# Aquascape slope quesstion



## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

I personally wouldn't think so.. but substrate itself can hold pockets of air that become toxic over time I do think. IMO I wouldn't worry about it, but see what some other people say to.


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## RobnSonji (Oct 6, 2013)

Ive often wondered about this myself. Especially when I see recommendations for 4inches of substrate or more. Or when making hills like you said.

One could say that in nature the substrate is way deeper than in our tanks and it doesnt kill things. But in nature youre dealing with such a huge volume of water that if/when some toxic
gas escapes it is so diluted that it doesnt cause problems. In our tiny little slices of nature that is not the case.

Sometime when I see people saying that had a fish die off after a good tank cleaning I wonder. It gets blamed on chlorine....temperature....ph swings etc etc but I wonder if sometimes a good
substrate cleaning doesnt release some funk into the water column...and the deeper the substrate the more likely it would be I think.

You will see some shrimp keepers recommend just enough substrate to cover the bottom for this very reason.

Things become stagnant/anaerobic down in the substrate


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Might I suggest plain old lava rock. The type they sell for bbq's at hardware stores. It provides excellent surface for nitrifying bacteria and is cheap and easy. This method has been used by others, a quick Google search should give you some more detailed info on using it for this purpose.

Dan


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## Tibbi (Jul 10, 2011)

I already have the dragon stone on order. I could use lava rock under the part you don't see to get the height I want. I just thought I could use a media bag and extra gravel to make part higher to use less of my main aqua soil and less rock. Just want it to be shrimp and fish safe later when I add them.


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Yes that's what I meant sorry for not being very clear. I think lava rock would be a good choice as a filler under you ADA without creating concern of anaerobic build up. It will also provide a better surface for nitrifying bacteria than smooth stone

Dan


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## Tibbi (Jul 10, 2011)

Thanks got some Lava Rock.  Don't want to mess this tank up. I already had a disaster with my co2. I learned from my mistake(I hope). So I thought it would be a good reason to set a bigger tank up. And really work on the aquascape and the plants before I go for shrimp and fish. 

I plan to have 

Otts
CPS
Cherry Shrimp
nerite Snails(which I have now)

Plants

Baby Tears (I have know doing ok)
Dwarf pennywort
nana anubias(I have know)
Christmas moss for tree

I have one current satellite pro light. I am thinking of hooking up my extra old satellite plus light. Do you think that would be too much light or enough "High" light for the baby tears? 

I have a eheim canister filter classic 150 and I will have a nano circulation pump added to the 20 gallon for more water circulation.


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Tibbi said:


> Thanks got some Lava Rock.  Don't want to mess this tank up. I already had a disaster with my co2. I learned from my mistake(I hope). So I thought it would be a good reason to set a bigger tank up. And really work on the aquascape and the plants before I go for shrimp and fish.
> 
> I plan to have
> 
> ...


Sounds like you have done your homework on hardware. Have you considered your method of dosing ferts in the tank? With high lighting this will be a must and by your previous post I am assuming it will be Co2 injected. As long as your getting good coverage of light over the tank I would start with 1 and see how things go from there if you feel you need more light then make the change to 2. But if you are lacking coverage you may want to start with 2 off the hop. Remember increasing light intensity and duration will increase needs for ferts and Co2 and accelerate both plant growth but also possibly algae. I am no expert on lighting by any means so hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I know people say don't rely on algae eaters to solve an algae issue but I disagree with this to some extent as some algae in the tank does not make it unhealthy and is almost impossible to achieve with the exception of few that are extremely advanced in the hobby without a cleanup crew. In my own experience with otto's they are extremely effective and provide a big cushion to work with in regards to algae... you will love these guys I'm certain.

Dan


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## Tibbi (Jul 10, 2011)

I have liquid ferts but just stopped using them. I may start back up with this new tank. I can't wait to get more otts again. I had some but I had issues with my current tank. I have continued to research and working on not making any mistakes with this tank I hope. In the beginning I had issues keeping shrimp alive. So I am still trying to get my water parameters just right. That's where I also googled and googled, LOL. 

I even drew out a diagram of where I am going to place everything this time for better water flow and aquascape layout. I can't draw.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

In case you decide to flip or switch with the ferts I recommend NiloG EI dosing fertilizers..


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Tibbi said:


> I have liquid ferts but just stopped using them. I may start back up with this new tank. I can't wait to get more otts again. I had some but I had issues with my current tank. I have continued to research and working on not making any mistakes with this tank I hope. In the beginning I had issues keeping shrimp alive. So I am still trying to get my water parameters just right. That's where I also googled and googled, LOL.
> 
> I even drew out a diagram of where I am going to place everything this time for better water flow and aquascape layout. I can't draw.


Yeah its a learning process and it never really stops but it sure does get easier and you in the right place for support, there are immense amounts of knowledge on this forum. You may want to try posting in the fertilizer and lighting sections to get a more thorough answer on those topics and I would recommend switching to dry ferts as @BettaBettas suggested. Its much cheaper and more customizable. 

Dan


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## milesm (Apr 4, 2006)

check out these youtube videos by dennis wong aka xiaozhuang on the forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqRwjZIzhU (elevating rocks) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgXQ6mBvhK8 (deep soil substrate). another one showing how to achieve deep substrates and slopes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHvFXNiVfIA


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

milesm said:


> check out these youtube videos by dennis wong aka xiaozhuang on the forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqRwjZIzhU (elevating rocks) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgXQ6mBvhK8 (deep soil substrate). another one showing how to achieve deep substrates and slopes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHvFXNiVfIA


I know I have found a lot of his video's have great information and go in real depth.

Dan


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## [email protected] (Jan 8, 2010)

I'm in Atlanta and I have used Crushed granite nickel size pieces . actually I just stole it from a construction site , They use it for drainage .I took a 5gal bucket full ,Rinsed It and did my My slope and then capped it with Mr aqua plant soil . Good thing to use as it is inert and will not change your water parms


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## audimurf (Mar 23, 2017)

This thread is of interest to me as I am adding substrate this weekend. If it is not a problem, I would like to post a picture to gather opinions. 

I would like to raise the height with some sort of media. The last video posted was pretty neat how he saved a ton of money on soil! Any idea on what he used as far as media and the material he placed it in?

I am playing with layout right now and trying to see how to fill in the gaps where the paint cans are and the surrounding areas of the slop to not fill with the 2.25 gallons of Prodibio aqua soil I have. Tank is 29 gal.



If it is wrong to post in this thread, I will remove and repost my own. Thanks and sorry all the same!

Looking for MC carpet and Dwarf Hair grass towards the back (first tank)


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## Tibbi (Jul 10, 2011)

Great videos. I think I will use lava rock to help make part of the tank higher then some dragon rock. And a driftwood to make look like a tree. Can't wait. 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

milesm said:


> check out these youtube videos by dennis wong aka xiaozhuang on the forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqRwjZIzhU (elevating rocks) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgXQ6mBvhK8 (deep soil substrate). another one showing how to achieve deep substrates and slopes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHvFXNiVfIA


+1 I was going to recommend mimicking dennis' method for slopes


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