# Best Cheap Substrate



## flight50 (Apr 17, 2012)

MG is a must to cap. I would recommend reading up on all the substrate options to determine if its right for you. 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=153412. Not sure if you saw this sticky but its a good start to begin your research on all the options.


----------



## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Gravel will sink slowly through STS.


----------



## FatherLandDescendant (Jul 24, 2014)

Carlton said:


> Whats the best cheap substrate for a planted tank?
> 
> Right now I have narrowed it down to Safe T Sorb or Miracle Gro Organic Potting Mix.
> 
> ...


Use a 1" to 2" layer of MGOCPM with a 2" cap of STS.

I wouldn't cap the two with gravel, no point. I have 1 all gravel tank (40b), and 1 MGOCPM with STS cap (10g). I've been resisting changing the 40b over to the same sub as my 10g, which probably won't last much past the start of summer:hihi:


----------



## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

*substrate*

Black diamond blasting sand. Check it out. Actually its coal slag. Which has natural nutrients in it 8dollars a 20 lb bag at tractor supply. Nutrient rich a beautiful black color.


----------



## Carlton (Jan 10, 2015)

Do either of these make the water a weird tanin?


----------



## cgorges (Sep 9, 2014)

+1 black diamond.


----------



## dcutl002 (Apr 8, 2014)

Miracle Gro Organic potting soil capped with sand.


----------



## Carlton (Jan 10, 2015)

Is black diamond blasting sand better than miracle gro?


----------



## steven p (Jun 22, 2012)

Carlton said:


> Is black diamond blasting sand better than miracle gro?


You could cap with black diamond. I would opt for a miracle gro layer regardless of what you pick to cap the soil.


----------



## Carlton (Jan 10, 2015)

how long does it take for the water to turn clear using miracle gro?


----------



## FatherLandDescendant (Jul 24, 2014)

Carlton said:


> Do either of these make the water a weird tanin?


Mine didn't.



Carlton said:


> how long does it take for the water to turn clear using miracle gro?


Mine cleared within 24 hours. Be careful when you fill the tank, try not to disturb the cap. increase the fine filter media in the filter, I use pillow stuffing in mine, clears it right up.


----------



## Carlton (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks


----------



## CannaBrain (Oct 3, 2008)

I'm a fan of eco-complete as far as cheap "all-in-ones." I prefer it over flourite. Though I use it as a cap and not solo typically. So yeah if you're going w/ miracle grow cuz it's cheap, you'd need to purchase a cap for it anyways. Spend a little more and you can get somethin a lil higher quality.


----------



## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

rick dale said:


> Black diamond blasting sand. Check it out. Actually its coal slag. Which has natural nutrients in it 8dollars a 20 lb bag at tractor supply. Nutrient rich a beautiful black color.


I use black diamond but I learned that it was inert (not nutrient rich).

I'd like to try STS sometime because it got a high CEC for the price and it's clay.


----------



## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Dirt capped with pool filter/blasting sand.


----------



## RyUGuy (Feb 4, 2012)

I have been using STS for about 2 years now and it is still a mess. My plants have a layer of dust on them pretty much all the time. Has a nice CEC rate but it is dirty and I will never use it again.


----------



## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

Cheapest would probably simply be straight sand.

Best (for the plants) yet still cheap would be the Miracle-Gro Organix Potting Soil (or Potting Mix? I can never remember which is preferred), capped with sand.

Sand layer can either be pool/play sand (natural tan color) or the Black blasting sand (for the rich black color).

Of course, people get away with cheaper homemade options all the time, too, but the ones above are the only ones I would seriously entertain.


----------



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

*Black Diamond Blasting abrasive* (aka 'sand'- actually coal slag) 20/40 grit or -60 is sand size and only *$8 for a 50lb bag*, found at tractor supply co. I've used 3-4 bags ($24-$32) for: 2g cookie jar 2g skinny vase, 3g bubble bowl, 6g bowfront, 7g cube, 12g long, 20g long, and 55g, still have a lot leftover from bag #4. For that price you couldn't get enough 'aquarium' sand' for just the 20g long.


----------



## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

If you have the patience, just use any organic garden soil, mixed with crushed pieces of charcoal (so roots don't compact, and acts as nutrient buffer), then let it soak for 2 months, no need for a cap. Or, plant the entire surface emergent, then flood it after a month. Sand / gravel is really just useless filler, necessary for a quick start if you don't want brown/black water.


----------



## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

> I'm a fan of eco-complete as far as cheap "all-in-ones." I prefer it over flourite.


Eco Complete and Flourite are both fired clay and they are both inert. Eco has some trace elements and iron that are quickly used up. If you're using it because you like the appearance, size, etc., then it's a great way to go. If you're using it because it's "complete" it's all marketing hype.


----------



## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

Kubla said:


> Eco Complete and Flourite are both fired clay and they are both inert. Eco has some trace elements and iron that are quickly used up. If you're using it because you like the appearance, size, etc., then it's a great way to go. If you're using it because it's "complete" it's all marketing hype.


I'm pretty sure Eco-Complete is crushed volcanic rock, not clay.


