DIRTED tank advice please!!!

[BANGAR]

Guys I'm goin to be dirting my 46 g in the following weeks, any tips and tricks? I know initially you need to do a ton of water changes to remove the excess nutrients to prevent algae blooms. I'm going to limit my light (quad 24" t5s) to four hours a day. I have a sunsun cannister filter with uv sterilizer. Gimme advise please! Never done a dirted tank!


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[IllusionX]

Really? What kind of substrate are you going to be using? I've never had to wc because of nutrients. But more like because it was leeching ammonia, but I took the opportunity to do a fishless cycle of my new tank.

BTW, no plants = don't need light.

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[Caliban07]

Guys I'm goin to be dirting my 46 g in the following weeks, any tips and tricks? I know initially you need to do a ton of water changes to remove the excess nutrients to prevent algae blooms. I'm going to limit my light (quad 24" t5s) to four hours a day. I have a sunsun cannister filter with uv sterilizer. Gimme advise please! Never done a dirted tank!


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Unless you have fish in there too you won't need to do the water changes.
If you do have fish, monitor the ammonia levels and replace water when necessary (0.25-0.5ppm)

Put a layer of dirt 0.5-1 inch depth and the same of gravel. Poke the plants In and neaten up the substrate. Place a bowl on the gravel and fill the tank slowly.

If you have no fish you can cycle the tank using the soil ammonia. The plants will appreciate the ammonia too. Leave it running for a couple of weeks but always introduce new fish over the course of a few weeks.

You should expect a bit of algae and cloudiness for the first 6 weeks. Remove anything that floats. After about 6 weeks everything should have settled and the water should be crystal clear.


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[Reygan2]

Depending on the soil you choose be sure to remove as many wood chips as possible, unless you like the look of tannins in your tank for months.

 

[Fresh2o]

I have not done a dirted tank but I heard about poking the substrate with tongs or chopsticks to disperse game buildup, especially early on. Is this true? Or is this just when using a sand cap?


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[Caliban07]

I have not done a dirted tank but I heard about poking the substrate with tongs or chopsticks to disperse game buildup, especially early on. Is this true? Or is this just when using a sand cap?


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This is true but even more so with a cap. Especially a sand cap. There are lots of ways to stop hydrogen sulphide build up and anaerobic pockets and this is on of them. Snails are another as well as using emergent plants. This is a good tip.


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[BANGAR]

This is true but even more so with a cap. Especially a sand cap. There are lots of ways to stop hydrogen sulphide build up and anaerobic pockets and this is on of them. Snails are another as well as using emergent plants. This is a good tip.


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So I should poke holes in the cap periodically? Game build up? Did you mean gas build up?
And I'm gonna have a ton of plants in stoked


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[tiger terror]

I used my long planting tongs poking through the cap into the dirt..

sit in silence...

 

[Caliban07]

This is true but even more so with a cap. Especially a sand cap. There are lots of ways to stop hydrogen sulphide build up and anaerobic pockets and this is on of them. Snails are another as well as using emergent plants. This is a good tip.


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So I should poke holes in the cap periodically? Game build up? Did you mean gas build up?
And I'm gonna have a ton of plants in stoked


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Yes. This is the reason you don't want the layers too deep. Maybe 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches total depth. Maybe invest in snails that churn the substrate? Apparently they don't disrupt the substrate enough to caused water column problems.


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[BANGAR]

So I should poke holes in the cap periodically? Game build up? Did you mean gas build up?
And I'm gonna have a ton of plants in stoked


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Yes. This is the reason you don't want the layers too deep. Maybe 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches total depth. Maybe invest in snails that churn the substrate? Apparently they don't disrupt the substrate enough to caused water column problems.


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Hmmm. What if I want a pretty tall portion of substrate in the corner of the tank. Best way to bank it up? Layer of filler gravel?


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[Caliban07]

Yes. This is the reason you don't want the layers too deep. Maybe 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches total depth. Maybe invest in snails that churn the substrate? Apparently they don't disrupt the substrate enough to caused water column problems.


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Hmmm. What if I want a pretty tall portion of substrate in the corner of the tank. Best way to bank it up? Layer of filler gravel?


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Just use more soil and gravel but pay particular attention to that area when poking etc.


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[Fresh2o]

To help maintain a slope in the substrate, you can take a thin, plastic cutting board, cut it into the appropriate sized strips and place them vertically in the substrate.


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