To Dirt...or not to Dirt..

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micaiah12

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Sep 18, 2011
Messages
336
So...cycling a tank as I type this. I did some basic research on planted tanks with dirt. From what it sounds like, it's a great way to feed your plants everything they need. I am considering it, has anyone had any experience with planted tanks with dirt? My biggest questions are, what to cap it with? Can I use sand? I've heard of Miracle grow organic is the best to use, is that true? If I were to go with a dirt based substrate, would now be a good time to do it due to the cycling of my tank? Or should I wait till my cycle is almost complete, or finished?
 
I have experience with both dieted tanks and mineral top soil. I agree it's great for plants, but as someone who like pretty aquascapes it's really hard to navigate with. Most of the time it's a roulette when pulling plants not to get a mushroom cloud of black that quickly covers your tank.

Sand works well as a cap. I grew an extremely thick carpet of DHG with that combo, and a bunch of other good stuff. Depending on the plants you want you could get the same maybe even better results dosing the water column.

All that said I dirt tanks are a great natural option for plants. I honestly think Dustin on YouTube explains it well and has the best formula.


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First question I would ask before creating a soil base for a tank is "do any of my fish dig in the substrate. I ran a diryed tank with my goldfish when I was new to plants and they managed to use that dirt to keep the tank looking messy for about a month. If you have fish that don't dig up the substrate then dirted tanks provide a good beginning for plants. You still have to provide nutrients for root feeding plants though.

If you decide to go with dirt I would set it up ASAP. Some dirts will release ammonia so the sooner you are started the better so that things can adjust before you have to worry about it effecting your fish. Best to have an ammonia spoke when its not going to harm fish.
 
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