Substrate

Types

Tom Barr: I really like the way flourite and onyx have done in the non CO2 tank approach. They do not appear to wear out but rather, improve with age.

Depth

Tom Barr: The substrate is also 4 inches deep in non carbon enriched planted tank. I can get away with less, maybe 1/2 that in a CO2 enriched tank but I almost always slope up to 3-6 inches in the rear of the tank.

How to do it

Tom Barr: To the bottom of the bare tank add: detritus/mulm from an established tank, roughly about 1/4 liter wet per sq.ft. This is the wet "dirt" left on the bottom of a water change bucket after vacuum the gravel. You wait about 2-5 minutes and pour off the clear water, save the wet soupy stuff and addf this to the bottom of the new tank. Next add ground peat, like Scott's brand etc from a nursery, about one handful per sq ft. 2-3x this amount of both mulm and peat if you plan on a non CO2/carbon enriched tank.

Mix with about 1 inch of flourite well. Cap this with 2 inches or more of flourite. 3 inch if non CO2 tank. Same procedure for Onyx.

Why peat? It helps jump start the tank a little. But the main reasons is for some small amount of organic matter/humics which is lacking in a new substrate.

Where to get Fluorite?

The cheapest I have ever found Flourite is www.petsolutions.com . They charge $9.99 for a 15.5lb bag, shipping is only about $4-$5/bag. Most lfs charge $25 or more per bag. If you are in the Boston area it is probably even more expensive. It seems everything is more expensive in that area than here in the midwest. For some reason petsolutions doesn't list the flourite in the substrate section of their website but rather under the "plant care" section. I am very sorry if I was misleading on the shipping... I didn't think about the fact that I live fairly close to them, so my shipping is less. I should have mentioned that their shipping is "actual freight" and not a fixed price. -- revance at indiana.edu