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I am upgrading my lighting in my 29G from 40W to a CF 65W light fixture. Right now i have low light plants in regular gravel but want to start getting into more plants and especially medium light ones. Should i add laterite to my existing gravel or just leave things as is? I'm not going to use CO2 but want to have the best growth i can get from the extra light, ferts and possibly the substrate. If i do get Laterite can i just put it into the tank and mix it in with my existing gravel or do i have to take all the gravel out and then put in a bottom layer of laterite? Or should i look into another substrate? Thanks.

Hi,
Laterite is a clay and when whetted it will form an opaque,
brown, cloudy mess. The only way to "add" it is to strip
out the tank and then add the laterite as a inch and a half
layer. On top of the layer of laterite, you then add what
is called a "cap layer" of either aquarium gravel or sand.
(preferably gravel.)

The cap layer should be one and half to two inches thick
on top of the clay layer.

Then, place a dinner plate atop of the gravel and slowly
add the water till the tank is about half full. Plant your
plants by adding them to the gravel layer. Do not penetrate
the clay layer. Be sure that you have the plants where you
want them and don't keep uprooting them and moving them.

Once the tank is planted, with the plate back in place
add water till the tank is filled. Be sure to pour the
water in atop of the plate. That will dissipate the current
so the clay is not disturbed.

Once things take hold, you must be careful when vacuuming
the gravel so you do NOT penetrate the clay layer. Also,
the plant roots will grow through the gravel into the clay
layer, and then any time you uproot a plant, you will pull
clay particles up thorough the gravel into the water column
where it will turn the water brown and cloudy. Several
large water changes will eventually thin the cloud out,
but it will take weeks to become clear again. The only
other way is to use a diatom filter. They will clean the
tank in a hour or so.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Frank, i'd rather not tear up the tank like that so is there anything else i could add to the existing gravel or do i really even need an additional/better substrate? Thanks for the help.

Hi Brian,
No, actually there is not much that you can do to the tank
at this stage. Virtually all of the substrates that are
available will make a cloudy mess of your tank. My only
suggestion would be to use liquid fertilizers such as
the Flourish or Tetra-min brands. For the heavy root
feeders such as Amazon Sword plants, use plant tablets,
plant balls, or plant sticks, pushed into the gravel near
the plants to enrich the substrate.

Be sure to read the containers and follow the directions.
Remember, even though it is a X gallon tank, when you add
3-4 inches of substrate, it is no longer that same X gallon
tank. It is something less as the substrate displaced the
water. So your 30 gallon tank could easily be around 25 or
so. Keep that in mind when dosing.

Later on, when/if you do a major overhaul,is the time to
look at changing out the substrate. Many use the layering
method, others, such as myself, use straight Sea-Chem Fluorite,
or you can use one of the others such as Echo
Complete, or one of the "soils" being marketed.

Some of the newer substrates "wear out" after a year or two
of heavy planting, and have to be replaced.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

You mentioned that you wouldn't be using CO2.
Just wanted to point out that without CO2 the algae is likely to use any extra light rather then the plants. You might want to set up a DIY unit for now if you can't afford to purchase since your tank is small enough that a DIY unit will work.

I second what Franks said, tearing everything apart now is going to be a lot of work just for an additional substrate. Regular gravel should be just fine, especially if it's got the fish waste down there already, simply supplimenting with root tabs as needed should do fine.

^_^