MTS Pointers needed please!?

[Blos85]

Can anyone give me some pointers as to what all to mix for a nutritious substrate? I seen a thread where some of you were talking about using a red clay for iron. Mexican clay i believe. Is that something you just get at your local craft shop? Ive red about clay in tanks just no really direction as how much to use or anything. Ive so far just have a 29g experimental planted tank that i used miracle grow organic potting mixed capped with gravel....but in the near future i would like to dirt my 55gal also but i would like to improve on the soil. Open to all suggestions! Thank you in advance!!

 

[aqua_chem]

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=152027&styleid=1

This is my go-to thread for making MTS.

 

[Blos85]

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=152027&styleid=1

This is my go-to thread for making MTS.

THANK YOU TON THATS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED!!!! As far as the red clay tho is there a certain kind or type i need to get or is all red clay the same?

 

[flitabout]

If you are buying in a craft store just keep in mind it isn't the standard modeling clay that is like play dough but more clay-ee in type but the stuff you make pottery out of that needs to be fired. I keep seeing people use it wet when adding it, but my advice is to get a lump and roll it out as thinly as you can and then let it sit until its dry then you can just crumble it into little bits and mix it into your dirt before you cap it. If you are just mixing it in to a gravel substrate then I would just spend the extra and get api laterite that is more of a fired type and still has all of the benefits of the iron in the standard unfired red clay. But it won't break down they same way as red clay. It may still turn your water a reddish ruddy color so if you go the laterite route then rinse it really well before adding.

 

[Blos85]

So you dont soak the dirt before adding to the tank? You just slow fill?

 

[flitabout]

I rinsed the laterite and my soil separately then I mixed them together and put it in the tank and filled slowly then drained it and then filled it and drained it and I did that until the water ran clear then I planted and finished filling and added the fish. But when I did mine I was in a time crunch as my previous tank was damaged and I had all of my fish in a 5 gallon bucket. So I still dose flourish and root tabs. But I will stay that since I have dirted the tank the plants have gone absolutely nuts! I rescaped and I had to pull up all of my plants and the roots all I can say is wow it was amazing! My swords had roots clean to the middle of the tank! My wisteria has such a dense mat of roots I could hardly see through it! So yes I am a big fan of dirt!

 

[Blos85]

So you dont soak the dirt before adding to the tank? You just slow fill?

 

[flitabout]

Nope I rinsed and dumped it in to the tank that's about it

 

[aqua_chem]

What you're describing is a viable method, but it's not mineralization as described in that post. Mineralization is a lot more involved.

 

[flitabout]

That's why I told you I was in a hurry I didn't have a week or 2 to set it up. I am using the organic miracle grow and it works amazingly. While I would love to try the re-mineralized dirt. But I just don't have the patience for it. Both work about the same Just it just takes longer without all of the prep work for all of the minerals to become bio available to the plants. That and I think my kids would turn it in to mud pies in the front yard before it ever made it into my tank!!!!