[quote=”Teunis” post=2136]B)
what is the brown stringy stuff on the bottom?[/quote]
It’s dried peat moss, Sphagnum. I originally have it as a substrate for my orchids.
But I tried to use it as fibrous part of the ground cover in paro tanks – and up to now am pleased with it (but have no long-term experience by now!!) The fish like it very much, mixed with leaf litter it is a soft, cloudy ground cover providing many possibilities to dive through, hide, look for micro food. Seems to come close to their preferred surroundings.
I first soak it in boiling water for a short while, max. half an hour. If you put it in cold water it needs at least three days to soak and sink. It often contains conifer needles and stuff from the forest floor, so I soak it also to clean it from these parts.