🌱 Aqua Preta Natural Aquarium Substrate | Complete Soil System
🌍 Aqua Preta is our natural aquarium substrate for the Father Fish deep-substrate method—a soil base capped with sand for long-term plant growth and stable, low-tech tanks. No CO₂, no liquid fertilizers, just biology doing the work.
Why choose Aqua Preta
- ✅ Natural soil base feeds roots for years (not weeks)
- ✅ Deep-substrate + sand cap = clear water and fewer rescapes
- ✅ Perfect for low-tech, Father Fish–style aquariums
- ✅ Great with heavy planting from day one for fast stability
How it works
Use ~1 inch of Aqua Preta as the base and cap with 2–3 inches of pool filter sand. Plant heavily and avoid disturbing the cap—beneficial bacteria and soil minerals create a steady, self-feeding root zone.
How to use
- Do not rinse the soil. Add ~1 inch across the tank bottom.
- Cap with 2–3 inches of pool filter sand.
- Plant densely (stems, swords, crypts, vallisneria, anubias on wood/rock).
- Top off gently; run a sponge filter; let the biology settle.
Get the most from Aqua Preta
👉 Start heavy with stems from our Stem Plants Collection and easy accents from the Anubias Collection. Want a done-for-you plan? See our Plant Packages for tank-size bundles.
FAQ
Do I need root tabs or liquid fertilizers?
No—Aqua Preta supplies a long-term root zone. Heavy planting + sand cap is the key.
Will it cloud the water?
Cap properly and fill slowly; any haze clears as the cap settles and filters run.
How deep should the substrate be?
About 1 inch soil under 2–3 inches sand. Bigger tanks can use the deeper end for stronger rooting plants.
