# Coir Fibre as substrate?



## NJL (May 14, 2011)

hi people!

Does any body think i would have any problems using coir fibre as a substrate capped with gravel? on the packet it claims to be a peat substitute or is peat a better bet?

I have also been thinking about just going with a good quality potting mix. The tank in question will be a nono of about 4.5g. 

Which would be the better for growing lowlight plants and are all of the above suitable with RCS?


----------



## Ahura-sama (Dec 7, 2009)

3 things to take into consideration from my own experience.

1. The fiber dont sink in water, so if released will rise and make a huge mess.
2. When the fiber come in contact with water it will leach tannin(?) and stain the water from tea to blackwater depends on the level of exposure.
3. Nutrient-wise new coir is not as rich as peat so you'll need to supplement it with root tab or something like. I think that is easier and give you more control that way, but be careful not to release it into the water doing so.


----------



## NJL (May 14, 2011)

Thanks for the quick reply.

My main reason for going with it was that i thought it was nutrient rich, but if its not i wont bother and probably just use potting mix.


----------



## Ahura-sama (Dec 7, 2009)

It takes time to get rich in nutrient. Still I'd avoid it considering the potential mess.


----------



## fish dork (Jan 13, 2008)

I did use the coco peat... mixed half and half with worm castings. Initially it did come up, and I had to screen floatees from the top for about a week. But then it does waterlog and stays down after that... 2 years later still growing plants!


----------



## NJL (May 14, 2011)

Does anybody have any other suggestions about what would be a good substrate that will hopefully not mess up my tank too badly?

Is potting mix a good idea if I soak it in a bucket and remove all the floating particles after a day or 2?


----------



## ThinkTank (May 24, 2011)

I'm new to this also, but I think potting soil is the way to go.

I have a 55 gallon tank with a sand substrate and use root tabs to fertilize. Tank gets direct sunlight and the plants barely grow.

I have a 10g experiment that I put simple dirt from my yard in and capped with sand. Direct sunlight also. I've already trimmed a few plants back after 1 month.

If you use potting soil, use organic - the others have chemical fertilizers added (not convinced this is a bad thing if its just plants in the tank)


----------



## NJL (May 14, 2011)

Thanks for the tip with organic ! I'll definatly go this way!


----------

