aerating soil and substrate in planted aquarium

[ole]

hi

i'm growing dwarf chain sword in my tank. 2 cm of gravel on top of 4 cm of soil.

i read that air pockets will form and hydrogen sulphite will be produced in aquariums which is highly poisonous.

many online sources suggest introducing MTS - malaysian trumpet snail to the aquarium which will help to aerate the soil for better plant growth while reducing the hydrogen sulphite problem.

i thought of taking small straws (like yakult kind), make holes along the straw and stick into the soil/gravel so that water can go in easier to aerate the soil/gravel.

anyone can enlighten me on this topic please? will it be a real problem which i need to prepare beforehand or i can just heck care it.

i wish to minimize regular disturbance of the tank as much as possible. so doubt i'll want to transfer fish then stir gravel/soil on a regular basis.

[horst]

Soil contains organic matter which will decay into hydrogen sulfide. With 4 cm of soil you will get these gas in 6 months time. I have tried udergravel filter (worst solution). Because the current is too strong. Pulls everythng out into the water column and you have a muddy river look in the tank. Tried fine bubbles under soil (slightly better) but still result in cloudy water. Tried planting deep rooting plants (like swords) - (even better). Roots provide oxygen to soil but the whole set up becones boring and some pockets of sulfide gas exist. Then I tried substrate heating coil recommeded by some european LFS. It is not heard or tried in Singapore. Really. Go ask any local LFS on this and they think you are mad. There is even a very huge debate over this. Try googling substrate heater.

Here is how it works. The coils work at 24v DC and heats up the water around the cable to 3-4 C. Convention current of warm water in soil goes up and is replaced by cold water from water column. The convention current is sooooo slow you will not see it. But having use it for more than 2 years, I see there is no black decay in soil or smelly (sulfide gas) when i pull plants up. So for me it is the best solution.

[sateman]

Soil contains organic matter which will decay into hydrogen sulfide. With 4 cm of soil you will get these gas in 6 months time. I have tried udergravel filter (worst solution). Because the current is too strong. Pulls everythng out into the water column and you have a muddy river look in the tank. Tried fine bubbles under soil (slightly better) but still result in cloudy water. Tried planting deep rooting plants (like swords) - (even better). Roots provide oxygen to soil but the whole set up becones boring and some pockets of sulfide gas exist. Then I tried substrate heating coil recommeded by some european LFS. It is not heard or tried in Singapore. Really. Go ask any local LFS on this and they think you are mad. There is even a very huge debate over this. Try googling substrate heater.

Here is how it works. The coils work at 24v DC and heats up the water around the cable to 3-4 C. Convention current of warm water in soil goes up and is replaced by cold water from water column. The convention current is sooooo slow you will not see it. But having use it for more than 2 years, I see there is no black decay in soil or smelly (sulfide gas) when i pull plants up. So for me it is the best solution.

wow! this is very interesting. When I was doing marine fish back then, the use of Undergravel filter is a must for removing dead spots in the sand base. But it is not a good solution in a planted tank. I certainly like to read more about this substrate heater thing. You didnt get it through the local LFS did you? What about tanks that use chillers then?

[horst]

For marine tank, sea anemone does not have roots and do not take up nutrients from soil. Furthermore, there is no fertile substrate mix in the bottom unlike freshwater planted tank. So a UGF is no issue for marine tank. You can find more info for substrate heating at www.thekrib.com. Type "substrate heating" in the search bar. I got my cables thru online shop located in holland. In Singapore, weather is warm and I don't have the luxury of air conditioning the living are where my tank is. Water in tank averages around 28-31 with lights on. So a chiller is a must if you want to have lush growing plants because plant optimum temp is 24 to 28C.