garden soil in fish tank?

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annnie

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
166
Location
Australia
Hi,

I have been researching cheap methods for substrate and have found that i could use garden soil underneath a layer of sand. Has anyone tried this? and have any advice with finding a type or brand of soil?... I asked my local aquarium forum and they are so useless and arrogant.. so im here asking you lovely people :)

I would love to use flourite or any other type of substrate specifically for aquariums however in Australia 7kgs of flourite is $85 AU!..
 
I've heard of using dirt underneath another substrate. I've seen it done on planted tanks that have very few fish and no bottom dwellers that could possibly stir up the dirt.

I'd be very hesitant to do this unless you know the dirt is free of anything that could kill your fish. 100% pure laterite is popular for underlaying sand. You just have to make sure it stays covered or you may end up with an algae bloom. My LFS has laterite, but I've heard you can get it a lot cheaper at the local garden center if you're careful to get pure laterite.
 
I think peat moss is used too, you probably want to research it a little further but I think I have read of putting it under substrate as welll.
 
do you need a substrate with minerals because you're doing a planted tank?? if not, PFS (pool filter sand) is an option. i actually have PFS in my planted tank, although it's a low light/low maintenance set up. it looks really nice, there are a couple different brands that have different looks. some is very light almost white, the kind i have is a bit darker with various colored grains. it only cost me $6 for a 50 lb bag.
 
I've heard of using dirt underneath another substrate. I've seen it done on planted tanks that have very few fish and no bottom dwellers that could possibly stir up the dirt.
I have corys so i suppose it would be a problem.. they do like to mess my substrate up haha.
With the laterite.. i have looked it up and here in australia it costs $41.95 AU for 1.56kg! so i would need...ALOT of bags. :(

logansmomma1228: I have tried looking for that.. but can't find it anywhere here.

mommytron: yeah i'll be putting plants in it.. I have plants now but i wanted to do my new tank properly to get a better result.

Crepe: i'll have a look at that.. but it's all alot of effort for just substrate :p .. maybe i'll just stick to easy plants haha

what if i just use solely liquid ferts? and skip the whole under substrate layer ;)

thanks for the advice!..


 
its a option but any layering i really dont suggest it for newer planted tank keepers. the problem with layering is as you plant and replant the tank you have a higher chance to mix it up. someone just starting out most likely isnt going to know exactly how they want the tank. they will move things around.

a cheap option would be to find a clay base product you can use as the substrate or go with something simple like a fine gravel or sand. you dont always have to use a special substrate... in most cases you would be better off getting better lights then spending a ton on substrate.

lets start at the beginning. what type of planted tank do you want?
 
yes, depending on the plants you want, they may not even be plants that get nutrients from the substrate through their roots, so it won't matter what kind of substrate you use.
 
ok so i have decided to just do a straight sand substrate. Maybe later when money isnt so tight ill do it properly.
mgamer: i just want a tank that looks nice haha.. just a low tech tank that looks natural and provides my fish with hiding places.

pict0025mv2.jpg

something like this picture.... however i know that this is a bit ambitious :p I mainly like the "fullness".


at the moment this is what i have... everything in the tank is just from my other tanks so it is a bit random.. but i just really wanted to put something in the tank ;)
img_1125100_1_d40904bc4cfbb8a8008ab734e338784d.jpg

excuse the cloudy water from the sand and the low water level.
 
Not sure with they'd call it in Australia, but if you guys have baseball diamonds over there, you can probably get a flourite-like option for maybe 8$ for 50 lbs. Here it's called Turface, and it's used as something to help drain the fields.
 
if you just want a tank thats full go with low light plants like crypts anubias and java ferns. all easy and will grow into a full tank. it will just take time.
 
ok cool. I do like the look of those plants anyway :)
atm i have a 20w fluorescent light >.< .. any advice on what i need to get.. i'm assuming around 74w at the lowest?.. the tank is about 37 gallons from what i remember.
 
depends on what kind of light you get. T5 tend to be more efficient then other lights out there. since you want low light you can prob get away with 1.5w give or take. prob want more if you get like a t8-t12 set up a about 1.5w for cf maybe a little less then 1.5w for a t5 ho.
 
hmm.. just tried looking online for prices and so far i've found only a 35w T5 for $269.. that is ALOT of money on a light for me at the moment. How much do T5 tubes cost where you are?
 
haha sorry i didn't see that it was a pack of 25 T5 globes >.< .. thank goodness!
 
thanks but even if it did ship to aus.. it would be a fortune! haha

I found a place that has a 54W T5 yay.
there are 3 types though

-Warm White - 2700K
-Cool White - 4000K
-Day Light - 6500K

I'm completely lost haha.. i would think i'd go for the day light one?
 
Aquarium one found this T5HO for me, it is the cheapest fixture I have found and IMO it is a real good deal. Nova Extreme HO Light Fixture - 10,000K - 2 x 24W - 30 in. - T5 | T5 Lighting | Lighting Systems | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com They have other sizes I just bookmarked the page with the size I will need, but still I think it's a good deal.

EDIT: I don't know if it is just me but I think the price actually went up on that one a little bit, I thought it was 55$ and then shipping or something like that. Either way it is still pretty cheap compared to some I have seen
 
hehe i just went on that website and put in my details for shipping.. it says it would cost $112 just on shipping. But that light does seem cheap if it weren't for the shipping. I paid more than $70 on mine at the moment which only holds 1 light tube and the tube is only 20W. It sucks how expensive it is here :-(
 
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