# Has anyone used coco fiber as substrate?



## v369

only things i can say for coco fiber is that it breaks down much slower than peat, does not alter ph as much. 
and if your going to use it make sure to get the type sold for terriarum and horticurtural usage as the lanscape grade stuff is not as ''clean'' and usualy contains high ammounts of salts.

if you use,let us all know how it turns out !


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## snail

Thanks for the input. The one I have is for potting soil. I have been soaking it in water as it stains the water. Floating may be a problem but I read to boil it so I'll try that.


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## H2OLOVER

if youre talking about coconut fiber
they sell it in bricks at petco and petsmart


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## snail

Yes that's the stuff.


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## H2OLOVER

a brick makes a lot of substrate about 3 gallons worht


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## snail

Yeh, it's impressive how much the stuff expands. I get it to use as potting compost but have never tried it for aquarium substrate, I'm still hoping some one else has already done it.


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## H2OLOVER

you might have to use a topper like flourite or pea gravel or even a heavy sand cause that stuff is pretty light IMO


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## 4f1hmi

it will make your tank water a mess as this stuff floats overtime. It should only be used for emersed or terrarium purposes only. They breakdown into bits and pieces. They are really good in retaining moisture and in lowering ph.


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## H2OLOVER

can you use it in a filter sock?


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## 4f1hmi

yes you can


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## H2OLOVER

will it still tint the water even after you rinse it


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## snail

H2OLOVER said:


> you might have to use a topper like flourite or pea gravel or even a heavy sand cause that stuff is pretty light IMO


Yes I will.



4f1hmi said:


> it will make your tank water a mess as this stuff floats overtime. It should only be used for emersed or terrarium purposes only. They breakdown into bits and pieces. They are really good in retaining moisture and in lowering ph.


I'm looking at $400 to buy commercial substrate so I might find a way of dealing with the bother 
II have read it does not lower PH like peat moss does, but that surprised me.



H2OLOVER said:


> will it still tint the water even after you rinse it


I think that will wear off after soaking for a while, it only stains as much as a bit of bog wood would.


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## mountaindew

I used coco fiber expanding plugs used for general horticulture under florite because I didnt have my standard peat plates on hand.
To make a long story short, it took almost a year to figure out why I could not get that system to balance out and become a nice display. 

small warning from me, be warned if using that type.
MD


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## snail

Thanks for the input MD. What were the problems you had? How did you use it, did they stay as plugs or did you soak them first and break it up? I'm very interested to know the details of what went wrong.


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## Bettatail

are you new to the planted tank?
you can use the coco filber for a temporary breeding mop, or something, but not long term.
if use it as long term, that is too much organism, even worse if you burry the coco fiber into the substrate/sand, after bacteria start working on the organism mass that will be amonia and/or methane gas released.

people try to clean the organism out of their substrate, please don't do the opposite:icon_bigg

add:
driftwood is organism also but due to limited surface area, bacteria don't consume it fast enough to creat problem, but coco fiber, you can see what is going wrong in your tank if coco fiber start rotting.


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## snail

No, had planted tank for years but never tried DIY substrate. How would coco fiber be different from peat moss? I believe peat moss works very well in the substrate of a planted tank.


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## mountaindew

snail said:


> Thanks for the input MD. What were the problems you had? How did you use it, did they stay as plugs or did you soak them first and break it up? I'm very interested to know the details of what went wrong.


They were left in plug form.
I used them under florite substrate gravel. 

Problems, caused film on surface of water for months.
Water column had some undesired element from the stuff breaking down.
Constant problems with bacteria,algae very strange, had me scratching my head for a long time.
After a year or so it went away. lol. 
I set up a few displays per year and this one, I used the coco plugs in and the only one I had long term problems with. Had to review notes to notice and remember what I did that was different.

md


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## snail

Thanks, did it cause problems for your plants too of just the water?


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## desertVet

Yea I have an old reptile tank I was thinking of converting to planted. Thanks for all the input.


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## hobbyfish

hi snail this is from india. i have used coconut fiber (coco peat the one that comes as bricks) as substrate material over which i have placed gravel so it does not float, no problem in PH or plant growth. this is my third year i have not changed my substrate but i have used fetilizer sticks( ocean free) and clay ball ( German company). i remember reading this post in 2012 hence i am coming back to tell you that it is a good idea. i also use almond leave dried to keep the PH acidic . i have 6 discus, tetras , yoyo loaches, and shrimps.next time i revamp i am planning to put clay over the cocopeat,


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## Charlie W

I am concerned by the answers I am hearing. Coco fiber is used all the time in hydroponic grows, and it does not have the issues claimed by many on here. I do not understand how it is getting such bad reviews or how it reacts differently to plants that are submerged vs. a hydroponic system.


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