A few tips from somebody with several years of dirt tank experience. 1) The process of wetting and drying the soil outside before using it is called "mineralization". The purpose of it is basically to refine the dirt, getting rid of all the floaty bits that he had to net out in the video. He did the same thing, just in his tank instead of in a bucket or kiddie pool in the driveway. Soak the dirt, use a net or cheesecloth to get the floating scum out of the water, let it dry, repeat if you feel the need. 2) You can mix the clay much more effectively into the soil than by using the ball method in the video. You're going to wet the soil anyhow, simply dissolve the clay into the water you're going to use to wet the soil. That gives you a fine film of iron-rich clay throughout the entire substrate rather than a few big clumps here and there. You can make it even easier by getting the clay in powder form from any number of art supply sites. Make sure it is iron-rich clay, kitty litter is not the same stuff. Although you can use more than one type of clay, they do have different properties. 3) Quit worrying about substrate depth! This myth needs to die. Ponds and lakes have massively deep substrates, they aren't toxic. Quite the opposite, it's known that a deep substrate is beneficial. The "anaerobic" bacteria boogeyman that everybody warns you about is the same aerobic bacteria everybody cultures in biofilters. It's just that in low-oxygen environments the bacteria switches its metabolism to suit the lack of oxygen. The end result is that it turns ammonia and nitrates into nitrogen gas. In other words, it ends the nitrogen cycle. Our 75g has almost 6" of substrate in it. No, it doesn't smell like a swamp or cause health issues inside or outside of the tank. 4) Don't use just the soil for the base layer. Potting soil is entirely biological stuff, very fine grains. It will compact when wet and form a dense mass that makes it hard for roots to grow through. Treat it like you would any other garden soil, add amendments to loosen the soil. A bit of sand, maybe even a little bit of small gravel. This opens channels for the water and roots to pass more easily. 5) You can make your own "dirt" and have complete control of the mix if you want. Worm castings provide the biological mass, rock dust (like Azomite) provides minerals for the plants, maybe a bit of bone meal for calcium and other trace elements. Sand, clay, voila! I'd probably only recommend this for larger tanks since some of the stuff seems to only be available in bulk form and would be a bit expensive if you only needed a little of it. Overall, good video. There is no better substrate for a planted tank than dirt and I'm glad to see people giving it a try. I just wanted to pass along some things I've learned over the past several years.
Does the plants roots have to touch the soil? I attempted a dirted tank with blasting sand, I some how got air pockets which made the soil lift on top of the sand.... I figured my cap wasn't enough but if I add more I fee like the plants would be too far away from the soil. Where did I go wrong?
@@sirackaan609 it can last a decade acording to deep substrate enthusiasts. Try Father Fish videos on youtube, you will see how to do it. Deep substrate method let you do great things with minimal care and lasts forefer if done right.
I'm planning on setting up a planted tank soon and I'm doing so much research. Your videos are to the point, informative, and entertaining! You've answered every single one of my questions with this series, thank you!!!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’ve been try to set up my first live plant aquarium with little success. You video was short , to the point and showed me exactly what I needed to know. So, thank you.
Very welcome! I'm glad it's helping you! Just ask if you have questions. Join our facebook group. Tons of people to help there. facebook.com/groups/thewaterbox
Organic Soil really worked for me, and my soil didn't go murky as I've damp the soil first and then the substrate then after filling it up, the water was still clear, and I added my fish since the water was already cycled. It worked great for me, Thank you😊
Thank you for sharing this great informative tutorial on substrates. I always had gravel in my tanks, but then again I was limited to growing certain plants that would grow in gravel. Now I will be using dirt, gravel, and dosing CO2. A full Spectrum Light is in order too. I enjoyed watching!
I started a dirt tank (organic choice) about........mmmmm........6 or 7 years ago in a 20g. I forgot what I capped it with. Never changed the soil. It's still kicking and I grow swords, which I understand really suck up the nutrients. I'd say my water is a bit cloudier than other tanks after all this time but it doesn't bother me too much. Been thinking about setting up a 40g breeder. At first I wasn't going to do dirt this time around but I think you convinced me to do it again. I guess my current tank is doing so well, that I have my own proof as it is. So thanks for re-confirming what I found works. I like the clay ball idea. I never did that. My existing tank is high light and pressurized CO2.
Nice! glad to hear it :) And good to know it's lasting years for you. Like to hear how long soil last for people who let their tank set ups last more than a couple of year unlike me who can't keep still. lol
@@TheWaterBox Perhaps I spoke too soon. Currently going through a bloom. But I changed from a canister to sump...And I started dosing micro-nutients cause stuff was getting yellow and dying.
Thank you! Very clear and straight to the point, got my tank today and all the substrate info out there was a bit overwhelming. I am planning to fill my tank with plants alone, no fish or anything like that. Would everything be okay if I didnt use a filter?
Literally finished setting up my walstad type 5 gallon tank minutes ago...I was fumbling with the substrate selection mainly...surprised to see you coincidentally posted this one few hours earlier! I used a mix of normal compost and a small amount of garden soil.
Another great video, and you make using soil seem easy! Love your straightforward approach and concise, info-packed episodes. I'll be setting up a 10 gallon this month to test this out on my own before diving in with my bigger tanks. Wish me luck :D
Such a great point. It's really not as hard as people think. Just takes a little knowledge! I've thought about using organic potting soil with gravel cap in my next tank. Great video!
I'm so glad it was easy to find you on YT. Best overall tank info for beginners that want correct things that I can find. New sub :D Also going to be a dirt guy for my first tank! Love from Canada
@@TheWaterBox it's working out well I'm going to make a small video just to share with you next week :D I thought I'd never get the water clear hhahahaha
I saw this video about a month ago and it inspired me to use organic soil. Then when I actually got the soil i forgot parts of this video. For example I was alarmed to see wood chips on the soil. Then I thought of having a thick layer. I watched it again and realize that i should have sifted the soil and that the layer should be an inch or less. Another words this video is excellent but dont watch it just once. So far this is the best video I have seen here for using soil
great video. I wish I would have known about this before I set up my tank with just gravel. I almost want to set up tank number two this way and transfer my live stock over after it cycles and redo tank number one the same way.
Man you made everything looks so simple , i was afraid to use a soil that's not made specifically for aquariums but i don't think I'm afraid of that anymore i just need to make sure it's 100% organic right? Your video should have 500k views at least And the fact that you're answering all the comments is great Like and subscribed and i hope to learn more and more from you thank you
Just watched the vid. Great info and great pace of explanation. Also, thanks for not being a product overlord and making it seem like you have to have a whole lot to do this.
No not at all. I've had been doing it since i made this comment or perhaps a bit before. The gassing made me a bit curious at first but ive had great success with soil substrates
I tried this on a smaller tank and there's tannins releasing into the water. does that mean I didn't put enough to cap the dirt? theres no driftwood in the tank. Just plants
The wetting and drying out part he was talking about is called mineralization. It's a process that converts organic compounds to inorganic ones using microbes. Less organics is better for algae control and I believe inorganic compounds are easier for plant uptake. I think mineralization might happen in this type of tank as well, just more slowly
I wish I had seen this videos sooner. I *just* set up a 5 gal nano tank with half and inch of sifted organic dirt (all I had but it's good quality) and about 1.5 inches of substrate. Is that going to make any difference?
either will work. sand will work better or at least very fine gravel. This is mainly to help anchor your plants down better in the beginning of planting.
