Mebbid's first dirted tank 10g

[Mebbid]

Since I am going to need to replace my 55g tank soon I have been exploring different substrate options and thankfully I have this handy dandy 10g tank to test different options out on I tried out flourite for a while and just really didn't like it so I thought I'd try out a dirted tank this time.

I used Miracle grow organic garden soil with a cap of pool filter sand. I also painted the back of the tank black rather than go with a normal background.

Before:

Now:

Obligatory pic of my corys staring at themselves:

not quite happy with the plant placement yet so I will have to figure out what to do with that over the next few days. I'm still waiting for the water to clear up which is taking quite a while since I keep fiddling with the plants.

 

[GreenLily]

Looks great so far! I have a 10 gallon lying around so I may follow suit! The cories look adorable!: )

 

[flitabout]

Looking good! And are we ever really done fiddling with the plants?

 

[Mijo51380]

What did you use to paint the back of the tank just flat black ?

 

[Mebbid]

What did you use to paint the back of the tank just flat black ?

Yep, a flat black latex paint. It took 3 coats.

 

[Mebbid]

Well thanks to water changes, filter floss, and purigen the tank is looking a lot clearer and nicer! Just please ignore the rampant algae issues on the plants.. My timer broke and I have been keeping it on the same time table as my reef

 

[Kelly5978]

Looks GREAT! The pandas look super cute and happy! You never cease to amaze

 

[Mebbid]

Looks GREAT! The pandas look super cute and happy! You never cease to amaze

Thanks


Now that the tank has settled I can't believe just how different it looks just from the small change. The flourite just made everything dingy looking but switching to the black background and pool filter sand everything just looks a lot brighter.

 

[flitabout]

You'll have to keep updating us on how it's growing.

 

[Mebbid]

Well it's been a week so far and some things have absolutely grown out of control. I'm surprised that only 1 of my 3 crypts has melted so far. Also just tested my nitrates since it's water change day and they are up to 20ppm which is a level that I'm content with.

I put in some wisteria that has been struggling in my 55g for some reason to see if it fares any better with the dirted substrate and so far the results are promising.

 

[Mebbid]

I DIYed a co2 system together today using some fluval parts and a ASA on / Off valve for a paintball tank. It's been holding steady at 3bps for about 6 hours so far so hopefully it'll work nicely for me.

I did however shoot water onto my ceiling from the bubble counter by turning the needle valve i'm using too far though... 4 times... It's very touchy

 

[Mebbid]

Holy crap the plants have been growing soo much. Just took this pic today 20 days after my first pics of the redone tank.

I refrained from trimming anything just to see how the plants would grow but this is getting silly.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Wow It's looking good Very pretty betta btw

 

[Mebbid]

Wow It's looking good Very pretty betta btw

Thanks! he's actually the same betta that's in my profile pic

 

[shellyx]

Beautiful tank! Really love the color of your betta.

53 gallon elephant nose tank
16 gallon Giant African shrimp tank

 

[Old Scales]

On the miracle grow soil, did you sift it through anything or were there many chunks or anything that needed to be picked out? I'm replacing the substrate in my 29g this spring. I'll have to keep the fish in a heated tub while changing out. Was only going with all Eco-complete but now you got me thinking about the MG soil with about 2" of Eco black over it. How long was it before you put the fish back in it? Thanks, OS.

 

[Mebbid]

On the miracle grow soil, did you sift it through anything or were there many chunks or anything that needed to be picked out? I'm replacing the substrate in my 29g this spring. I'll have to keep the fish in a heated tub while changing out. Was only going with all Eco-complete but now you got me thinking about the MG soil with about 2" of Eco black over it. How long was it before you put the fish back in it? Thanks, OS.

I didn't bother sifting. I already run purigen on my tank and I figured any decaying organic chunks would just add some more nutrients to the substrate.

I didnt save any of the old tank water so I just did a 2 hour long acclimation to make up for the ph difference. All in all the fish were out of the tank for about 4 hours.

 

[Old Scales]

Great Thank you. OS.

 

[Kelly5978]

Looks amazing! I'm ready for you to show me how it's done...and sell me some of those beautiful greens ?

 

[flitabout]

It's looking great! Dirt is amazing isn't it? Now that you've done it are you going to do the rest of your tanks?