Choosing the right substrate for your project

[TwinTankman]

I've been to my fair share of aquarium club meetings and events, and I've heard the major plant people talk about how to keep plants thriving in tanks. But honestly, I've never felt the need to follow their advice to the letter. My CO2 system, which I no longer have, was cobbled together from a beer supply outfit, and it worked just fine.

I recently had a speaker at my club who was an expert on dry starts, but I just didn't see the point in doing things her way. I don't use dirt in my tanks, and I've found that Jobes plant spikes work perfectly well as gravel ferts. I plant my tanks with water in them, and I've never had any issues getting my plants to thrive.

I've been lucky enough to have a surplus of plants over the years, and I've even started selling them at events. But the real reason I keep plants in my tanks is because they make the water healthier, and they provide benefits to the fish. They break up sight lines, and they even allow me to stock my tanks more heavily if I want to.

One thing I've learned is that the bacteria in the substrate can be really beneficial, especially in planted tanks with substrate roots. I came across a paper that explains how this works, and it's really interesting. The paper is called "Nitrification and denitrification in the rhizosphere of the aquatic macrophyte Lobelia dortmanna L." It's a bit technical, but it basically says that the presence of plants can increase the rate of nitrification and denitrification in the substrate.

If you're interested in learning more, I'd recommend checking out the paper. But if you're not feeling up for something that technical, there's a simpler article on Dr. Tim's Aquatics that explains the basics of how aquatic plants interact with the nitrogen cycle. It's a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about how plants can help keep their tanks healthy.