Hi, so if i want to do a dirted tank to have a huge jungle of plants but i am kinda nervouse about it killing my fish or especially me betta with the nitraits.
Set it up as any tank. You need to cycle as usual. Once it's cycled, you're fine and it runs as any other tank. Just make sure you don't get any soil that has weird artificial things in it.
@@TheWaterBox thanks, I tried it without a cap today and all the soil floated everywhere. I wanted to look without a cap but it does not work I guess. Thanks Eddie
I am building a fish room with multiple tanks connected with causeways. I have Malaysian trumpet snails. If I put together a Dirted tank will it cause problems if my Malaysian Trumpet snails migrate to this tank and borrow beneath the substrate as they like to do during the day?
Thank you! Can the soil be pulled away from the gkass and inch or two and then capped so that the soil/roots are not visible ? Seems like this should work.
You don't normally do water changes during a cycle unless there's something wrong. In this case, with soil, you may want to in the first week to cull down the ammonia spike.
Can I put eco complete over the soil as my top? And where can i find the mexican pottery? And i wonder if i could use speedy dry its like kitty litter just no scents
Yes, you can use eco over soil. I got my mexican pottery clay on amazon. I'm not sure on the kitty litter brand. You have to make sure it doesn't get smooshy when it's wet.
I used Glacial Bay Organic Topsoil in my aquarium and as I started filling it up, the water was very murky and black. Any fixes? I have 2 filters, Aquaclear 110 with the standard bio-media that came with it and the Topfin 60 with 2 cartridges. I also capped the Topsoil with rinsed Seachem Flourite Red and sifted the Topsoil.
Ah, no wonder some of the footage looked familiar, I was having deja vu! haha Aw man, hit a bit of a rough patch, my wife and I separated, had to take down all my tanks and sell everything. I am completely out of the hobby right now, I dont even have a suction cup. I can't see me getting back into the hobby anytime soon. For now I have to enjoy the hobby through other peoples videos, like yours! :)
If just seperated from the wife...id recommend suction cups...only joking...life goes on..get busy living or dying me friend...aye, shawshank...crawl through 300mtres of shit and come out clean...all best...Joe
Hello, quick question please, just about to do a dirt tank next week. I'm in the UK so I will be using miracle gro potato and veg which is 100% chemical free and organic mix with plant gro. With a white aquatic sand cap on top. What's your opinion on running a Co2 kit with a dirt tank please? I've got a 190 ltr tank and I just bought a new Co2 kit but I'm thinking of not using it. Many thanks
Of course it's pretty straight forward...I too used Walmarts Schultz 100% organic soil and aquarium (designated) sand to top off the soil. Recently however, noticed that there's been a bit of the organic soil coming topside of the Sandy substrate. Like yourself (& many other people) who put a layer of soil down first then the sand to keep the soil from leaching upwards, I myself only spot filled the bottom of the aquarium with soil where I was going to plant my plants. I didn't see what the point is of fully layering the bottom of the aquarium with soil for the simple reason being is that once the roots of the plant(s) have started to grow, the substrate type is irrelevant JUST as long as their is nutrients within the substrate for the roots to "eat"
Im getting ready to start a 20 gal planted . We just had a new well drilled last year the old well wasnt dry yet . How every ther was alot of iron in the old well the new well has alot of minerals in it. Is that good for it or do i need to do any thing to it ?
The Water Box the water I am going to buy that Marical grow organic soil the Lowe’s down the mountain from me sells it . I was just wondering if the high mineral content would be good for the plants ? I was listening to a lady at pet smart try and sell a lady a bunch of stuff she didn’t need !
Not if it's just normal soil at the bottom then sand at top. If you're using something like aquarium soil capped with sand then that's a good idea else the sand will falling into the aquarium soul.
Hey! Thanks so much for this video. I am setting up a planted 5.5 gal, with just neocardinia and looking to use this method. Do I need to use clay, etc... or will just mineralizing/wetting and drying the miracle grow and then capping with sand be sufficient? Am not able to find clay around within my budge at the moment :(
He boss so I added ecosphere complete to my 40 gallon breeder tank.can I add the soil on top with the eco complete still working? Or should I add the soil and then the eco complete?
It would defeat the purpose of a cap if you put the soil on top of the eco-complete. You can but you won't have a cap and your tank will get really dirty every time you move stuff around.
So, stupid question, how do you gravel vac then? You don't get the soil mixed in with the sand? Or do you just not gravel vac? Seems like that could be an issue down the road at some point? Thanks.
@@TheWaterBox thanks for answering, I've now watch that video to. I find I really have to jam the vacuum tube into the sand more than that amount of distance otherwise it doesn't get clean in my tanks at least but thank you I thought that was very valuable maybe something to try in the future but not now. Thanks again!
So much respect! So far ive been using potting soil as a bottom layer and put a nice thick layer or eco complete with a a third one of fluval stratum. One of the main pros would be the elimination of a c02 source because the organic soil will release is it.
Can i use ada amazonia for only 3 cryptocoryne and 2 anubias, java fern on wood. Is it too much nutrient for the 3 crypt on the fore ground ? If i do this i need to do 50% water changes everyday for a few weeks right ? becuz of the ammonia from the ada amazonia right ?
Sure. I'd do 50% water changes once a week for a couple of weeks. You should be ok. Better yet, just measure ammonia and water change if it looks too high. You WANT ammonia during your tank cycling.
You should yes, or it'll might causea ammonia spikes. These aren't large treated driftwood or anything so they would decompose pretty quick. That said, I've heard some people have left them in but I never knew if it caused any problems for them. Then there's always the problem of the piece just floating to the top when flooded.
Hi, very useful video I just did my set up on a 10 gallon. I am currently cycling the tank but I have a question regarding air stones and if it will be useful to incorporate as I plan to stock my tank. Any tips on cleaning the sand cap I noticed while planting some of the particles of dirt came to the surface I used my net to pick up the majority but I still see particles on the bottom and I am afraid to disturb the plants or agitate the sand.
For the stuff on the substrate, just vacuum them. Here's a video on tips for maintaining a soil tank: ruclips.net/video/WwjOMmxXO0Q/видео.html You can use an airstone, but it's a planted tank and if you're not using co2, there's no reason too (unless you need to). If you want it for decoration purposes, a low power airstone will work. You just want something that doesn't make too much water movement at the surface of your tank when it bubbles up.
nice, here in panama organic substrate is very expensive and heavy to import, buymt I can get that miracle gro here and natural sand and gravel. if get a bit of mud it will bring bacteria?
You can. As long as you know there's no weird stuff in it, you should be ok. Like no pesticides is the most important. I'll kill your fish. But there are a lot of people that uses soil from their backyards.
