New To Plants - Asking For Opinions, Suggestions And Feedback

[flash_oesc]

Good evening!

So, I started fish keeping awhile ago, and always thought that fish were the primary focus in the hobby. Apparently, I was wrong. It's about décor, plants, lights, substrate, temperature, readings...and many more things before the fish.

I started a 10 gallon betta and 4 shrimp tank. I added a couple silk plants and a piece of driftwood...quite shortly after, I had 4 dead shrimp. I felt they didn't have enough hiding spaces, so I started to think. I scored some plants off a friend in town here. I got some wisteria and duckweed. I liked the floating look of both. I planted some wisteria, and kept some floating. I then added an amazon sword. I liked it as well, took a long time to get it to root, but I did it! I then ordered more shrimp with some mini pellia and moss balls. The moss is doing well, the pellia has been clinging to life since I got it (it was lost for a week in the mail, with the shrimp). I've now added 2 hunks of java moss and some corkscrew val. This is what the tank looks like below. I feel like it's doing pretty good, and the shrimp, betta (AND SNAILS) seem to all enjoy it

SO, I was feeling pretty confident, and decided that I would make a nice looking tank for my sons room. I got a 30G bowfront tank. I used playsand as a substrate, added a hunk of wood, popped in some fish (and cycled media). I went through some hell with the cories (that's a different thread)...but I'm happy with the fish now, and everyone's good. My apistogramma cacatuoids are even raising fry. That being said. I killed xmas moss. I figured it might have been the meds, or crap light. So I got a new finnex fugeray light (super bright!) and BOOM! Algae. everywhere. Brown, Green...etc. My new BN pleco took care of the brown, and a team of snails is currently working on the green (DAMN SNAILS). I got some new plants, purple cabomba and flame moss. I've killed the moss, and having a brutal time keeping these plants in the sand. My angelfish is redecorating I think, as well as plants are just floating away, and dragging others out with them. This tank has become a mess. I'm looking for suggestions. Is playsand a viable substrate? Any good plants that will root well in sand? I don't want to get into CO2 and fertilizers...I'd just like some plants for the fish to play and breed in, and to stop floating at the top! lol

[flash_oesc]

That messy ball of plant in the middle is a mass of floating plants. They were sunken along the bottom, did a big WC, then they were floating...now they are what they are...haha

[Traffic66]

I have playsand as my substrate in my 55 gallon with lots of different plants. don't have a problem with uprooting and it's a very full tank of guppies, cories, plecos, loaches, a betta, shrimp and a ton of different snails.

Based on the pic of the bowfront I would say you don't have a deep enough substrate for the roots to really dig in. I have mine about 3 inches deep.

[flash_oesc]

I have a bunch more sand, I was afraid to put it in until I could secure some MTS. I can't source any locally, so I need to try and get them from Edmonton at some point. Right now I'm hoping my cories and snails turn it over enough. I'll add more sand before adding more plants and see if that helps. I was wondering about potted plants as well. If people just add them with the pot still attached, and then hide the pot with rocks, wood, slate...etc

[ckmullin]

One thing I always tell people who want pool/play sand is to have 1. enough depth of sand for the plants to properly root...at least two or three inches minimum. My substrate depth ranges from 3-5 inches. 2. pool/play sand is so fine plants can be uprooted very easily. I'd suggest to throw in a couple bags of gravel '4mm down' and you'd be set. I'd say add another 2 inches so that the gravel is above the black plastic bottom cap.

This is a whole other topic but since you asked the question I'll say a bit. Typically for planted tanks people want it now, planted now, a final full lush look now. The problem is that sand is glass. There are ZERO nutrients in glass. So....in a new tank people unknowingly expect glass to support and grow plants which of course will not happen and the $$$ spent on plants will just be a waste. If someone is going to have a planted tank and not just a bowl with a goldfish you have to add nutrient to the water or substrate. Both can easily be done and both for little cost. Glass...ahem...sand can be good for a substrate but only if nutrient is added by you or via the buildup of that black gold...fish poop. (the black gold method takes time so while the plants are waiting for the poop to build up...they would have died long time before)

Since this tank is so new and not established I'm going to give you a good suggestion. Remove everything from that tank and start over from a bare bottom. This time use a soil base topped by 2 or 3 inches of sand (still with some gravel mixed in) Doing this will remove the need to dose nutrient on a regular basis, make your plants not depend on glass substrate for nutrient nor fish waste for nutrient. I've done this method for quite sometime with resounding success so I'd be happy to offer advice...as much or little as you want.

For a final tidbit, you can use pots but you'd limit root growth and in turn can limit plant growth. I'd suggest to 'Free Willy' and not use pots.

Happy Planting!