Question 1

Do i need to cap this?

Accepted Answer

absolutely not......you would never cap "sand".  it has no nutrient retention whatsoever. When you layer substrates, IF you layer substrates, you would use something like sand to do the capping.  Like, you can do sand over dirt (regular non-fertilized garden soil)......that is excellent.  First of all, never spend 35 dollars on a bag of sand.....u can get a 50 lb bag of "play sand" at home depot for 3 bucks.....same damn thing.  Sand is Sand.  Ive learned over the years that most substrates are common soil aggragates that are repackaged and marked up up 700%.  A great great soil is MVP turface.  50 bucks for a 50 pound bag.  But in my honest opinion, the best substrate for a planted tank is dirt, withn a 1-2 inch layer of either sand or gravel over it.  Never met a plant that wont thrive in old fashioned dirt.  Of course the big name companies dont want u to know that though.

Question 2

How much do I need for a 100 gallon tank?

Accepted Answer

I suppose it depends on the layout of the tank (tall vs wide), but I used the 8.8lb bag for a 10g plant tank and it was perfect. About 2.5" or so deep. Hope this helps...

Question 3

Is this a good idea if you going to be siphoning in you aquarium?

Accepted Answer

As for syphoning - I wouldn't recommend deep syphoning the plant substrate. Just lightly vacuum as needed. In plant tanks I put fine black sand (aquarium safe) on one side of the tank (mainly one front corner) and feed the fish over that corner. That will concentrate food, waste, etc. onto the sand which can be properly vacuumed for cleaning.

Question 4

would the 4.4 be enough for a 7 gal?

Accepted Answer

Will 4.4 be good for 5 Gallon Fluval Chi? How often do I have to change this?

ASIN	B00JGQIY48
Allergen Information	Nut Free
Best Sellers Rank	#1,590 in Pet Supplies ( See Top 100 in Pet Supplies ) #2 in Aquarium Gravel
Brand	Fluval
Brand Name	Fluval
Customer Reviews	4.7 out of 5 stars 17,543 Reviews
Global Trade Identification Number	00015561126939
Included Components	All Items listed in Description
Item Form	Granules
Item Type Name	HAGEN PLANT&SHRIMP STRATUM 2KG
Item Weight	4.4 Pounds
Liquid Volume	4.4 Liters
Manufacturer	Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp.
Manufacturer Part Number	12693
Model Number	12693
Number of Packs	1
Pet Type	Fish
Target Species	Fish, Shrimp, Plant
UPC	015561126939
Unit Count	70.4 Ounce
Warranty Description	Warranty

Fluval Stratum volcanic soil for planted or shrimp aquarium, 2 kg

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