I have made three tanks in this process but on my bigger one a 40 gallons. The plants are not thriving and the roots are rooting in some of the plants and seems like bubbles are coming from the soil do you have any idea what’s happening ? Thanks in advanced
Bubbles coming from the substrate might be some air pockets. I'd just poke at the soil during water changes to clear some of the air out of the substrate.
hey thanks for all inf on all you videos, i having a problem i use dirt cap with sand the tanks is 3 months, this is the issue the plants i notice getting a dark green in edge of the leaf and star melting, from the beginning my nitrate is a 30 to 40ppm i think is for my stock and the slow grow of my plants i do 30% to 50% of water change every week i was dosing pps pro but after that i stop dosing kno3, and after i see the plants was getting holes so raise the k2so4 and the hole stop, but i still getting the dark green at the edge of the leaf, 3 week ago i buy a phosphate test i see my po4 is 0.25 and dosing 1ppm weekly so doable the kh2po4 and still my po4 0.25 when i dose more kh2po4 daily i see a better grow should i raise the dose of kh2po4?
@@TheWaterBox the amonia level is 0 I found the problem was the kit not reading property, I bring the water to a local fish store and the po4 was like 8 so now I have to stop dosing po4 untill get to 1 ppm, I got a new po4 test kit that was driving me crazy, my nitrite is now like 10 tomorrow is water change day I will try to balance the tank I trying to keep my values on 10 nitrate and 1 po4
is it safe to use organic compost/dirt substrate covered with gravel for cory dora tank? . I heard the compost is very rich in nutrient.. is there a chance cory would end up sucking particles or concentrated compost water..
Many thanks for those down-to-earth (!) videos :) I had a dirted tank 20 years ago which was very low tech but lush. Recently got back into the hobby and now thinking of putting a small bottom layer of organic soil under my eco complete which is a combination you seem to validate. The question is, can I get away with doing this re-shuffle and put the fish straight back in, or is the potential ammonia spike too big a risk? The guys are silver tip tetra, pearl gourami, kribensi, apistogramma and dwarf neon rainbow, all kind enough to survive some mistakes so far. Filter is a decent size (fluval 306 for 55gal) running 6 months, has a large intake sponge and is full of media.
You can but yeh, ammonia spike it a problem. I've done a soil switch out on my 20 long here and I talk about it: ruclips.net/video/2ZR7wb3OS1A/видео.html
@@TheWaterBox thanks for the reply and wow so many aspects already covered i your videos. I would definitely need to keep a close eye on water parameters. Do you recall how long it took for the tank to return to normal? I would probably not use the exact same soil here in the UK, so just to have an idea.
For me a week before it stabilized but I checked the water params twice a day and did water changes when needed. Leaving the ammonia levels low and letting the "filter bio" catch up.
I can't say as I don't know what's in your village drains/small river. I think the sand for concrete might be too fine but I'm not sure as I don't know the brand you're talking about.
Hi, iIve been searching online for pool filter sand that is size of a BB pellet which is 4.5mm like Dustin suggest but you recommended sizes between 2 and 3mm. Do you know what brand and where to buy the 3mm? I'm in San Diego. Regards!
I'm doing an experiment where I put soil in a mesh pouch, it is made from window-screens. The finer the holes, the better. The idea is to contain the soil, in case I want to undo the soil substrate. I understand it will leak out but it is better to have the soil in a "clump" instead of having to dig it out in case I change my mind. It is a quicker change for re-scaping the aquarium. I am using soil-pouches as the base to be topped off with sand. The sand can be sucked out and rinsed if I choose to recycle it; the soil in theory will be left separate contained in the pouches with some eventually spilling out but not completely.
@Dylan The soil was contained yet the finer materials leaked out. Some pouches lost more than others like flatten raviolis. Overall the plants grew and the water was clear. I thought of using filter-bags before but I had a window-screen that looked much the same lying around.
Hello im following most of your videos.. im having a problem on my dirted tank it became always cloudy and the dirt comes up over the gravel. I noticed my Siamese algae eater digging maybe to find food, and also sometimes bubles comes up. Is it i will add adequate sand/gravel or i will remove the SAE? Thanks
@@TheWaterBox 1 inch. But i realize that the soil is much thicker.. still having problem soil still surfacing maybe i need to rescape and i will follow your steps on your videos.
I'm currently switching to a 350 gal and thought about using soil and dumping all of my cycled water from a 130 gal into the 350. How long should I wait for the tank to cycle then and add my fish to their new home? Thanks!
Use your test kits to find out. It cycles as any tank will. Just using "cycled" water isn't going to help much. Moving maybe some cycled media into the new filter or wood or rocks from an established tank will help though.
I just watched your maintance and tips video and one thought came to mind: use mesh bags to avoid mixing substrates? I cannot stress enough how much I hate substrates getting mixed and for me become unusable in the future. what do you think?
Will using dirt leech ammonia into the tank like aqua soil for example, don’t get me wrong I obviously have test kits and plan to use them... but want to know what I’m getting myself into, thanks!
Hey water box 👋, for the Mexican pottery clay can I just put it under Eco Complete? Without dirt? (Just sticking dried “tabs” into the eco complete like it’s a root tab) hope this would be ok please let me know 😉
You can if you wish to provide more iron. Eco-Complete has some trace iron in it already. A little more can always help. And I didn't read that wrong. :P
It looks great. Can you talk a bit about how you maintain it over the long term? What will you do when the nutrients and minerals from the soil are depleted? Thank you.
Thank you for watching! Of course you can trim and re-plant. It'll make a little mess but all I do it just siphon out the soil that got on top during the water change
I usually don't suggest play sand since the grains are so tiny but people have said they've used it with no problems. I always shoot for pool filter sand or Black Diamond Blasting Sand or something with larger gains sizes than playground sand.
So my local dirt/soil idk what to call it is "organic" but it mixed with burn rice husk. So it is still considered as "organic"??? Can i use it for my beta aquarium? I can't fine aquarium dirt anywhere here in my tiny city. I want to order it but my country is in flood crisis now.
Organic is just another work for "Nothing artificially produced" and not all "organic" soils even follows that rule. It's best to just read what's in the soil on the bag. If you're putting something natural in it that it's still organic but I think you question should be "Will burn ruse husk help?". Sure, but just be careful and watch the tank and try to keep the water clean as it's rich in silica and that contributes to brown algae.
I only have aquasoil and its fertilizer, I am introducing the aquasoil in a beta fish tank without filters. How do I introduce it without using a filter? Thanks a lot!
You have to do lots of water changes to lower the ammonia. You should have some kind of filter if you're keeping live stock unless you're doing something like the walstad method
@@TheWaterBox yes it would be tap water. Another question, when changing the water do i need to match the temperature of the water inside the tank exactly when changing?
Clay is just a bonus. You don't have to use it but it'll help. You can always mix in some clay base substrate. Pure old school kitty litter or clay based commercial aquarium planted substrate can work.
