soil for planted tank

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aquarium 308

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Where should I seek soil for a planted tank. Thinking that it would be best to top it all off with sand. Any suggestions.
Thanks
 
If "aquarium 308" we're to not too off the soil with sand, would it make the tank water mucky and muddy?
Or is mud to be expected, and then settled/filtered out with some time and some filtration?
 
If "aquarium 308" we're to not too off the soil with sand, would it make the tank water mucky and muddy?
Or is mud to be expected, and then settled/filtered out with some time and some filtration?

No, it wouldn't. With the sand it caps the dirt keeping it from being released into the water column.
 
Go for the Orange bag, that's the one that I've been recommended. I have it an it works wonders!


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Go for the Orange bag, that's the one that I've been recommended. I have it an it works wonders!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

I got the orange bag of organic miracle grow soil. It is the fruit and vegetables blend. This is just a 10 gallon. How deep should I go with the soild and then how deep with the sand on top
 
Is it miracle gro organic potting mix? Post a pic of the bag to see if it's right.


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How much soil

I got the orange bag of organic miracle grow soil. It is the fruit and vegetables blend. This is just a 10 gallon. How deep should I go with the soild and then how deep with the sand on top

I believe the soil depth should be 2 to no more than 3 inches, and then a light (thin) layer of sand or gravel (about 1/8" I read) because the soil needs to breathe. I am about to put soil in a fish tank for the first time, myself. Just waiting for some of my supplies to show up. I went with the Fluval Plant Stratum, but heard Aqua soil is good too. Just not sure if that is a brand or a product. (Personally, I would not buy Miracle Grow anything.) I will be doing a nano Walstad-type natural planted tank which will house some Danios, shrimp, and nerite snails.

Good luck and have fun!
 
I believe the soil depth should be 2 to no more than 3 inches, and then a light (thin) layer of sand or gravel (about 1/8" I read) because the soil needs to breathe. I am about to put soil in a fish tank for the first time, myself. Just waiting for some of my supplies to show up. I went with the Fluval Plant Stratum, but heard Aqua soil is good too. Just not sure if that is a brand or a product. (Personally, I would not buy Miracle Grow anything.) I will be doing a nano Walstad-type natural planted tank which will house some Danios, shrimp, and nerite snails.

Good luck and have fun!
1/8 of an inch is going to do absolutely nothing to keep the soil in. Your tank will turn into a muddy mess with that.

In my dirted tanks I shoot for about an inch of soil and then 1 to 2 inches of sand.
 
Looking back

When I setup my dirted tank I wish I had done it differantly. I have had issues for months with hydrogen sulfide gas bubbles. The steps below would are what I will try next time to minimize the issue.

1 put the soil in and put a few inches of water in the tank
2 removed all the floating debris
3 let the soil dry out in the tank
4 once the soil was dry put the stone/sand cap on
5 fill the tank with water
 
When I setup my dirted tank I wish I had done it differantly. I have had issues for months with hydrogen sulfide gas bubbles. The steps below would are what I will try next time to minimize the issue.

1 put the soil in and put a few inches of water in the tank
2 removed all the floating debris
3 let the soil dry out in the tank
4 once the soil was dry put the stone/sand cap on
5 fill the tank with water

The bubbles are from a breakdown of organic matter and an anaerobic area in the tank. There's nothing you can really do to completely avoid them if you dirt a tank. They are completely harmless though
 
When I dumped the soil in, capped it with 2 inches stone I had bubbles and floating debris every day for months. With every bubble came a small puff of dirt that slightly clouded the water. I was told that wetting the soil and letting it dry again would slow the organic breakdown and minimized the clouding.
 
When I dumped the soil in, capped it with 2 inches stone I had bubbles and floating debris every day for months. With every bubble came a small puff of dirt that slightly clouded the water. I was told that wetting the soil and letting it dry again would slow the organic breakdown and minimized the clouding.

Proper mechanical filtration will take care of that.

As for letting the soil dry, what is the reasoning behind the theory it would slow organic breakdown? The organic compounds are there regardless whether you wet it and let it dry out or not.
 
Mineralized Top Soil
How-To: Mineralized Soil Substrate, by Aaron Talbot - Library - Aquatic Plant Central

Screening out big clumps is recommended also.


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That's an interesting read. It's very very aggravating how he posts absolutely no supporting information for his claims.

I guess the repeated rinsing and drying cycles makes sense, sort of.

The biggest problem is his article is the statement of Bio availability of the nutrients. If he had used the term Bio accessible rather than bio available then it would make a lot more sense. After quite a bit of digging I can't find anything anywhere regarding the bio availability of nutrients in soil.

With all that being said, even in a straight sand substrate there will still be a sizable build up of air pockets from decaying organic matter. I get to watch them forming in my other tanks against the side of the glass as time goes on. It's just one of the things you have to deal with.
 
I got the orange bag of organic miracle grow soil. It is the fruit and vegetables blend. This is just a 10 gallon. How deep should I go with the soild and then how deep with the sand on top

1/8 of an inch is going to do absolutely nothing to keep the soil in. Your tank will turn into a muddy mess with that.

In my dirted tanks I shoot for about an inch of soil and then 1 to 2 inches of sand.

Well, I've been reading a lot about Walstad tanks lately (but not HER book yet), and this is what I'm seeing, up to about an inch, but no more.

The choice of soil will, I assume, greatly affect whether you get "a muddy mess" or not. There are two other factors at play with the Walstad. One is that you don't gravel vac. You can lightly vac above the surface, but any shoving of the vac into the gravel like normal (UGF, for example) will pretty much ruin your setup. The second is the use of a large plate (I saw one guy use a saucepan) and very carefully adding your water.

The vast consensus among those who have read the book and quotes from the book that I've seen is that water changes are few between to zero, and no vacuuming because the mulm takes the place of fertilizer (like organic gardening).

I will be trying this very soon, so I will give you guys an update as it progresses, once started.
 
Well I set the tank up today. It is currently running getting up to temp. I put about 1.5-2" of dirt covered by 1-1.25" of sand. I put a piece of malaysia driftwood in that has been soaking for 3 weeks and one clump of dwarf hairgrass. Not been doing well in my other tank. I ve had luck with all my other plants except the hairgrass. The tank is a little hazzy but not bad. Filled slowing so I didnt bore a whole in the sand and kick up mud. The filter has been seasoning in my other tank for about a week. I did a water change in my other tank today and put about 2.5 gallons of that water in this new 10 gallon. The rest was fresh water. Im gonna get some plants this week and then next week maybe get 6 rummynose tetras. A few weeks later if all goes well I will do the glass shrimp.
 
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