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So I have a tank with sand as the substrate (my weather loaches love it) and I was wondering what plants I could make work with the sand. I have java moss and java fern attached to my driftwood and rocks but would like some substrate plants. I currently have about 2.24 watts per gallon. I prefer easier plants that don't take a lot of extra work or special features to maintain. Thanks for any insights.

IME plants don't like sand substrate because it compacts and crushes the roots. I've also not found sand to be very rich as a substrate.

I do remember some other members did ok with plants in a sand substrate, hopefully they'll post up. I stuck with the ones I could tie to rocks.
You could try potted plants.


^_^

Hi,
Sand, because of its small grain size, can present some
problems with plants. Plants use their root system for
a variety of reasons such as nutrient uptake, and also to
anchor themselves in place. It is the latter reason the
small grain size of sand presents a problem. As the plant
grows, it becomes so buoyant that it pulls right out
of the sand and rises to the surface sometimes with the
currents in the tank and other times by the digging of the
fish in the tank.

If you make the substrate as thick as is normal for a
planted tank you will have areas of anaerobic bacteria that
produce Hydrogen Sulfide a toxic chemical to both plants
and fish. It is characterized by a black area within the
sand bed and a "rotten egg" smell as the gas escapes
to the surface of the water.
If you keep the sand substrate thin,
say a half inch to an inch, then there is not much "weight"
of sand over the roots to hold the plant in place.

If you are using the moss and fern as plants, then chances
are that you are running "low light" a watt per gallon or
less. With sand, and an inch in depth, you could use many
of the foreground plants. Those, however, require a much
larger amount light, up around 3+ watts per gallon, and
probably some form of carbon, either CO2 injection, or the
liquid form to encourage growth.

With any sand bed you will want to keep it "loose" with
small catfish and/or the MTS snails. It will also require
frequent cleaning to keep it looking good and to eliminate
the stools from the fish laying on its surface. Over time
it will also change color from from bright sandy color to
a more dingy color as it stains from algae and organic
compounds.

Frank

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

Thanks for the responses. Frank, I have about 2.24 watts/gallon on my tank. I just use the java moss and fern because I find them very easy to take care of with just a bit of removal on occasion to keep them in check. I also have a fairly think layer of sand, which I personally love the look of. My weather loaches dig around in it quite a bit (you can see them filter it through their mouth and out their gills for any leftover bit of food). I haven't noticed any color change in the sand since I have had it, but I definitely notice the fish poop on the surface. From the research I have done and what ya'll are saying I guess I'll just stick to the plants that do OK on the driftwood and rocks.

Java fern doesn't like it's rhizome burried in the substrate, but there are ways you can work around it if you want more plants and less wood. Few small pieces of wood for the Java to root onto, but then half bury the wood in the substrate.

My clowns manage to uproot most stuff, pretty sure your weather loaches will do the same, but they do sell lead wrap wire at some LFS for weighing down plants.

^_^

Back when I had sand in one of my 10-gallon tanks, I had amazon swords and corkscrew vals that did fairly well.

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