That should work. as long at it's not all pumice and perlite you should be ok. I hope. lol Good luck! Oh, check out this video if you haven't already gone shopping for soil: ruclips.net/video/3yOmQcmk6kQ/видео.html
Hi, i know soil doesnt last long term, but what can i do to make it last? Or so i dont have to change it? Can i recycle it? What nutrients i need to add and so and so forth. Also can you please do a video on everything i need to know about how to test the aquarium water and what i would need to test the aquarium water and what i can do if the levels are high or low? Thanking you
Also to your original question, when nutrients runs out you can start using tablets. I think I'm going to address this in tonights video. All substrates run out of nutrients at some point. Even soil and branded. Soil should last you a couple of years. That pretty long. After that, you can supplement with tablets. Soil or branded substrates.
HI. i just started my planted aquarium on organic soil and topped it with gravel. It has been a second week and I still have horrible algea bloom. i do 70% water change every other day and the light runs 5h a day. Now i'm trying to turn off the lights for couple of days. I'm wandering if the fact that the organic mix that I used have some organic fertilizers in it may cause this bloom? Do you think it'll clear out or do i need to restart? i used Green Mountain Compost premium organic potting mix.
Nice video! Just wondering if I can add some fauna in a dirt substrate tank, specifically neo caridinia shrimps. Would the soil harm them or would they be alright?
@@TheWaterBox I appreciate that but I just returned my fluval co2 kit so I went with two bags of seachem fluorite.. that kit leaked I should of researched reviews before buying it.
@@TheWaterBox we live we learn! I get my new wyin regulator today with the 20oz tippman tank.. could you do me a favor please? I just set my new breeder 40gallon up. Can you please review my tank?? It would make my day knowing a well known aquatic warrior reviewed my tank. I just got into the hobby about 3months ago and love it...
Sir, i hope you could help me with this. im planning to have a 1.5inch organic soil then on top of that i will use 1 inch aquarium soil.do you think it will work? and any other recommendation? i cant really afford the pure aquasoil, my aquarium is 48x20x20 inches. i have sump for my filter , ill use low tech plant with no to low co2 requirements so ill use the diy setup you made.
A few tips from somebody with several years of dirt tank experience.
1) The process of wetting and drying the soil outside before using it is called "mineralization". The purpose of it is basically to refine the dirt, getting rid of all the floaty bits that he had to net out in the video. He did the same thing, just in his tank instead of in a bucket or kiddie pool in the driveway. Soak the dirt, use a net or cheesecloth to get the floating scum out of the water, let it dry, repeat if you feel the need.
2) You can mix the clay much more effectively into the soil than by using the ball method in the video. You're going to wet the soil anyhow, simply dissolve the clay into the water you're going to use to wet the soil. That gives you a fine film of iron-rich clay throughout the entire substrate rather than a few big clumps here and there. You can make it even easier by getting the clay in powder form from any number of art supply sites. Make sure it is iron-rich clay, kitty litter is not the same stuff. Although you can use more than one type of clay, they do have different properties.
3) Quit worrying about substrate depth! This myth needs to die. Ponds and lakes have massively deep substrates, they aren't toxic. Quite the opposite, it's known that a deep substrate is beneficial. The "anaerobic" bacteria boogeyman that everybody warns you about is the same aerobic bacteria everybody cultures in biofilters. It's just that in low-oxygen environments the bacteria switches its metabolism to suit the lack of oxygen. The end result is that it turns ammonia and nitrates into nitrogen gas. In other words, it ends the nitrogen cycle. Our 75g has almost 6" of substrate in it. No, it doesn't smell like a swamp or cause health issues inside or outside of the tank.
4) Don't use just the soil for the base layer. Potting soil is entirely biological stuff, very fine grains. It will compact when wet and form a dense mass that makes it hard for roots to grow through. Treat it like you would any other garden soil, add amendments to loosen the soil. A bit of sand, maybe even a little bit of small gravel. This opens channels for the water and roots to pass more easily.
5) You can make your own "dirt" and have complete control of the mix if you want. Worm castings provide the biological mass, rock dust (like Azomite) provides minerals for the plants, maybe a bit of bone meal for calcium and other trace elements. Sand, clay, voila! I'd probably only recommend this for larger tanks since some of the stuff seems to only be available in bulk form and would be a bit expensive if you only needed a little of it.
Overall, good video. There is no better substrate for a planted tank than dirt and I'm glad to see people giving it a try. I just wanted to pass along some things I've learned over the past several years.
Amazing response, thanks for your effort, John. I'm going to try yours this weekend :)
Does the plants roots have to touch the soil? I attempted a dirted tank with blasting sand, I some how got air pockets which made the soil lift on top of the sand.... I figured my cap wasn't enough but if I add more I fee like the plants would be too far away from the soil. Where did I go wrong?
İs this set up last for how many monts or years ? Or what we can do for it run alot of time
@@sirackaan609 it can last a decade acording to deep substrate enthusiasts. Try Father Fish videos on youtube, you will see how to do it. Deep substrate method let you do great things with minimal care and lasts forefer if done right.
Father Fish is a national treasure. Thank you for recommending him!
I'm planning on setting up a planted tank soon and I'm doing so much research. Your videos are to the point, informative, and entertaining! You've answered every single one of my questions with this series, thank you!!!
Awesome, thank you! Glad it helped!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’ve been try to set up my first live plant aquarium with little success. You video was short , to the point and showed me exactly what I needed to know. So, thank you.
Very welcome! I'm glad it's helping you! Just ask if you have questions. Join our facebook group. Tons of people to help there. facebook.com/groups/thewaterbox
Organic Soil really worked for me, and my soil didn't go murky as I've damp the soil first and then the substrate then after filling it up, the water was still clear, and I added my fish since the water was already cycled. It worked great for me, Thank you😊
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
I used miracle Gro Potting mix and it worked fine. Better than expected. Of course was skeptical but plants were stocked and snails were present
Yeh, great stuff!
Thank you for this simple clear explanation and demo.
Glad it was helpful! And thanks for joining as a member! :)
Thank you for sharing this great informative tutorial on substrates.
I always had gravel in my tanks, but then again I was limited to growing certain plants that would grow in gravel. Now I will be using dirt, gravel, and dosing CO2. A full Spectrum Light is in order too. I enjoyed watching!
Thanks!
I started a dirt tank (organic choice) about........mmmmm........6 or 7 years ago in a 20g. I forgot what I capped it with. Never changed the soil. It's still kicking and I grow swords, which I understand really suck up the nutrients. I'd say my water is a bit cloudier than other tanks after all this time but it doesn't bother me too much. Been thinking about setting up a 40g breeder. At first I wasn't going to do dirt this time around but I think you convinced me to do it again. I guess my current tank is doing so well, that I have my own proof as it is. So thanks for re-confirming what I found works. I like the clay ball idea. I never did that. My existing tank is high light and pressurized CO2.
Nice! glad to hear it :) And good to know it's lasting years for you. Like to hear how long soil last for people who let their tank set ups last more than a couple of year unlike me who can't keep still. lol
@@TheWaterBox Perhaps I spoke too soon. Currently going through a bloom. But I changed from a canister to sump...And I started dosing micro-nutients cause stuff was getting yellow and dying.
Sounds like a plan!
Thank you! Very clear and straight to the point, got my tank today and all the substrate info out there was a bit overwhelming. I am planning to fill my tank with plants alone, no fish or anything like that. Would everything be okay if I didnt use a filter?
