Please suggest appropriate substrate!!

[Spyroji]

hi friends . i m planning a planted aquarium with dimensions 6ftx2ftx2ft i already purchased the tank with 5ft sump as well. so i wish to make it a hightech planted tank. can u please suggest me the substrate for the above mentioned size and if i opt for ADA how many bags i'll be needing i'll be updating the tank pics shortly with a complete aquascaping jornal.

Things i already purchased

1. tank 180cmx90cmx90cm. (650 ltrs)
2. canister filter with UV.
3. 5ftx2x2 sump.
4. t5 ho lights 54W x 4.
5. decent collection of drift woods.
6.Co2 kit 2Kg with co2 reatctor and ista diffuser.
7.DIY ferts as directed by rajiv ji long time ago with glutareldehyde.
8. got some laterite mix
9. 2 power heads 1000 ltr/hr.
10. many more tit bits.

need ur expert advice about what could be done with the tanks.

Plans:- i wanna use HC cuba as carpet plant.

[marsaiko]

ADA amazonia will be good for you, if you have CO2 forget gluterldehyde
There should be some volume calculator on google for amount, try it out.

[Romi]

Wow, looks like you are going to have a huge tank indeed! great going... love huge aquascapes...

BTW, why do u feel tht u need such a huge sump also? just wondering.... five feet is a lot. if u were keeping marines or african cichlids that need extrafilration coz their aggresion reduces with overcrowding at times, i could understand, but this is going to be a conventional planted tank, right? Small schooling fishes are usually what are preferred here..

[parthapratim22]

Only can say go slow!!! all the best!!!

[ishaan]

sir, i used 2 bags for my 3*1ft(base dimensions) to make flat 3 inch layer, so you can get an idea how much will be needed.

[sushant]

you will require almost 9 full bags of ADA to maintain an average substrate layer of 3 inches.

[bmukh]

Few initial pointers;
tank dimension: impressive but will need some massive work for maintaining it as planted. With a height of 2feet, you need lots of light. Your current light is what I use in my much smaller 4X1.5X1.5! With 2 feet height, you need to be as close to 3watts per gallon rule. Given that you want HC carpet, there isn't any way you can have less light.
Sump: I agree with Romi. Why do you need a sump and that too such a huge one? Sump would mean that you will have to use almost twice the amount of everything (except lights). Its unnecessary cost given that you want planted setup.
ADA: I guess th ADA website will give you some idea about how many bags you need, but my guess is atleast 10!

[SCORPIO]

Some points from me:
1. You have to doubled the lighting in 2 feet height tank, if want good results. Although it is also depends on your plant choice.
2. Why do you want to use sump?
3. Substrate: You need 9+ bags to fill the aquarium. Use thermocol and rocks to form slopes. Using this method, you will save atleast one bag of ADA.

[parthapratim22]

3. Substrate: You need 9+ bags to fill the aquarium. Use thermocol and rocks to form slopes. Using this method, you will save atleast one bag of ADA.

[jack]

3. Substrate: You need 9+ bags to fill the aquarium. Use thermocol and rocks to form slopes. Using this method, you will save atleast one bag of ADA.