Planted Tank Basics - Base Fertiliser & Substrate

I will be starting a whole series of post, which will focus on each component of a successful planted tank. Today, we will start from the very bottom which is quite an important component of every planted tank: Base Fertiliser. The Base fertiliser consists of a mix of various nutrients required by plants and is laid on the tank`s bottom followed by a layer of substrate. I would recommend a thickness of 1 - 2cm of base fertiliser followed by 1 - 3inches of gravel. I strongly urge the point to have a slope from 1.5 inch at the front to about 5-6inch at the back of the tank. This slope creates a 3D effect to your aquascape rather than have a flat layout which looks dull and plain. A slope also enhances the aquascape by having the plants planted at an angel. It allows you to view the inhabitants of your tank more easily too! In Singapore, the most common brand of base fertiliser we use are JBL and Sera. These two brands are priced reasonably and of good quality. Of course, there are other brands out in the market but I would not try them as I'll never know what it consist of and what harm it could bring to my pain-staking planted tank. There is no need to wash it, just open the packet and pour it directly into the tank bottom. Remember to spread it out evenly and level it with a card or a ruler. As for substrates, there are:
Definition:

• Inert: substrate that won't alter the water chemistry. That's a good thing in a substrate.

• Cation Exchange Capacity : the ability to adsorb positively charged nutrient ions. This means the substrate will hold nutrients and make them available to the plant roots. A high CEC is a good thing. It doesn't indicate the amount of nutrients the substrate contains.

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• Flourite
  A great substrate. High CEC, inert, very nice looking. Nutrient rich, but the nutrients are only available to plant roots. They will not leak into the water column. Contains iron and other trace elements. Doesn't get soft in water.
  

• Sand:
  Inert. No purpose other than to hold plants (and lower layers of other substrate) down. Low/no CEC.

• Gravel:
  Any gravel made for aquariums should be inert. If you are buying bulk, you can drop some into a cup of vinegar. If it fizzes, it isn't inert, and will harden your water. Even if you have soft water, that isn't a good thing, as you won't be able to control how much it hardens it. Most gravels have a low CEC, and contain no nutrients.

• Laterite:
  Purely a substrate additive. It's a rich red clay. Inorganic, and inert. It's very rich in iron and some other trace elements. Must be mixed with a regular substrate, and buried under a layer of some regular substrate. Otherwise, the iron and nutrients will enter the water column, clouding the tank, and resulting in extremely high iron levels, which will lead to algae problems.

Basically, I would recommend using ADA Aquasoil for tanks up to 3ft as it is rich and packed with nutrients which don't need base fertiliser. Lapis or holland sand is more economical for use in large tanks.

In conclusion, it is important to plan carefully what is most feasible for your tank size before buying anything in impulse as once its added, it is extremely tedious to remove or replace.

Lapis Sand
ADA Aquasoil