Literally finished setting up my walstad type 5 gallon tank minutes ago...I was fumbling with the substrate selection mainly...surprised to see you coincidentally posted this one few hours earlier! I used a mix of normal compost and a small amount of garden soil.
Sudipto Chakraborty didn't you know? I was reading your mind!
Really wish you were still create content. This is excellent.
One huge question I have. I love bottom feeders like Cory's. Maybe a trumpet snail. Will these be an issue with a planted tank?
Awesome job explaining , never had a planted tank and you made that look like a breeze. Thanks !
It is easy once you get it down. Hope you give it a try! :)
Another great video, and you make using soil seem easy! Love your straightforward approach and concise, info-packed episodes. I'll be setting up a 10 gallon this month to test this out on my own before diving in with my bigger tanks. Wish me luck :D
Great way to start and try it out! Good luck!
Such a great point. It's really not as hard as people think. Just takes a little knowledge! I've thought about using organic potting soil with gravel cap in my next tank. Great video!
Put it on vid if you do! :) Thanks for the watch!
Very helpful, thank you. One other thing I've often read helps with keeping the soil healthy are digging snails, like melanoides tuberculata.
Good tip!
I'm so glad it was easy to find you on YT.
Best overall tank info for beginners that want correct things that I can find.
New sub :D
Also going to be a dirt guy for my first tank!
Love from Canada
Dirt is definitely a great setup! Good luck! :)
@@TheWaterBox it's working out well I'm going to make a small video just to share with you next week :D
I thought I'd never get the water clear hhahahaha
Haha it will clear. If you have tannins it'll go away after a while but you can make it go away fast by running pruigren in your filter for a week.
I’m from Canada too!
I saw this video about a month ago and it inspired me to use organic soil. Then when I actually got the soil i forgot parts of this video. For example I was alarmed to see wood chips on the soil. Then I thought of having a thick layer. I watched it again and realize that i should have sifted the soil and that the layer should be an inch or less. Another words this video is excellent but dont watch it just once. So far this is the best video I have seen here for using soil
I'm glad it helped! BOOKMARK IT THIS TIME! ;)
great video. I wish I would have known about this before I set up my tank with just gravel. I almost want to set up tank number two this way and transfer my live stock over after it cycles and redo tank number one the same way.
Then save it for your next tank or build :)
Could I use the garden soil?
Man you made everything looks so simple , i was afraid to use a soil that's not made specifically for aquariums but i don't think I'm afraid of that anymore i just need to make sure it's 100% organic right?
Your video should have 500k views at least
And the fact that you're answering all the comments is great
Like and subscribed and i hope to learn more and more from you thank you
Thanks buddy!
Just watched the vid. Great info and great pace of explanation. Also, thanks for not being a product overlord and making it seem like you have to have a whole lot to do this.
Well, there's really not much to it honestly. :)
No not at all. I've had been doing it since i made this comment or perhaps a bit before. The gassing made me a bit curious at first but ive had great success with soil substrates
@@hotbox1266 That's good to hear for sure! :)
I've been using soil for about a year now. Worked out well.
Perfect! Thanks for sharinging!
I tried this on a smaller tank and there's tannins releasing into the water. does that mean I didn't put enough to cap the dirt? theres no driftwood in the tank. Just plants
Thank you I needed a cheap solutions for planting my new tank up
Good luck!
The wetting and drying out part he was talking about is called mineralization. It's a process that converts organic compounds to inorganic ones using microbes. Less organics is better for algae control and I believe inorganic compounds are easier for plant uptake. I think mineralization might happen in this type of tank as well, just more slowly
Thanks for clarifying! I complete forgot what it was called when I was filming the video. You rock! 👍
I wish I had seen this videos sooner. I *just* set up a 5 gal nano tank with half and inch of sifted organic dirt (all I had but it's good quality) and about 1.5 inches of substrate. Is that going to make any difference?
Should be just fine. :)
Would it be ok to go straight volcanic soil only (fluval stratum)?
Or do i need to buy sand on top of that as well?
You can do just stratum.
Great video! Just one question, if I’m using a carpet plant like dwarf hairgrass, do I need to cover the dirt with gravel or sand?
either will work. sand will work better or at least very fine gravel. This is mainly to help anchor your plants down better in the beginning of planting.
“Pretty fairly really simple”
Yup
Basically Jacob.
Always a good video man!
Thanks man!
Hi, so if i want to do a dirted tank to have a huge jungle of plants but i am kinda nervouse about it killing my fish or especially me betta with the nitraits.
Set it up as any tank. You need to cycle as usual. Once it's cycled, you're fine and it runs as any other tank. Just make sure you don't get any soil that has weird artificial things in it.
I’m looking to order Fluval plant substrate they’re in pebble like shapes and supposedly volcanic, do you have to cal those with sand?
Never mind this questions has already been answered
No prob. Glad you got the answer.
@@TheWaterBox thanks!
@@andres4360 NP!
@@andres4360 yw
Hi, why do you have to cap the soil off? Is this to stop it floating?
Thanks Eddie
To stop making a large huge mess if you move plants and decor around. It'll still make a mess bit not so much with a cap on.
@@TheWaterBox thanks, I tried it without a cap today and all the soil floated everywhere. I wanted to look without a cap but it does not work I guess. Thanks Eddie
@@eddiesfishroom4517 That'll happen regardless. Just net the floaties out.
@@TheWaterBox I mean the entire planting soil floated without the topping off layer
@@eddiesfishroom4517 It could just been the soil you're using.
Hi, I live in New Zealand and I bought *Yates Natures Way Organic Seed Raising Mix* should I bake first ?
You shouldn't need to do that anymore. Assuming it doesn't have too much dead organic in the soil.
I am building a fish room with multiple tanks connected with causeways. I have Malaysian trumpet snails. If I put together a Dirted tank will it cause problems if my Malaysian Trumpet snails migrate to this tank and borrow beneath the substrate as they like to do during the day?
Nope, you should fine.
Thank you! Can the soil be pulled away from the gkass and inch or two and then capped so that the soil/roots are not visible ? Seems like this should work.
Yup. That's fine
Question: would it be bad to leave the pieces of wood/bark in if you wanted a blackwater tank? It doesn't hurt the water quality right?
It's not bad but it will cause more ammonia spikes as the decay in the tank.
I have a question, you said you break the rule of cycling by not doing nay water changes (except after three days) at 4:45. Why is that?
You don't normally do water changes during a cycle unless there's something wrong. In this case, with soil, you may want to in the first week to cull down the ammonia spike.
@@TheWaterBox awesome thanks!
@@bravo123345 np!
Can I put eco complete over the soil as my top? And where can i find the mexican pottery? And i wonder if i could use speedy dry its like kitty litter just no scents
Yes, you can use eco over soil. I got my mexican pottery clay on amazon. I'm not sure on the kitty litter brand. You have to make sure it doesn't get smooshy when it's wet.
So would doing a soil tank, with flourite dark on top, be an ok way to go fo ra dry start method to grow carpet?
Yes, absolutely
I used Glacial Bay Organic Topsoil in my aquarium and as I started filling it up, the water was very murky and black. Any fixes? I have 2 filters, Aquaclear 110 with the standard bio-media that came with it and the Topfin 60 with 2 cartridges.
