Substrate Setup

[Brian]

im tinking on re- make my 29 gallons aquarium

the new substrate will be

1. thin layer of Activated charcoal in the bottom mixed with peat moss
2. peat moss
3. 2 bags of eco complete

I think that I dont need iron suplement or I need?

[trenac]

I use very little extra iron in my setups, besides what is in the micro's. In one tank about a month ago I started using no extra iron dosing. I've seen no visible signs of iron dificiency, so far. This is in tanks with pool sand mixed with Flourite as a substrate. So no I don't think you will need any extra iron dosing, unless you have lots of iron loving plants.

[kakkoii]

Oh and were you thinking of putting mesh in between your peat moss and eco complete? well, you should(avoids a big mess).

[Brian]

Originally Posted by kakkoii

Oh and were you thinking of putting mesh in between your peat moss and eco complete? well, you should(avoids a big mess).

thanks for the info.
Where I buy the mesh?

[Brian]

I dont found the peat so im going only with the activated charcoal and the 2 bags of eco, it is okay for 29G?

[John N.]

You don't need a mesh to separate the Eco Complete from the Peat. We are talking about a light dusting of peat at the very bottom, and then topped off with Eco Complete, so there's not going to be that much peat in the aquarium. The peat will help jump start the nutrient capacity and bacteria cultures.

A mesh separator is actually more trouble then its worth. Roots will get tangled in the mesh and cause you many problems when you uproot.

If you are going to use activated charchoal I would rinse it off with water and then mix or layer it into the substrate. It'll probably get mixed later anyhow.

-John N.

[Jdinh04]

Sounds like a good substrate setup to me. I agree with John about using the mesh. I don't really think it'll be that necessary to use it. But if you do, you may end up finding yourself stressed out when its time to uproot some plants, and you might end up taking out the mesh while trying to uproot plants. Indeed peat is messy but I think with the 2 bags of Eco Complete, it will avoid any of the peat floating up.

Good luck!

[Brian]

Thats sound great but I not found the Peat, Instead im going to use acid buffer to down the ph and kh. I have Discus in the tank

[Brian]

well I buy the eco and activated charcoal, Im make my first aquascape, photos in Aspiring aquascapers

[Freemann]

Well a mesh (I use plastic mesh) can be a very nice thing if you use something like soil under the substrate, it helps you avoid many problems, as for roots getting entangled to it, being aware of its existence you make sure you cut the roots before pulling the plant out. I personally always use a mesh above the soil (by the way most of my tanks include soil).