Aquarium soil is called a part of the ecosystem, which is necessary for living any type of fish. It is used to create the appearance of a full body of water at home: as a factor of biological equilibrium, it is no less important than water or food. In a wide range of soil, presented in stores, it is difficult to get lost to the buyer without experience.
Do you need soil in the aquarium?
Given the many subtleties of selection and different price categories of the substrate in the pet owner, there may be a deceptive assumption that one can do without it at all. To understand why you need a nutritious primer for the aquarium, the list of its functions will help:
- direct participation in the life of the underwater landscape;
- regulation of the mechanisms of biological regeneration of the aquarium system;
- strengthening of plant roots, the species of which can develop only in the ground;
- obtaining aquarium hydrophytes complex of vitamins and minerals;
- providing a habitual environment for fish, accustomed to constantly dig the aquarium soil;
- biologically sound filtration;
- A natural "storehouse" for caviar.
Which primer to choose for the aquarium?
A variety of substrates today can be seen in the most modest pet store. In pursuit of decorative properties, one should not overlook other characteristics that are responsible for the balance of the ecological system. To learn how to choose a primer for an aquarium, you can, if you adhere to the following recommendations of specialists:
- Clarification of porosity level of raw materials. The dyed substrate does not allow water to pass through and so quickly becomes dirty.
- Making a list of fish and plants that are potential residents. Incompatibility can become fatal to sensitive individuals.
- Selecting several components that do not conflict with each other. If large substrates are selected as the coating for the day, they can cause injury to small fish. To prevent them, a substrate of aquarium soil from smaller mixtures is used.
- Marking the effect on the composition of water. For different types of soil, the level of the ph-component responsible for the acidity of the liquid differs. Marble, limestone, dolomite and sandstone are considered to be problematic in this sense.
Black primer for aquarium
Black substrate is universal, because on its background any decorative elements look good. It is used in both large and small containers. This shade has a primer for plants in the aquarium, made of materials such as:
- Dark quartz. It is expensive, because it is considered a semiprecious stone and is used more to emphasize the prestige of the owner of the aquarium than for the benefit of its inhabitants.
- Natural basalt. Due to the fact that it creates a strong magnetic field and a smooth relief, perennial underwater hydrophytes grow well on it. In a tank with it, even shrimp coexist perfectly.
- Shungite. With an average statistical cost, it is often counterfeited. Both artificial and natural aquarium soil from shungite has pointed edges.
- Basalt. Its minus is the fading in the water after 2-3 months of use. After this period, basalt becomes gray and begins to pollute the water.
Quartz primer for aquarium
Natural quartz of different shades is suitable for use with fresh or sea cold water. It is convenient in that it does not increase the hardness of water and is easily cleaned by a siphon. Plants, if the growth is expected, will require a layer of at least one more type of vitaminized coating. Primer quartz for the aquarium has a number of minuses:
- negative impact on fish spawning;
- too fine fraction of quartz sand;
- negative impact on the development of plants with a large root system.
Primer for the aquarium - sand
Sand is inexpensive, so it can be changed more often than quartz or shungite. It is non-toxic, which makes it an ideal part of the ecosystem for fish with sensitive digestion and thin scales. The best soil for an aquarium of sand belongs to one of such species as:
- River. It can be dialed in the river, sifting the particles through two sieves with different widths of holes.
- Nautical. It is harvested on coral reefs and packaged in packages without first drying, which completely preserves the beneficial microorganisms in it.
- The black. This includes sand from magnetite, ilmenite and hematite. It is produced by rinsing small quartz rocks.
- White aragonite. A natural mixture of fragments of mollusks and corals. All of them affect the hardness of water, which can worsen the health of exotic fish.
Primer for the aquarium - pebbles
Rounded stones of small size can be used as a bottom substrate without fear of traumatizing the fins and tail of fish. They are used in freshwater tanks of open and closed ecosystems. Ground for aquarium plants from pebbles is divided into two types:
- Rough gravel. Round grains with a diameter of 5 to 30 mm are collected on river slopes and laid in a ply bottom covering as a base. All kinds of rocks are welcome, except for those that release ammonia and ammonium.
- Sea pebbles. Natural soil produced on the coast. It is ideal for keeping shrimp and freshwater fish.
