Your Deep Substrate is a Living Filter

Did you know that your your planted aquarium deep substrate is a living environment and a big filter, full of all kinds of interesting little organisms like freshwater snails, all of them serving many important functions?
Embark on an extraordinary journey through the vibrant biological microcosm of a Father Fish deep substrate planted aquarium. Discover the fascinating world of small organisms that contribute to the thriving ecosystems of these immersive aquatic, low tech, low maintenance , selfsustaining biological aquariums.

Understand the crucial role of a deep substrate in fostering a diverse community of microorganisms in the planted aquarium, including beneficial bacteria, detritus worms, and a myriad of microfauna. These tiny critters play a vital role in the deep substrate aquarium’s food web, breaking down organic matter, cycling nutrients, and maintaining water quality, keeping your aquarium water clear, with a minimum of water changes.

Learn how these small organisms interact with each other and with larger aquatic life, forming a complex foodweb of ecological connections. Observe how they contribute to the overall health and stability of the aquarium, ensuring the well-being of your fish and plants.

Join us as we explore the captivating world of small organisms in a Father Fish deep substrate planted aquarium, gaining insights into the intricate balance of biological processes that underpin these thriving ecosystems.

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The bacteria eat what the protozoan produce as waste. The protozoan eat what the fish and the worms, the anilids, and the rotifers produce as waste. Well, hello! Come right on in. You’re at, Father Fish. Well, we’ve been promoting a deep substrate ever since the beginning, so I thought it would be appropriate to talk about micro-animals in the substrate. This is a 200-gallon tank that contains a variety of small cichlids, primarily small cichlids. You’ll see some of them

Undoubtedly swimming around, but the bottom of this tank is about a six-inch substrate. Now, this tank has been set up for seven or eight years, and the substrate has not been changed in all that time. Most people believe that the substrate is essentially dead. It might have a

Little bit of bacteria in it that breaks down waste, but that’s about it. Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth. This substrate is loaded with animal life, from top to all the way to the bottom. Now, the kind of animals that live in it, there’s a variety. They’re basically

Six different kinds. It’s really easy to get lost in the woods here, so I’m going to kind of skim the surface and not try to get into any detail about the types of bacteria or the classification of the phytoplankton. Suffice it to say there’s bacteria living from the

Very top all the way to the bottom, and there are micro-animals such as protozoa, algae, rotifers, gastros, and worms living essentially in the top half. Why the top half? Because the top half gets oxygen. Much below that, and there’s no oxygen. The worms, the gastros, the rotifers, the algae,

All of the protozoa, they all require oxygen, so they’re not going to go much below the oxygen level. Now, certain protozoa like paramecium, amoebas, those kinds of things, they can sense the presence of oxygen. So if they get down a little too far and there’s no oxygen, they’ll dip back up.

Some of them live right on that line, right above and below, and there are bacteria live in the same region. There bacteria live in both aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic is up, that’s oxygen. Anaerobic is down, that’s no oxygen. The bacteria eat what the protozoan produce as waste.

The protozoan eat what the fish and the worms, the annelids and the rotifers produce as waste, as well as the algae. There are two kinds of bacteria. There’s bacteria that live in the presence of oxygen, aerobic bacteria, and there is anaerobic bacteria that live below the level of

The oxygen. Essentially, the only thing that’s living in this bottom portion, below the oxygen, is anaerobic bacteria. The purpose of which is to break down the final stages of the waste into elements that the plant roots can take up as nutrition and grow out. It also produces

Nitrogen, which is a gas, which is released into the air. That’s the bubbles you see, and nitrous oxide, laughing gas, if you will. That’s similarly, that’s what keeps the fish happy. It’s produced up through the water column into the atmosphere. So a fish creates waste, plants die and create waste.

The animals living at this top layer consume that waste, and their waste is deposited a little more deeply in the substrate. Below that, algaes and protozoan live, and they consume that waste. When it’s released, it’s released essentially as non-organic material, which the bacteria picks up. That’s what nitrifying bacteria is, picks up

Non-organic material, such as ammonia, and converts it to nitrites. The bacteria in the anaerobic layer take that nitrate and create of it nitrogen, nitrous oxide, which permeates up through the water column, making the fish happy, and gases off into the environment. So there’s a world of life going on in this substrate.

The deeper this substrate, the more those animals can stratify themselves and perform their unique function. So substrate that’s 12 inches deep is going to do more than a substrate that’s six inches deep. One that is six inches deep is going to do more than one that is three inches deep.

Much below three inches, and you’re just really wasting your time. You may as well have a bare bottom tank because you won’t be able to create anaerobic layer that’s needed in order to do that final breakdown and the final conversion in order to have a fully cycling effect.

So there’s the system. If you get the concept, then you’ll understand that you’re keeping as much life going through this substrate as you are in the water column, which is to say that if you put toxins, strong poisons, medications we call them, in this tough substrate, the likelihood is

You’re going to kill all of the microbiology living down in here. Once you do that, then the tank is fouled and it will take an extended period of time for it to come back. One more thing I want to mention, and that is where does the bacteria

Come from? I use soil as the bottom layer in my substrate, and the reason I do is because soil is rich in bacteria and protozoa cysts. So when you put that in there, have it with sand to keep it from releasing into the water and then add water

To it, those bacteria immediately thrive. The protozoa bursts their shells and begin living in that environment. So by putting soil in the tank in your substrate, you’re bringing all of the bacteria and all of the protozoa into the systems that it needs in order to be able to survive.

Well that’s a bit of an undertaking, trying to get through some of that. It’s really a little more than an introduction, but I hope it gives you the idea that your substrate is a living organism. It’s a living environment and it requires as much care as the water above it.

Have a lovely day. This is Father Fitch, signing off. Bye for now. We also have a store and are selling a lot of different kinds of things, mainly plants. We sell our substrate, we sell sodium, we sell some other items that are basic and helpful

For new tank setup or for embellishing an older tank. The link for the store is also in the description below. Thank you for tuning in.