I also capped the Topsoil with rinsed Seachem Flourite Red and sifted the Topsoil.
Do water changes
@@zyfrost8942 Alright, that's what I thought I needed to do thank you!! :)
Try running Purigen through your filter and see if that fixes it.
Thank you 🙏 very informative article 😊
Ah, no wonder some of the footage looked familiar, I was having deja vu! haha Aw man, hit a bit of a rough patch, my wife and I separated, had to take down all my tanks and sell everything. I am completely out of the hobby right now, I dont even have a suction cup. I can't see me getting back into the hobby anytime soon. For now I have to enjoy the hobby through other peoples videos, like yours! :)
Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that man! Well, keep watching and stay in touch until your ready to get back into it again :)
If just seperated from the wife...id recommend suction cups...only joking...life goes on..get busy living or dying me friend...aye, shawshank...crawl through 300mtres of shit and come out clean...all best...Joe
Can't fathom pain of not doing what you love most world. Hopefully you'll get back on ur feet restart what makes you happy
Get back to it. Start slowly and start small. Do not give up.
GET BACK IN THE GAME
Hello, quick question please, just about to do a dirt tank next week. I'm in the UK so I will be using miracle gro potato and veg which is 100% chemical free and organic mix with plant gro. With a white aquatic sand cap on top. What's your opinion on running a Co2 kit with a dirt tank please? I've got a 190 ltr tank and I just bought a new Co2 kit but I'm thinking of not using it. Many thanks
It works incredibly well with a dieted tank.
My tank looks amazing thanks for the info
Glad to hear it!!
Of course it's pretty straight forward...I too used Walmarts Schultz 100% organic soil and aquarium (designated) sand to top off the soil.
Recently however, noticed that there's been a bit of the organic soil coming topside of the Sandy substrate.
Like yourself (& many other people) who put a layer of soil down first then the sand to keep the soil from leaching upwards, I myself only spot filled the bottom of the aquarium with soil where I was going to plant my plants.
I didn't see what the point is of fully layering the bottom of the aquarium with soil for the simple reason being is that once the roots of the plant(s) have started to grow, the substrate type is irrelevant JUST as long as their is nutrients within the substrate for the roots to "eat"
Im getting ready to start a 20 gal planted . We just had a new well drilled last year the old well wasnt dry yet . How every ther was alot of iron in the old well the new well has alot of minerals in it. Is that good for it or do i need to do any thing to it ?
Is what good for it? You talking about the soil from the dug well? Or the water?
The Water Box the water I am going to buy that Marical grow organic soil the Lowe’s down the mountain from me sells it . I was just wondering if the high mineral content would be good for the plants ? I was listening to a lady at pet smart try and sell a lady a bunch of stuff she didn’t need !
Of course the mineral contant would be good for plants. That's WHY we use soil.
Is it good idea to put a small net in between soil and the top layer
Not if it's just normal soil at the bottom then sand at top. If you're using something like aquarium soil capped with sand then that's a good idea else the sand will falling into the aquarium soul.
Excellent!! I needed this video so badly! Straight to the point.
Much appreciated 🐠 🐌
Glad it helps!
@@TheWaterBox You’re great! Really appreciate your knowledge 👊🏼
@@AkChiVibes np!
Will small pebbles work? Should I place the grass seeded in my soil and then top it off with pebbles?
It can. You might get more of the dirt coming up when disturbed than using something like sand or smaller aquarium gravel.
Hey! Thanks so much for this video. I am setting up a planted 5.5 gal, with just neocardinia and looking to use this method. Do I need to use clay, etc... or will just mineralizing/wetting and drying the miracle grow and then capping with sand be sufficient? Am not able to find clay around within my budge at the moment :(
did you already set it up? how’s it going?
You don't AHVE to use clay but it helps bring iron to the plant roots.
He boss so I added ecosphere complete to my 40 gallon breeder tank.can I add the soil on top with the eco complete still working? Or should I add the soil and then the eco complete?
It would defeat the purpose of a cap if you put the soil on top of the eco-complete. You can but you won't have a cap and your tank will get really dirty every time you move stuff around.
So, stupid question, how do you gravel vac then? You don't get the soil mixed in with the sand? Or do you just not gravel vac? Seems like that could be an issue down the road at some point? Thanks.
I cover this in this video: ruclips.net/video/WwjOMmxXO0Q/видео.html
@@TheWaterBox thanks for answering, I've now watch that video to. I find I really have to jam the vacuum tube into the sand more than that amount of distance otherwise it doesn't get clean in my tanks at least but thank you I thought that was very valuable maybe something to try in the future but not now. Thanks again!
So much respect! So far ive been using potting soil as a bottom layer and put a nice thick layer or eco complete with a a third one of fluval stratum. One of the main pros would be the elimination of a c02 source because the organic soil will release is it.
Sure. Not much Co2 though but if it works for you.
@Kelli Burns yeah make sure its at least twice as thick as the layer of soil.
You don't HAVE to but it'll create a mess if you don't. Capping helps keep it clearner AND to help anchor your plants in (specifically stem plants)
Do you have to add a layer to top of soil or can you just keep it like that with just to organic soil?
You can but it'll be very messy when you mess with the tank moving anything around.
I have a really thick biofilm building up from the substrate. Would beneficial bacteria like dr Tim’s one and only help?
I'm not sure what you mean about bio film. Can you share a pic of it on our facebook group and ask there?
Can i use ada amazonia for only 3 cryptocoryne and 2 anubias, java fern on wood. Is it too much nutrient for the 3 crypt on the fore ground ? If i do this i need to do 50% water changes everyday for a few weeks right ? becuz of the ammonia from the ada amazonia right ?
Sure. I'd do 50% water changes once a week for a couple of weeks. You should be ok. Better yet, just measure ammonia and water change if it looks too high. You WANT ammonia during your tank cycling.
Keep up the great content always look forward to your videos
Thank bro! 👍
Do you have to take out the big sticks and things from the dirt?
You should yes, or it'll might causea ammonia spikes. These aren't large treated driftwood or anything so they would decompose pretty quick. That said, I've heard some people have left them in but I never knew if it caused any problems for them. Then there's always the problem of the piece just floating to the top when flooded.
Hi, very useful video I just did my set up on a 10 gallon. I am currently cycling the tank but I have a question regarding air stones and if it will be useful to incorporate as I plan to stock my tank. Any tips on cleaning the sand cap I noticed while planting some of the particles of dirt came to the surface I used my net to pick up the majority but I still see particles on the bottom and I am afraid to disturb the plants or agitate the sand.
For the stuff on the substrate, just vacuum them. Here's a video on tips for maintaining a soil tank: ruclips.net/video/WwjOMmxXO0Q/видео.html You can use an airstone, but it's a planted tank and if you're not using co2, there's no reason too (unless you need to). If you want it for decoration purposes, a low power airstone will work. You just want something that doesn't make too much water movement at the surface of your tank when it bubbles up.
Question: Did you rinse the pool sand until it was clear or did you add it to tank straight from the bag?
