering your own sand/gravel you can pick the right size of gravel/sand and know there are no unnatural additives in it.


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## NerdyCheshire (Mar 30, 2018)

mjfa said:


> I am no expert but, in my limited experience all the three have worked for me, being soil the more difficult to deal with.
> 
> *Soil* is easily disturbed when planting, replanting, during tank maintenance chores and by fishes that search the bottom for food. It could adversely influence water chemistry due to the minerals it may contain and, in some cases, may lead to ammonia spikes, so testing is a must before adding critters. On the other hand, many rooted plants will grow on soil better than on sand or gravel. If I were to use soil as substrate in a planted tank would cap it with a layer of sand.
> 
> ...





Tree said:


> funny thing is, I use all three. Well for each tank. I have one with soil one with sand and one with gravel.
> 
> for me Gravel is the best. That is IF you wanna be able to move the plants around. I love mixing natural colors of gravel around. like black brown and white.
> Sand I have a hard time cleaning with the siphon and depending on what color you chose, it looks dirty after a long time.
> ...



beautiful tanks!
thank you for the advice!


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## mjfa (Apr 23, 2018)

shooter said:


> You just need to be sure and REALLY cycle your tank with Aquasoil before adding fish. It produces and serious ammonia spike during the initial cycle.


Same thing happens with EcoComplete.


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## mjfa (Apr 23, 2018)

My results with different substrates:

Soil (from my yard) with river sand cap









Sand (from pet store)


Gravel (from pet store)


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## NerdyCheshire (Mar 30, 2018)

mjfa said:


> My results with different substrates:
> 
> Soil (from my yard) with river sand cap
> 
> ...


thanks for the examples! So either way it can work, depends on if I want to use ferts, root tabs etc. Do ferns and anubias need root tabs or is liquid fert enough?

Also really fond of the 2nd tank, where did you get that one?


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## mjfa (Apr 23, 2018)

NerdyCheshire said:


> thanks for the examples! So either way it can work, depends on if I want to use ferts, root tabs etc. Do ferns and anubias need root tabs or is liquid fert enough?
> 
> Also really fond of the 2nd tank, where did you get that one?


Ferns and Anubias doesn't benefit from root tabs nor substrate, they get nutrients from the water column and they are slow growing plants. They are hardy and in nature they are emerged plants. I like 'em because of their beauty and easy care. I have found that liquid ferts benefit their slow growing. They don't need high lights, so plant them in the shadows to avoid algae growing on their leaves.


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