Honestly not sure how some of you are growing plants well in just Sand.

[snowballs99]

I could blast CO2 to near lethal levels with EI dosing and the plants never look as good as in aquasoil with a little CO2.

My kh is only around 1 as well. It amazes me how some people are growing full on dutch aquascapes only in sand.

Do these scapes take you guys 4 months of 40ppm CO2 to grow out?

Sand tanks also seem to take More work too ironically. Water changes and nutrient dosing must be religious or things go bad fast.

In a tank with 6 months old aquasoil I can usually not dose for a month or 2 and won't see any issues, just plant growth slowing down but no blatant deficiencies.

 

[Unexpected]

I think the exact opposite. Just what I learned first I guess.

 

[Pepere]

June 21





October 28.


The June 21 tank had lots of starter plants in it just to get plant mass to prevent algae.. the october 28 tank has lots of plants that started as 2-3 3 inch snippets and propagated over the 4 months. The Myrio golden, Kimberly, limnophilia Wilsoni, blyxa Japonica, hygrophila Triflora and Downoi all fit in that category. The Cardinal Lobelia small leaf was just 1 stalk when I got it. Those snippets were propagated nd grown to what you see here in 4 months..


Daily dosing PPS pro. Feed the fish, feed the plants. Easier for me to remember to just do it that way.

Black Diamond Blasting sand on a 3/4 inch base of Safe T Sorb, aquasoil and activated carbon in mesh bags resting on UGF plates.

I sometimes go 2 weeks without water changes…

Works for me…

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Sounds like you are answering your own questions, and yes if your maintenance and dosing is not consistent without a nutrient rich sub then it will be an uphill battle. CO2 is important but if there’s insufficient to no nutrients it’s like pressing the accelerator on an empty gas tank.

If you could give us a little bit more we could prob help, pictures of your setup would be a great start.

 

[hamfist]

Black Diamond Blasting sand on a 3/4 inch base of Safe T Sorb, aquasoil and activated carbon in mesh bags resting on UGF plates.

I think its probably relevant that yours is not "just sand" as per the OP's question. It has aquasoil in the equation too.

I have little personal experience comparing different tanks but so far I have generally found inert substrate-only tanks to be hard work.

Anyway, in hindsight I wish I had used a high nutrient bottom substrate layer in all my tanks.

 

[Pepere]

think its probably relevant that yours is not "just sand" as per the OP's question. It has aquasoil in the equation too.

It does but it is a very small amount. Roughly 3/4 of an inch covering the bottom of the tank and that being 1 part Safe T Sorb, 1 part aquasoil, 1 part activated carbon…. So roughly 1/4 inch layer of Aquasoil…. And it is only there because I had it on hand and couldnt imagine using it anywhere else..

I have tried an all aquasoil tank and was underwhelmed by it. If I was ever doing an Iwagumi tank or a tank without a lot of plant mass, I would revisit aquasoil in order to run lean wc ferts and avoid algae from not having lots of plant mass…

While I do have some CEC in the Safe T Sorb and UGF washes wc ferts over it continually, and hence it is not strictly speaking a completely inert substrate, I havent perceived any great improvement on aquasoil alone , nor have I found this method more difficult than aquasoil.




This one has BDBS on a 3/4 inch base of Safe T Sorb only in mesh bags. No aquasoil at all…

Honestly I dont see much difference between this and the one with a little aquasoil…

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Here's my tank with only inert BDBS substrate, no root tabs, and only water column fertilizing:



I finally realized why I like this method; it's like baking vs cooking. Cooking is often about "feel". My dad cooks steaks to perfection without any specific recipe, never uses a thermometer to check their interior temp, and makes a perfect steak every time. I've tried, and maybe I’m not bad at it, but it never comes out the same for me and I find that difficult to stick with it.

I'm a baker. I bake an awesome sourdough, shokupan, pies, pizza, you name it. Every recipe is strictly measured with precise ingredients, weighed on scales that are accurate to hundredths of a gram. EVERY ingredient is listed in grams, and if it isn't in grams in the online recipe, then I measure via volume and then measure how much it weighs in grams. The times for rising, preheating, and baking are all in my notes and followed to a T every time.

My dad hates baking. He has no interest in stiff, rigorous protocol or following specific directions. He loves feeling what the steaks "need", and adjusting on the fly. Every time I've tried to get him to bake, he misses an ingredient or deviates from the strictly written recipe. He says that he finds it difficult to stick with it.

Neither is the superior method of food preparation! Both can make amazing meals. But, for me, while inert sand is much more unforgiving if you don't provide what plants need in proper, stable amounts, it also allows full control, replicate-able environments, and as few changing variables as possible.

Aqua soil is always changing IME. It releases, absorbs, breaks down, etc.

Inert sand requires 100% manual input and a semi-rigorous water change schedule for high-energy tanks. Aquasoil often doesn't. Just use whatever you want, or what works best for you!

 

[Koan]

I'm a baker.. Every recipe is strictly measured with precise ingredients...

My dad hates baking. He has no interest in rigorous protocol. He loves seeing what the steaks need, and adjusting on the fly. Every time I've tried to get him to bake, he misses an ingredient or deviates from the strictly written recipe.

Rocco this is genius

I think you have identified the key point of failure making people continually struggle with successful planted tanks.

It is absolutely not possible to succeed with plants by trying to emulate the practices of someone whose habits and personality are the opposite of yours.

The plants needs stability.

The hobbyist needs a strategy and a maintenance practice that fits their habitual, instinctive approach to problems.

No enjoyment: no consistency, no stability.. No plants.

I think if we can make this very simple point, over and over again, when helping people investigate growth and algae problems, we will all have a lot more success!

 

[Pepere]

You would hate being in the kitchen while I bake…

I bake like your dad cooks….

Every recipe is strictly measured with precise ingredients, weighed on scales that are accurate to hundredths of a gram. EVERY ingredient is listed in grams, and if it isn't in grams in the online recipe, then I measure via volume and then measure how much it weighs in grams

A little of this a little of that…no measuring spoons. No recipes, the ratios are in my head… Just a regular old soup spoon eyeballing it. Yeah, thats about right…. Substitutions on the fly, throw in some yogurt to make it moister and use it up, maybe some applesauce…

You would be shaking your head and clucking your tongue


Fwiw I dont mix plant ferts and minerals like I cook or bake..

I use a milligram scale and my water changes are to a line on my tank where I have determined exactly how many gallons it is by measuring the internal cubic inches…

 

[snowballs99]

You would hate being in the kitchen while I bake…

I bake like your dad cooks….

A little of this a little of that…no measuring spoons. No recipes, the ratios are in my head… Just a regular old soup spoon eyeballing it. Yeah, thats about right…. Substitutions on the fly, through in so e yogurt to make it moister and use it up, maybe some applesauce…

You would be shaking your head and clucking your tongue


Fwiw I dont mix plant ferts and minerals like I cook or bake..

I use a milligram scale and my water changes are to a line on my tank where I have determined exactly how many gallons it is by measuring the internal cubic inches…

I've gotten to the point in my GH mix.
I do 1 pinch of magnesium,
1 bigger pinch of calcium.

I think I used to do this for EI mix as well until I found it was just easier to make a solution lol.