# What's your favorite substrate?



## Shakey (Dec 7, 2003)

I am currently using .5-1CM sized gravel. I am not sure if it is coated or not but pretty much everyone here would say its bad for a planted tank. I am getting away with it, but ancharis would not root it in, and I had a few other types of plants that I would rather eat lead paint chips then try to plant in that gravel (due to difficulty keeping the plant in the gravel). Despite the occasional frustrations, I found some plants that work incredibly well in it, and to me, I think the look of the gravel is awesome!!! Guess I would call it an earth tone blend of pea gravel (best description I could think of).

I am currently planning out a 55gal setup I will be building soon, and torn between Eco-complete and Soil Master, and maybe Flourite. But its tough call, all of them have a lot of pros and cons. Eco complete looks great, I love black, but price ICK! Flourite looks OK, a little cheaper for but the minor savings Black > not black.

Soil Master I am really considering long and hard, Its black, its cheap, but it looks like if a fish farts it will disturb the substrate, so I am not sure, if it was just slight more dense I would be all over that like flies on poo.

All said I love my earthy blend of pea gravel.


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## yoink (Apr 21, 2005)

I've got flourite, eco-complete, and soilmaster select. Right now my favorite substrate has got to be the soilmaster select. The color is great and it is dirt cheap. It is a bit light, but planting in it is just as easy as flourite. Most my fish don't move it around, but I don't have any large fish. Cory cats will push it around, but no more than any other substrate. It is just slightly lighter in color compared to eco-complete and when the plant fill in you won't see very much of it.


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## stcyrwm (Sep 1, 2005)

I've had the best luck with Onyx Sand. I like the dark color. It was easy to set up. Not too expensive and easy to plant in. 

Bill


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## cbennett (Oct 20, 2005)

Aquasoil Amazonia! Beautiful color, you don't need to rinse it and it won't scratch the glass! Also helps in successfully growing difficult plants like tonina, eriocaulon, etc.


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## debisbooked (Mar 3, 2006)

I like eco-complete. I have only used gravel before that but my plants do a lot better with the eco. My 75g is mostly low to moderate light plants under two 6700 bulbs and I do not fertilize. I also like the look of eco-complete with a few grains of gravel strewn across it.


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## thatguy (Oct 11, 2005)

cbennett said:


> Aquasoil Amazonia! Beautiful color, you don't need to rinse it and it won't scratch the glass! Also helps in successfully growing difficult plants like tonina, eriocaulon, etc.



second that. ADA pwnz joo.


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## ianiwane (Sep 7, 2004)

ADA for me too. Haha, I have 9 bags of the stuff sitting in my storage area.


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## random_alias (Jun 28, 2005)

ADA Aquasoil.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Along with Amano, Jeff and Mike Senske, David Oliver, myself: ADA AS.
cheaper than Onxy and Flourite generally.

Jeff sells it for about 26$ for basically 2 bags worth of the flourite or Eco complete, so unless you buy the EC etc for 13$, you are paying the same if not more(shipping will be more for those and less for the ADA substrate).


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## krazyalways (Feb 25, 2006)

Lots of good options. But let me ask a couple of questions: How does Onyx affect PH? And has anyone tried a layer of gravel on top of Soil Master?

Dee


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## crazie.eddie (May 31, 2004)

Red Flint #20 by Splish Splash Gravel distrubuted by Diaz Pet supplies, which is local. I bought 100 lbs bulk of the Red Flint #20 for less than $30 (USD).


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## mr.gaboozlebag (Feb 22, 2006)

The neon blue gravel that you can buy at lfs. Especialy with the dives and treasure chests that open and close and send out bubbles. They are so cute! who cares if plants hate it, I love it, and it doesn't look like thoses ugly natural ones that are expensive. This looks so much more artificial I love it. The neon pink kind is pretty cute to though... :hihi:

Just kidding. I like flourite.


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## actioncia (Jun 9, 2005)

ADA Aquasoil.


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

Where do you get this ADA stuff. I'm cleaning out my ancient 20L (it's older than my firstborn) and have determined that the equally ancient gravel (frosty peach quartz) has served its purpose and then some. Time for something new. Don't get me wrong - I like the sparkly peach stuff but a lot of the coating has flaked off and well, it's starting to look bad.


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

www.aquariumdesigngroup.com

It's actually rather inexpensive.


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

I found that last night after some google searching...

Compared to what? Echo or flourite locally? I'd say they're around the same, especially if you added the power sand (do you really need that?)


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## observant_imp (Jun 30, 2004)

I like the fine, crushed quartz gravel the size of the stuff in Eddie's photo. I've tried fluorite and while the plants do respond, it's harder to plant in than the gravel. 

I like gravel because it's inert. I'll add what I want to it. If I have a huge problem (I've tried some wacky ideas over the years), I can always rinse it in a bucket and start over. Once it's washed it's clean, settles immediately in the tank, and doesn't leave a cloud. It comes in 50 pound bags at the local rock yard.

I like tearing my tanks apart fairly frequently, so things like soil are a bad choice for me.


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## jgc (Jul 6, 2005)

I am cheep and am currently using sand - perhaps someday I will evolve enough to use a real substaite. Next substrait will be mineralized topsoil - cheeper than sand...


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