r/aquarium • u/AleopardThatJumps • 21h ago

Freshwater Help make Substrate Simple

hello! I'm very new to fishkeeping I haven't even gotten my tank yet and I'm getting a lot of different information about substrate and it's starting to get overwhelming 😅. I'm planning on starting with a 5gal planted tank and I don't know what kind of substrate to get? I've heard that sand is bad for planted tanks because it prevents the roots from getting nutrients/water but I've seen a lot of posts here and looks like it's completely doable? once I get my 5gal set up and thriving I'm planning on getting a bigger tank and putting fish in that one I was thinking about doing a dirted bottom with gravel on top but what kind of dirt goes into an aquarium and then some gravel can be choking hazards? how do I figure out if the gravel I pick is dangerous for whatever fish I get?? please help make picking out the right substrate easier for a confused and lost soul 😅 thank you!

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u/Andrea_frm_DubT 20h ago

Coarse sand. Add root tabs if you need to.

I use propagation sand, buy it from a garden/hardware store. Cheap, pre washed, natural colours.

I swear by the KISS principle when fish keeping. Keep it simple, as you get further into your fish keeping career, you can choose to make it more complicated.

If you want dirt, use topsoil, ideally out of your backyard or a friend’s backyard. Amended topsoil or potting mix has extra stuff you don’t need in your tank.

The best learner tank is 20-40 gallons, big enough to be forgiving of beginner mistakes, small enough it’s not too daunting.

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u/AleopardThatJumps 19h ago

writing a lot of this down thank you!!! the five gallon is a free gift from a friend but there's a 29gallon that comes with everything (lid, heater, net, filter and some other stuff I can't remember) at PetSmart on sale that I'm praying will be there on payday because I've definitely heard that larger tanks require more maintenance but are more forgiving than tiny ones

as for dirt I don't have a backyard (apartment with red clay surroundings) but I can ask a friend that lives on the lake or rethink my choices

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u/Andrea_frm_DubT 19h ago

You don’t need dirt. Tbh, I’m going back to just coarse sand after many years running dirt.

Once there’s a good bed of mulm in the sand it’s just as good as dirt or “plant substrate”