Using Aqua Soil without plants?

[Gnarls Gnarlington]

Here's the deal:

I have a planted tank (well, kind of) and it's driving me nuts. I have 3" of Aqua Soil and I really like the looks of the stuff. I put in some plants a month ago and now I have snails. A week ago I started getting worms in the tank too. A bit of algae as well.

It's pissing me off.

I don't have any fish. I was going to add them after the plants took hold.

Now I want to rip out the plants, the CO2, etc and just go with fish.

Soooo...

How does Aqua Soil work with fish only... I can't use a Python because that kicks up silt. Do I just let the poop sit there?

How do I get rid of the algae (it's just starting... I added something from Tetra and it worked pretty well to kill it)?

What should I do with the soil and stuff? Dry it out to kill everything or just let it sit in tap water to kill the worms and stuff?

ANY insight would be appreciated!

 

[Gnarls Gnarlington]

Testing... 1, 2... check...

 

[MrBeta]

Well from what I've read, many people who use soil rarely vacuum their planted tanks.
I do occasionally but not too often.

Not sure about the algae though. First you'll want to figure out what's causing it.