Rinse it.
is it good for carpet plant....can I go with dry technique
It works for carpet plants just fine and yes, you can use soil for the DSM technique. Make sure you cap it with something.
nice, here in panama organic substrate is very expensive and heavy to import, buymt I can get that miracle gro here and natural sand and gravel. if get a bit of mud it will bring bacteria?
You can. As long as you know there's no weird stuff in it, you should be ok. Like no pesticides is the most important. I'll kill your fish. But there are a lot of people that uses soil from their backyards.
I have made three tanks in this process but on my bigger one a 40 gallons. The plants are not thriving and the roots are rooting in some of the plants and seems like bubbles are coming from the soil do you have any idea what’s happening ? Thanks in advanced
Bubbles coming from the substrate might be some air pockets. I'd just poke at the soil during water changes to clear some of the air out of the substrate.
hey thanks for all inf on all you videos, i having a problem i use dirt cap with sand the tanks is 3 months, this is the issue the plants i notice getting a dark green in edge of the leaf and star melting, from the beginning my nitrate is a 30 to 40ppm i think is for my stock and the slow grow of my plants i do 30% to 50% of water change every week i was dosing pps pro but after that i stop dosing kno3, and after i see the plants was getting holes so raise the k2so4 and the hole stop, but i still getting the dark green at the edge of the leaf, 3 week ago i buy a phosphate test i see my po4 is 0.25 and dosing 1ppm weekly so doable the kh2po4 and still my po4 0.25 when i dose more kh2po4 daily i see a better grow should i raise the dose of kh2po4?
What's your ammonia levels at?
@@TheWaterBox the amonia level is 0 I found the problem was the kit not reading property, I bring the water to a local fish store and the po4 was like 8 so now I have to stop dosing po4 untill get to 1 ppm, I got a new po4 test kit that was driving me crazy, my nitrite is now like 10 tomorrow is water change day I will try to balance the tank I trying to keep my values on 10 nitrate and 1 po4
is it safe to use organic compost/dirt substrate covered with gravel for cory dora tank?
.
I heard the compost is very rich in nutrient.. is there a chance cory would end up sucking particles or concentrated compost water..
Yes. You should be fine as long as you cycle your tank. You just want to mainly watch out for sharp gravel you are using to cap the soil.
@@TheWaterBox Thank you
@@kannadiga3644 No problem
after doing this and 50 percent tnk
clean for 1 week , can i put my fishes in?
Fantastic. Cheers. Will definitely try this on my 4ft tank
Go for it! Tell us how it goes! :)
Many thanks for those down-to-earth (!) videos :)
I had a dirted tank 20 years ago which was very low tech but lush. Recently got back into the hobby and now thinking of putting a small bottom layer of organic soil under my eco complete which is a combination you seem to validate.
The question is, can I get away with doing this re-shuffle and put the fish straight back in, or is the potential ammonia spike too big a risk?
The guys are silver tip tetra, pearl gourami, kribensi, apistogramma and dwarf neon rainbow, all kind enough to survive some mistakes so far. Filter is a decent size (fluval 306 for 55gal) running 6 months, has a large intake sponge and is full of media.
You can but yeh, ammonia spike it a problem. I've done a soil switch out on my 20 long here and I talk about it: ruclips.net/video/2ZR7wb3OS1A/видео.html
@@TheWaterBox thanks for the reply and wow so many aspects already covered i your videos. I would definitely need to keep a close eye on water parameters.
Do you recall how long it took for the tank to return to normal? I would probably not use the exact same soil here in the UK, so just to have an idea.
For me a week before it stabilized but I checked the water params twice a day and did water changes when needed. Leaving the ammonia levels low and letting the "filter bio" catch up.
@@TheWaterBox many thanks, Chung!
Hi, can I use the soil from "village drain/small river", and that sand for concrete??
I can't say as I don't know what's in your village drains/small river. I think the sand for concrete might be too fine but I'm not sure as I don't know the brand you're talking about.
@@TheWaterBox river sand. Do you have Instagram? I want to send you a photo
Hi, iIve been searching online for pool filter sand that is size of a BB pellet which is 4.5mm like Dustin suggest but you recommended sizes between 2 and 3mm. Do you know what brand and where to buy the 3mm? I'm in San Diego. Regards!
I just go to a Lesie Pool Store and get the generic stuff.
Now I kinda want to demolish my beatiful aquascape and get into soil. Damn you wise man.
Doh! Sorry!
@@TheWaterBox No worries, just another excuse to go for another aquarium I guess! Great content, great information and lots of humor. Keep on going!
LOL! That's a good excuse as any :)
You won't regret it. We first got dirty a few years back and have no intention of ever going back to "regular" substrates.
I'm doing an experiment where I put soil in a mesh pouch, it is made from window-screens. The finer the holes, the better. The idea is to contain the soil, in case I want to undo the soil substrate. I understand it will leak out but it is better to have the soil in a "clump" instead of having to dig it out in case I change my mind. It is a quicker change for re-scaping the aquarium.
I am using soil-pouches as the base to be topped off with sand. The sand can be sucked out and rinsed if I choose to recycle it; the soil in theory will be left separate contained in the pouches with some eventually spilling out but not completely.
@Dylan The soil was contained yet the finer materials leaked out. Some pouches lost more than others like flatten raviolis. Overall the plants grew and the water was clear.
I thought of using filter-bags before but I had a window-screen that looked much the same lying around.
Well that's good to know. Though I think the filter bags would work way better.
Hello im following most of your videos.. im having a problem on my dirted tank it became always cloudy and the dirt comes up over the gravel. I noticed my Siamese algae eater digging maybe to find food, and also sometimes bubles comes up. Is it i will add adequate sand/gravel or i will remove the SAE? Thanks
You might not have put enough of a cap on. How thick is the cap?
@@TheWaterBox 1 inch. But i realize that the soil is much thicker.. still having problem soil still surfacing maybe i need to rescape and i will follow your steps on your videos.
@@ramondelrosario8464 How much soil then? The SAE will dig like that sometimes.
If I buy miracle grow organic should I bake the soil first and if I do bake it will it kill off any nutrients that might be in the soil?
It won't kill off nutrients.
The Water Box thanks and like your channel a lot very informative.
Thanks! I'm glad the videos help! :)
I'm currently switching to a 350 gal and thought about using soil and dumping all of my cycled water from a 130 gal into the 350. How long should I wait for the tank to cycle then and add my fish to their new home? Thanks!
Use your test kits to find out. It cycles as any tank will. Just using "cycled" water isn't going to help much. Moving maybe some cycled media into the new filter or wood or rocks from an established tank will help though.
I just watched your maintance and tips video and one thought came to mind: use mesh bags to avoid mixing substrates? I cannot stress enough how much I hate substrates getting mixed and for me become unusable in the future. what do you think?
Will using dirt leech ammonia into the tank like aqua soil for example, don’t get me wrong I obviously have test kits and plan to use them... but want to know what I’m getting myself into, thanks!