----------



## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

If I could do it again ~95% vermicompost, ~5% bentonite/montmorillonite clay, oscomote+ in large portions, mix, then top off with a 0.5-1" layer of activated carbon. No filler. You can also seed mychorrhizal fungi and beneficial nematodes, but a handful of your backyard dirt should probably contain both if they're not already in your vermicompost.

I recommend reading this http://bialix.com/amania/Chapters/Tech/sub-aquasoils_en.html which roughly breaks down the composition of every commercial substrate including ADA's.


----------



## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

xenxes said:


> If I could do it again ~95% vermicompost, ~5% bentonite/montmorillonite clay, oscomote+ in large portions, mix, then top off with a 0.5-1" layer of activated carbon. No filler. You can also seed mychorrhizal fungi and beneficial nematodes, but a handful of your backyard dirt should probably contain both if they're not already in your vermicompost.
> 
> I recommend reading this http://bialix.com/amania/Chapters/Tech/sub-aquasoils_en.html which roughly breaks down the composition of every commercial substrate including ADA's.


Why would you add activated carbon as a substrate mix? I thought after a month or so it could/would release nasties back into the water column. Isn't that why folks who use carbon pads have to change them?


----------



## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

It's a nutrient buffer, binds the water column nutrients but that doesn't mean it's stuck there pinting up to explode, it's just uptaken by roots as they need them. I'm now using it as a topping because it helps with the parameter swings at the beginning, then I start pushing them down into the substrate after plants have mostly established across the tank floor.


----------



## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

xenxes said:


> It's a nutrient buffer, binds the water column nutrients but that doesn't mean it's stuck there pinting up to explode, it's just uptaken by roots as they need them. I'm now using it as a topping because it helps with the parameter swings at the beginning, then I start pushing them down into the substrate after plants have mostly established across the tank floor.


I'm a little slow because this is new to me. Can you explain further? It's a nutrient buffer and binds the water. What does it buffer and bind? How does it help with parameter swings? I am only familiar with this in terrariums- I know it helps the terrarium from becoming stagnate. Helps keep the soil fresh.
Thanks


----------



## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

It comes down to the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) of the material, which is a measure of the ability to attract, retain, and exchange cation elements (i.e. nutrients), think a larger rechargeable battery. Used in the filter it will fill up and may leech some nutrients back into the water column (but still good biomedia given its microporosity), used in the substrate the roots will continuously pull the nutrients out.

Clays, humus, and charcoal have higher CEC, so they bind potassium (K+), ammonium (NH4+), magnesium ( Mg++), calcium (Ca++), zinc (Zn+), manganese (Mn++), iron (Fe++), copper (Cu+) that they come in contact with, and bind more of it. They also bind hydrogen (H+), which is not a nutrient but it affects pH (that's a whole another topic), but high reserves of H+ and Aluminum, and probably other elements, can buffer soil pH down to acidic, which is more desirable for most plants.

Cation exchange capacity for soils; soil textures; soil colloids[6] (from wiki)
Soil	State	CEC meq/100 g
Charlotte fine sand	Florida	1.0
Ruston fine sandy loam	Texas	1.9
Glouchester loam	New Jersey	11.9
Grundy silt loam	Illinois	26.3
Gleason clay loam	California	31.6
Susquehanna clay loam	Alabama	34.3
Davie mucky fine sand	Florida	100.8
Sands	------	1 - 5
Fine sandy loams	------	5-10
Loams and silt loams	-----	5-15
Clay loams	-----	15-30
Clays	-----	over 30
Sesquioxides	-----	0-3
Kaolinite	-----	3-15
Illite	-----	25-40
Montmorillonite	-----	60-100
Vermiculite (similar to illite)	-----	80-150
Humus	-----	100-300

I think activated carbon is higher in that range depending on how it's manufactured (couldn't find a reliable measure), but the topic gets deeper though, there are other benefits of using charcoal over say, verimculite , for instance it increases CO2 flux (CO2 release from the substrate, which aid in plant growth), harbors better microbial growth, increases mycorrhizal fungi activity, gets pretty intense. And now you see why I think sands are lame.

If you have doubts check out my 90g experiment, with partially composted / *uncomposted* waste like dog poo, banana peels, crab shells in the substrate, heavy clay, humus, and charcoal (regular and activated) content, fully stocked and no water column leeching (TDS stability) even after mucking up the substrate. If I could do it over again today I would just use mostly humus (worm casting) + montmorillonite/bentonite clay + charcoal, until I stumble upon or read something else.

More reading:
https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-238.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2004GB002435/full


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Carlton said:


> Whats the best cheap substrate for a planted tank?
> 
> Right now I have narrowed it down to Safe T Sorb or Miracle Gro Organic Potting Mix.
> 
> ...



Hi Carlton,

In my last three (3) tanks I have used Safe-T-Sorb #7941 only; Montmorillonite clay; high CEC. It is currently on sale at Tractor Supply for $5.00 for a 40# bags. This thread tells how I prepared it for my 75 gallon. 

10 gallon; 2X10 watt CFL screw-in; no CO2









20 gallon; 26 watt DIY LED; No CO2









75 gallon; LED & Power Compact; with CO2


----------

