# plants in gravel?



## fleescar (Sep 20, 2011)

hey im just wondering i just wanted a few plants nothing special really and i want to grow them in just regular gravel is this possible? ive got a t5ho 4x36 watt light


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

just gravel is fine for basic plant keeping


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

Regular gravel is fine as a growing medium but lacks the ability to provide the nutrients that root feeders require as its essentially inert. You will want to use some sort of root fertilizer tabs.


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## Newobsession (Nov 17, 2010)

df001 said:


> Regular gravel is fine as a growing medium but lacks the ability to provide the nutrients that root feeders require as its essentially inert. You will want to use some sort of root fertilizer tabs.


+1
when I first started with plants it was a 20 XH that just had a gravel substrate (granted it was a smaller grain gravel) but it did quite well with hygros and vals even with the standard fixture (funny enough i now have a 125 with flourite, T5ho & CO2 and haven't had luck with vals..go figure)
You also have the option of plants that don't "root" in the gravel ie mosses, java ferns, anubias although thay are generally lower light plants


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## colio (Dec 8, 2012)

I am using playsand as a substrate, which is very dense (thus not allowing nuitrient forming debris to fall into it) with a bit of laterite mixed in. my plants grow great!I added some root tabs near the heavy root feeding plants (i.e. ozelot sword plant), but otherwise that is it. There are lots of fancy substrates with piles of nuitrients, but they don't seem necessary unless you are using very demanding plants. 

so you should be fine with just gravel. you can add a bit of laterite for iron, and/or use root tabs. As long as you avoid highly demanding plants, you should be fine. 

Adding plants to mmy aquarium is what caused me to get really heavy into the hobby. Happy planting!


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