Yeh, it will leech ammonia. :)
Hey water box 👋, for the Mexican pottery clay can I just put it under Eco Complete? Without dirt? (Just sticking dried “tabs” into the eco complete like it’s a root tab) hope this would be ok please let me know 😉
You can if you wish to provide more iron. Eco-Complete has some trace iron in it already. A little more can always help. And I didn't read that wrong. :P
The Water Box :P
:D
It looks great. Can you talk a bit about how you maintain it over the long term? What will you do when the nutrients and minerals from the soil are depleted? Thank you.
It's just like any other tank. Nothing from that changes. When the nutrients are depleted, you can just switch out or start using root tabs.
Hi thanks for the upload. Can you trim and replant using this method? If you plant in the substrate does it make a mess?
Thank you for watching! Of course you can trim and re-plant. It'll make a little mess but all I do it just siphon out the soil that got on top during the water change
The Water Box Great! I understand. :)
Hi can I use play sand in the top of the soil?
I usually don't suggest play sand since the grains are so tiny but people have said they've used it with no problems. I always shoot for pool filter sand or Black Diamond Blasting Sand or something with larger gains sizes than playground sand.
So my local dirt/soil idk what to call it is "organic" but it mixed with burn rice husk. So it is still considered as "organic"??? Can i use it for my beta aquarium? I can't fine aquarium dirt anywhere here in my tiny city. I want to order it but my country is in flood crisis now.
Organic is just another work for "Nothing artificially produced" and not all "organic" soils even follows that rule. It's best to just read what's in the soil on the bag. If you're putting something natural in it that it's still organic but I think you question should be "Will burn ruse husk help?". Sure, but just be careful and watch the tank and try to keep the water clean as it's rich in silica and that contributes to brown algae.
I wonder if there is a dutch style tank using organic soil
Why couldn't there be?
YES!! Soil substrate is the best!
We soil people are too cool for school! 🕶
I only have aquasoil and its fertilizer, I am introducing the aquasoil in a beta fish tank without filters. How do I introduce it without using a filter? Thanks a lot!
You have to do lots of water changes to lower the ammonia. You should have some kind of filter if you're keeping live stock unless you're doing something like the walstad method
@@TheWaterBox I have read about the Walstad method and might go for it. Thanks for the advice!
Good deal
When do you reccomend adding the water conditioner and de chlorinating liguid?
Whenever you add or do water changes.
@@TheWaterBox so every single time? Even when you are trying to clear up the cloudiness the 1st day?
@@sizzlinsenior Whenever you add new water to that tank.
@@sizzlinsenior And this is tap water we're assuming here. If it's RODI water, you don't need to add declorinator unless it's also a stress coat.
@@TheWaterBox yes it would be tap water. Another question, when changing the water do i need to match the temperature of the water inside the tank exactly when changing?
There's a red organic clay used for facial. Can it be use for planting like you do. It's from moroco.
Besides clay is there any other substitute or use organic potting soil without clay. Thanks.
Clay is just a bonus. You don't have to use it but it'll help. You can always mix in some clay base substrate. Pure old school kitty litter or clay based commercial aquarium planted substrate can work.
There's one organic potting soil in my place that contains pumice and perlite. Thought of getting that as q base and will add gravel be on top of it.
That should work. as long at it's not all pumice and perlite you should be ok. I hope. lol Good luck! Oh, check out this video if you haven't already gone shopping for soil: ruclips.net/video/3yOmQcmk6kQ/видео.html
I got a bag of Substrate would it be okay if i add a little of miracle gro with it in my tank to it to help my plants grow?
Sure, you can. Depends on the substrate though but yeh, you can do that. Better to use the substrate as a cap.
Hi, i know soil doesnt last long term, but what can i do to make it last? Or so i dont have to change it? Can i recycle it? What nutrients i need to add and so and so forth.
Also can you please do a video on everything i need to know about how to test the aquarium water and what i would need to test the aquarium water and what i can do if the levels are high or low?
Thanking you
Thanks for watching! Are you asking for a video that just shows you basic tank readings? Or specifically for planted tanks?
Hi Chung, thank you so much for replying, i was eagerly waiting 😊
I was hoping for both your basic and planted if that is ok? Thank you
Basic and planted is coming in the future. Most likely just general basic reading and then more towards planted tanks later
Also to your original question, when nutrients runs out you can start using tablets. I think I'm going to address this in tonights video. All substrates run out of nutrients at some point. Even soil and branded. Soil should last you a couple of years. That pretty long. After that, you can supplement with tablets. Soil or branded substrates.
HI. i just started my planted aquarium on organic soil and topped it with gravel. It has been a second week and I still have horrible algea bloom. i do 70% water change every other day and the light runs 5h a day. Now i'm trying to turn off the lights for couple of days. I'm wandering if the fact that the organic mix that I used have some organic fertilizers in it may cause this bloom? Do you think it'll clear out or do i need to restart? i used Green Mountain Compost premium organic potting mix.
It's suppose to have ferts in it. What's your ammonia and nitrates readings?
I am from Pakistan🇵🇰 big fan of yours
My question is can we use Miracle Gro organic potting mix instead of Choice
When U have a dirt layer then sand how do U clean it without the dirt coming up?
You don't vacuum the substrate. You just skim along the top to leave it undisturbed
I made a video about maintaining a soil tank here: ruclips.net/video/WwjOMmxXO0Q/видео.html
Nice video! Just wondering if I can add some fauna in a dirt substrate tank, specifically neo caridinia shrimps. Would the soil harm them or would they be alright?
You'll have to let the tank settle and the soil run it's ammonia spikes in the beginning otherwise it would harm your shrimp.
@@TheWaterBox ohhh thanks for answering!
@@DataStick123 np
Can I use planting soil to raise grade and top it with flourite?
It would work.
@@TheWaterBox I appreciate that but I just returned my fluval co2 kit so I went with two bags of seachem fluorite.. that kit leaked I should of researched reviews before buying it.
Ah, sorry to hear that
@@TheWaterBox we live we learn! I get my new wyin regulator today with the 20oz tippman tank.. could you do me a favor please? I just set my new breeder 40gallon up. Can you please review my tank?? It would make my day knowing a well known aquatic warrior reviewed my tank. I just got into the hobby about 3months ago and love it...
Sir, i hope you could help me with this. im planning to have a 1.5inch organic soil then on top of that i will use 1 inch aquarium soil.do you think it will work? and any other recommendation? i cant really afford the pure aquasoil, my aquarium is 48x20x20 inches. i have sump for my filter , ill use low tech plant with no to low co2 requirements so ill use the diy setup you made.
Sounds fine to me. Just like what I said in the video. If you can't use sand, you can always use aquarium gravel or planted substrate
Great job, straight to the point
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
Do you have to cap the soil? I want my tank to look like a lawn (dwarf hairgrass) and I won't be able to the substrate anyhow.
You don't have to, no. In this case, you should be able to get away from it but it'll be messy if you every vacuum the lawn.
@@TheWaterBox Preciate ya big dog!!! Keep up the good work!!!
@@BrandonDevezin Thanks! Stay safe!
How do I get rid of the messy floating particle after adding water in ? Can i just wait them to be settle down ?
I just skim it out with a net.
Which potting soil do you use now that it’s no longer available
This video should help: ruclips.net/video/3yOmQcmk6kQ/видео.html