confused about substrate

[dimension]

hi all...
have browsed thru a lot of writing on this subject and still cant find any clear direction to head in. I have a 5ft x 2ft x 2ft tank and currently am setting it up for about half a dozen discus, some dwarf cichlids and a few good size amazon swords, anubias and java ferns. (all currently planted in quartz type fish tank shop gravel).
I just want a minimalistic looking planted tank that looks well kept.
i have looked around and based on opinions Red Sea Flora base seems like a good product however i cant find any instructions on how to use it, like how much, how thick, does it require a layer of another type of substrate on top ?
To have a layer of 2" would require 70kgs of substrate and cost $800 !

Can anyone guide me in the right direction ?

[jesx57]

Well, it's really what works best for you, to me, not only does it have to look nice but it's also got to be practical. That's why I have a 2cm base of pea gravel and about 4cm of sand on top (like playsand, mine's nearly white, but you can also get the brownish one too). Anyway, the fish waste sits on top of the sand, unlike gravel where it'll sink through to the bottom and it's a real pain to clean. My plants grow fine, so it must be working (that's mainly why I have the gravel on the bottom for root systems).

But, that's just my opinion and I'm sure other people will put in their two bobs as well, but I hope that is some use to you.

Good luck with that. ;)

[Gribbs01]

I have a 4ftx2ftx2ft tank planted about the same, i have used a fertilizing substrate before which was a brown colour then used a white sand top, the major issue I had was when cleaning the tank or moving plants the brown substrate came to the top and mix with the white sand. What I have used is the Seachem plant tabs, my swords have been flourishing. I also use Seachem Flourish and Excel and the anbuis is growing really well. The question is what coloured top gravel/sand do you want?

[Gribbs01]

I have a 4ftx2ftx2ft tank planted about the same, i have used a fertilizing substrate before which was a brown colour then used a white sand top, the major issue I had was when cleaning the tank or moving plants the brown substrate came to the top and mix with the white sand. What I have used is the Seachem plant tabs, my swords have been flourishing. I also use Seachem Flourish and Excel and the anbuis is growing really well. The question is what coloured top gravel/sand do you want?