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What's the best substrate for live plants in an aquarium?

hello...i have many years experience with tropical aquaria, however, i've almost always used artifical plants. with my last aquarium, i gave live plants a try. i read somewhere that plain, unscented kitty litter (clay) was good to use so, i used it <-- a disaster! the water was fine until i had to siphon out solid waste from the gravel.

If you've had success growing live plants, please help! I'm looking for suggestions and guidance with substrate, fertilizer, and type of filtration. thanks a lot!

oh, i should mention that i raise angelfish...

http://miltizme.blogspot.com

Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate by Carib-Sea, Inc.

Actually there are lots of different substrates that are specifically designed for use in planted aquariums...they are basically a fine gravel mix with added nutrients and beneficial bacteria...

keep in mind, however, you can use plain gravel - as long as you give your plants everything else they need...

the main thing, obviously, is light - a general rule is 1.5 watts per gallon (eg. 45 watts for a 30 gallon tank)...fluorescent is better than incandescent, compact fluorescent is best - but these can be expensive...depending on your tank, a cheaper way to go would be an all-glass canopy (about $15) and two light strips (about $30 for an extra light strip)...

the color of light is somewhat important - use one full-spectrum daylight tube and one plant/aqua-glo tube (these produce light in the blue/red spectrum that plants absorb)...however, some people have pretty good success with just regular white light...keep in mind that if yuo already have an algae problem, increasing the light will make it worse...

there are three main stages to photosynthesis - light and nutrients are important to the first 2 stages...there are plenty of aquatic plant fertilizers on the market...i use Tetra's Flora Pride - it's cheaper (@ $2 for a small bottle) - but all fertilizers are similar in nutrient make-up...

the last stage requires carbon dioxide (CO2) - and this can be a little bit of a hassle, but it doesn't have to be...there are plenty of DIY CO2 systems described on the internet (the most popular being the yeast/soda bottle method - which actually works)...or you can buy an expensive CO2 system...or you can do what i do: use CO2 Fizz Factory by Jungle Products (about $20)...this is a simple plastic canister that pumps CO2 created by dissolving tablets into a plastic upside-down container in the tank (the container is a reactor which allows the CO2 to dissolve properly in the water)

things to remember about CO2:
-fish don't produce enough of it on their own to maintain the plants in a closed system - which is why you should supplement it...
-don't use an air stone during the day - the extra oxygen will compete with the CO2 and it may not dissolve into the water properly (CO2 isn't readily soluble in water so it needs prolonged contact to dissolve)
-if you use supplemental CO2, either turn it off at night, or (better) turn on your air stone - plants stop absorbing CO2 when there is no light, in fact, they start absorbing oxygen to help with their metabolic processes...

filtration doesn't matter as much - but, i wouldn't use an undergravel filter - it might damage the plants' roots...there might be some excess plant material (leaves, other pieces) that you didn't have before - you might think about an additional hang-on power filter (you can never have too much filtration)

you might want to start with some hardy plants like anacharis (egeria) or cabomba - they're pretty easy to grow and propogate...also, try buying some packaged aquatic plant bulbs (you can find some at wal-mart, most LFS have them) - these were my first plants - they took about a month to develop, but they grew big, tall, and healthy...

i know this sounds like a lot, but once you get it established, it's easy...in fact, a natural, balanced aquarium is one that has both fauna and flora - in the long run, it may be even easier to maintain as the plants start absorbing fish waste...and it's very satisfying and beautiful to have an aquatic garden your fish can play in...

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