How deep should my substrate be?Updated a month ago

This depends on the type of plant you are growing. Smaller carpet plants can grow with as little as one inch of substrate. Larger plants such as large sword plants or taller stems can have large root zones many inches deep. 3cm / 1.2" is sufficient for small carpet plants. 6cm / 2.5" is sufficient for most mid-ground plants and 9cm is sufficient for larger background plants.

As a general guide for tanks between 2ft (60cm) and 4ft (120cm), a minimum of 3cm of aquasoil sloping to 9cm at the back will work.

This 120x60x50cm tank has 4cm of substrate at the front sloping to 20cm at the higher rear corner.

This 60x30x36cm tank has 4cm substrate at the front, sloping to 9cm at the back.