badly want a planted tank......but have an undergravel filter

[lives4discus]

i currently have an 95 gallon tank with an undergravel filter set up. i have heard many different things when it comes to a planted tank with this set up. can i fully plant this tank and use liquid ferts? i have 4 nice med. to Lg pieces of wood with anubius, java ferns/moss, and a crypt attatched to them, but i want to be able to plant the substrate. the issue is( what i was told anyway) is that with an undergravel filter ferts that sit under the substrate will not work. is this true? also i was told that the roots will grow into the filter grid, will this effect my filters? any advice will help.

thank you

[Larry Bugg]

Can't answer about the ferts but on numerous occasions I have completely re-scaped my planted tanks. A fully planted tank that has been running for a while will have the entire substrate filled with roots. I don't see anyway a undergravel filter could possibly maintain it's effectiveness under those conditions.

[zamboniMan]

I don't think it would be effective either. Also I think plant roots would grow down into it making it a pain if you ever have to tear down the tank. Most plants get nutrients through their roots so I don't see what the issue is. The expensive substrates (flourite, ecocomplete, etc...) absorb nutrients from the water and the plants then absorb them from the substrate (measurements of the effectiveness of each of these substrates can be found on planted tank and apc). Very little gets absorbed from the water itself. I would think that it would work becuse the undergravel filter should pull liquid nutrients down by the roots but I don't think it's very practical.

I use organic miracle grow in and play sand in my tanks. For the cost of one bag of the expensive stuff I can buy two or three bags of miracle grow or five or six bags of play sand (atleast).

I'd take out the undergravel filter and just use that. Just my two cents.

hth

Josh

[exv152]

UGF's slow down plant growth because they wash out essential nutrients to plants (like iron & potassium) if there's a constant flow of water through the root system. Some plants like swords which rely heavily on uptaking nutrients through the root system, would suffer with an UGF.

[lives4discus]

thank you this info was very helpful.

[lives4discus]

UGF's slow down plant growth because they wash out essential nutrients to plants (like iron & potassium) if there's a constant flow of water through the root system. Some plants like swords which rely heavily on uptaking nutrients through the root system, would suffer with an UGF.

i have been using tetra plant flora pride which add iron and potassium through leaf absorption for my anubius and my ferns and it seems to be working well. do you think this will work with some amazon swords? or do swords mainly get nutrients thru roots or can they get it from leaf absortion also?

[exv152]

i have been using tetra plant flora pride which add iron and potassium through leaf absorption for my anubius and my ferns and it seems to be working well. do you think this will work with some amazon swords? or do swords mainly get nutrients thru roots or can they get it from leaf absortion also?

Swords get nutrients from both roots and leafs, but I know from personal experience, if you put them in quality iron rich substrate, along with CO2 and strong lighting (over 3 WPG) swords grow to their full potential.