I'm setting up a 40-gallon planted tank and want to grow some stem plants and carpeting plants. I've heard that regular gravel doesn't have enough nutrients for plants with roots. Should I go with aquasoil, or can I add root tabs under regular substrate?
Skip plain inert gravel if you're serious about root feeders - it'll starve your plants no matter how much light you have. You've got two solid paths: aquasoil (like ADA or similar brands) works great because it's nutrient-rich right out of the box, but it can be pricey and breaks down over time. The root tabs under regular gravel approach is cheaper and works fine too, just make sure you're adding them consistently and checking your water column nutrients for stem plants that feed from above. Either way beats plain gravel alone.
Root tabs under regular gravel work surprisingly well if you layer them properly - put them down first, then your substrate on top, and they'll feed your stem plants and carpeting stuff for months. Aquasoil is the luxury option and does make things easier, but tabs are honestly the budget-friendly move that still gets real results.
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