Plants Dying

[boadams87]

I just dirted my tank with organic soil and clay and now my plants look like they're dying. No fish just set it up so its cycling to. Is this normal? I've got one planted tank already and its growing awesome but this is my first AND last dirt tank.

 

[aqua_chem]

Do you have new plants that could be transitioning to submerged form?

 

[boadams87]

No I removed them from my other tank to this one.

 

[Rivercats]

What kind of clay? Is the soil capped? I waiting till day 8 after dirting my tank before planting. I also did a 100% water change every day until I planted. I didn't transfer any plants, mine came in stressed from shipping and a few stem plants looked pretty aweful. I didn't lose a plant, not even any melting, and growth has been incredible. Did you use Miracle Grow Organic or something else?

 

[Rivercats]

Oh, I also ran a filter with Purgen in it from the time I filled it. Organic soil will leech all kinds of nutrients in the beginning but once I put the plants in on day 8 the plants absorbed all the nutrients and the tank ,which was almost cycled anyway, was reading 0's on all tests even nitrates, which had been going up.

 

[boadams87]

What kind of clay? Is the soil capped? I waiting till day 8 after dirting my tank before planting. I also did a 100% water change every day until I planted. I didn't transfer any plants, mine came in stressed from shipping and a few stem plants looked pretty aweful. I didn't lose a plant, not even any melting, and growth has been incredible. Did you use Miracle Grow Organic or something else?

I used miracle grow. It was red clay from my back yard. Its capped with pea gravel. Mine weren't stressed, I cut them from my other tank.

 

[Rivercats]

Did you plant as soon as you dirted and filled the tank? I don't know about the red clay. It could have impurities or ??? coming from the yard. I had ordered powdered laterite but it came in way after I have planted so I made clay balls from it. I'm a chicken about using things from outside, even tho I know I don't use chemicals in the yard. When I was deciding about doing a dirt tank a good part of the research i did was people using Miracle Grow Organic Soil and a few doing mineralized soil. I used a brand of organic soil I have used in potted pond plants for years. If you waited a few days and did water changes I can't imagine why your plants are dying. Even stressed as mine were they too off like rockets. I ran the filter with Purgen and did all those 100% water changes just to be sure there weren't any surprise substances leeching.

 

[boadams87]

This clay was removed from a spot that nothing could have gotten in it. I planted the next day. All the people I talked to said it was ok and they've done the same. Im hoping they'll come back.

 

[Rivercats]

I hope they do to! I'd like to hear later on how the tank is doing, I like hearing about how other peoples dirted tanks are doing.

 

[boadams87]

Ill keep it updated.