White primer for aquarium
Cover for the bottom of white color is chosen by those who dream of recreating an imitation of the sea in an apartment. It is also popular with beginners in aquariums, who inexperiencedly buy inexpensive substrates. A person who has chosen for himself a white pebble or quartz as an answer to the question of which primer to buy an aquarium should remember about its disadvantages:
- accumulation of toxins in water;
- low substrate efficiency for plant fixation;
- the appearance of a green or yellow coating on the stones;
- light staining of them from the color pigment of the feed or medicine for fish.
Marble primer for the aquarium
Experienced fish farmers call the eerie idea of including marble chips in the ecosystem of the dwelling of fish. Natural soil for the aquarium from this mineral greatly increases the hardness of water, which instantly becomes noticeable due to deterioration in the condition of pets and a decrease in appetite. The only fish that will be grateful for high rigidity is the cichlid . She likes to spend time among a bunch of dolomite dust settling under the mineral.
Colored aquarium primer
The assortment of colored substrates gives a fancy space when decorating the capacity of any aquarium. Due to the fact that it is covered with a layer of dye, it does not participate in full-fledged water exchange, so it is mixed with natural rocks. It is available in the form of sand, gravel or gravel. To know what kind of soil is needed for an aquarium and whether it is harmful, you need to pay attention to such characteristics:
- pigments that make up the soil;
- the ability to color or lack water;
- The manufacturer has a legal permit for the release of this substrate.
How to prepare a primer for the aquarium?
After purchase, the soil is not loaded into the water: it requires preliminary preparation, which sometimes takes several days. Depending on the size of the fraction, it must be sorted or passed through a sieve:
- The correct soil for the aquarium in the form of sand is sieved twice through a sieve with small and large holes.
- Mineral rocks and stones are hand-picked, wiped with a soft rag to remove dust. Among the substrate should not be organic inclusions - they are prone to rot.
How to wash the soil for the aquarium?
The second stage of substrate preparation is washing. It helps to remove bacteria, lacquer residues on colored stones, small debris. To understand how to rinse the aquarium soil correctly, you need to follow some tips:
- Stones of any fraction and sand are laid out in a plastic basin filled with cold water.
- Soap and liquid household detergents are not suitable for cleaning the substrate - they are able to poison fish.
- Large aquarium soil is additionally calcined on a baking sheet in a gas stove.
- Sand in order to prevent the appearance of mucus, washed with a gentle solution of low-percentage hydrochloric acid. After this, it is repeatedly washed several times in running water.
The thickness of the soil in the aquarium
The height of the substrate in the container depends on its volume and interior decoration. Important factors are the height of plants and the size of the fraction of each of the components of the benthic mixture. Decide how much soil you need in the aquarium, a simple crib will help:
- A small container needs a substrate layer of 1.5-2 cm.
- A medium sized aquarium requires a mound of 4-5 cm.
- Large fish will arrange a layer of 7-12 cm.
Substrate under the ground in the aquarium
Nutritional supplements are placed under a natural substrate of stone, shungite or sand, because it is devoid of natural substances that can saturate the roots of plants with microelements. Knowing in what soil to plant aquarium plants, it is important to be able to distinguish it from the usual. The nutrient substrate consists of granules impregnated with clay and peat. Through the root system, they enter the stems of plants and stabilize the aquatic environment.
How to clean the ground in an aquarium?
From the purity of the bottom of the aquarium depends on the quality and life expectancy of fish living in it. Most rocks are incredibly sensitive to extraneous microorganisms, which provoke the development of infectious diseases. Any breeder knows that the aquarium soil should be cleaned superficially every 2-3 weeks, and deep cleaning should be given at least once every 6-12 months. The procedure for the removal of dead leaves, residues of the inhabitants of the tank and stagnant water must follow a certain algorithm:
- Selection of a quality siphon . This device is a soil cleaner for an aquarium in the form of a hose with a tip for supplying water under pressure. At the other end of the hose is a pear, designed to draw water into the tube.
- Select the nozzle. At the tip of the tube attached funnel or cylinder. On the most modern models of siphons are installed "vacuum cleaners", powered by finger batteries.
- The nozzle or "vacuum cleaner" is placed on the bottom of the aquarium, so that the flow of water can process the stones from mucus and silt.
- By means of compression-decompression of the pear from the thickness of the coating, all debris is drained by necessity.