Aquarium Substrates! Which One is Right For You? Pros & Cons of 9 Types of Planted Tank Soil& Gravel

Substrates! All You Need to Know - The Pros & Cons of 7 Types of Planted Aquarium Soil & Gravel! Don't protest the options, whether your a sand and soil, a dirted Diane Walsted fan or like bare bottom aquariums, there is a substrate and happy solution for you, your planted aquarium or aquascape and it's inhabitants. Be it fish that need basic and buffered water or shrimp needing tannic acidic waters, there are ways to accomplish your aquatic goals with most of the options available.

The real question is: what lights do you have or want to use, do you have root tabs or under sunstrate fertalizers and minerals? Are you using an organically active substrate, a mineral fortified substrate? Will it cause ammonia spikes while cycling, (if so, how do you prevent this?!). And lastly, do you want to rearrange your aquascape frequently? Do you mind gravel vacuuming and cleaning dirty filters? Or is an earthy and silty looking tank bottom, a beautiful and natural looking feature of your aquarium to you?

Your fish and pet shrimp (tetras, discus, corydoras, rainbowfish, angelfish and catfish will thank you, as will your cherry shrimp crystal shrimp, taiwan bee, or caridina/ neocaridina shrimp!)

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If I've earned it and helped you out, I appreciate any help via advice or donations to help improve the channel! For Patreon donations of as low as $1 follow the link below.
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LINKS TO SUBSTRATES

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RARE & BEAUTIFUL PLANTS

[maryturner]

I really could have used this video before my "experiments" with substrate. Watching your videos, I'm gaining knowledge and confidence to attempt things I never would have. And so Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone.

[chiralvandal]

Can’t believe the amount of information in your channel!

Another great thing with most of your videos is that they are all rewatchable, and not just “here’s what happened this week” type of content. Those have their place too, but don’t quite pump out potentially useful information with the same density? as these.

[nathanielreichert]

I made a substrate from mud I got from a pond, capped with sand. I felt proud of it

[chilirasbora]

I've been watching your channel for a minute now I just want to let you know I am very pleased with the advice you give. You really help me out a lot.
Thanks.

[badhands]

Hi Alex, thank you for all your effort in teaching us and giving helpful knowledge.
Now that it is cold and dark all day it's the time to watch your older vids again.

[andrewgoldfish]

Wow so much great info. I wanted to do something different for a new tank and this helped a lot.

[ZACHAFARI]

Great video! Like going back and watching older content!

[Jen.K]

So much information here, I need to listen again and take notes 😊

[charliebrown]

That was tremendously helpful, I will have to watch it again, I really am struggling with all this... Thx for such amount of info 👍👍👍

[dianaheaphy]

Thanks! This was incredibly helpful material!

[katfishjak]

I think switching substrates is easier when you have multiple tanks to where you can transfer the fish .

[davidspangler-dkug]

Thanks, this is clearly done, and informative.

[jacklaporte]

Trying to catch up on all these gems. Man I’m gonna be so SMRT (cheesy Homer Simpson reference). Thanks man 👊🏼

[jerradlwells]

those flood lights you use are great. i have the 30 watt version that i bought for about 25 dollars and its by far the brightest light i have on my tank.

[heaven]

Wish I would have had this information 4 months ago. It is a great video I'll save and return to.

[gregspektor]

Super informative and detailed. Thank you for putting all this information into a single video. Who are those little guys at 22:36? They're adorable!

[aleatkins]

not that you would see this but I would totally buy a betta hoodie if you made one! big fan btw you are the reason I fell in love with the hobbie

[shesellsfish]

My water straight out of the tap is 5.5 with a tds of 16. Just about RO from the tap. So substrate is a biggie for me with guppies or endlers or neo shrimp. I have bags of crushed coral on hand and a large supply of Wonder Shells. Plants don't grow well in that almost RO tap water either.
You really do have to know the water you are working with, and the stock you intend to keep before you stress over substrates and additives.
👍💕👍

[Fibonaccialfredo]

Hi Alex! Have you ever tried adding worm castings to your substrate? I have some laying around and was playing around with the idea of mixing it with some sand and then capping that with pea gravel. I figure if it does wonders for my houseplants then it must be good for my aquarium plants. If I went that route, would you see a need to add root tabs as well? Or would both be too “rich” and melt everything?

Also, thank you so much for your videos! I always try to provide enclosures for my animals that mimic their natural environment as closely as possible and really appreciate your insight :)

[dlund]

From Wikpedia: "Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems. The related term Aufwuchs (German "surface growth" or "overgrowth") refers to the collection of small animals and plants that adhere to open surfaces in aquatic environments, such as parts of rooted plants. Periphyton serves as an important food source for invertebrates, tadpoles, and some fish. It can also absorb contaminants, removing them from the water column and limiting their movement through the environment. The periphyton is also an important indicator of water quality..."