Show your dirted planted tanks!

[Aqueonevolve4]

This is my 10 gallon dirted. Miracle grow organic choice. Water sprite, java moss, anubias barteri, amazon swords crypt ludea an an unknown crypt species as well as an sae and 5 zebra danios. Lighting is 2 10 watt 10000 k and blue actinic lights. Tiger terror said that these lights would not benefit my plants but that is the furthest from the truth. I have never had such fast, lush growth.

 

[limnologist]

wow that's really nice looking. I had a 10 gallon planted amazonian tank with a substrate made entirely of peat moss and soil, it was cool for a while but then got boring so I made it into a tank for axolotls lol.

 

[Fishey bricks]

Here's my experimental dirted tank. Using local topsoil. The inhabitants of this tank are two ghost shrimp and my breeding stock of pond snails. The plants in this tank are Hygrophila difformis, Creeping jenny or a ludwigia, a Anubias barteri and some crypts.
don't mind the poor photos these were taken with a older phone camera.

 

[sinibotia]

How do you use soil in a fish tank without turning the water to mud?

 

[Fishey bricks]

I baked the soil until it has a internal temp of 180, this process sterilizes the soil and makes it very hard and grainy. I then added 2in of collected river gravel for Tn. This setup works very well the down side is the gravel slows the roots growth being that it's so large. (the lower pic gives a idea of the size of gravel next to a full sided ghost shrimp.)

 

[Aqueonevolve4]

Looks nice, what are your lights ?

 

[jetajockey]

Does dirt in pots count?

 

[Fishey bricks]

Looks nice, what are your lights ?

They are the stock incandescent lights.

 

[Fishey bricks]

Here's my experimental dirted tank. Using local topsoil. The inhabitants of this tank are two ghost shrimp and my breeding stock of pond snails. The plants in this tank are Hygrophila difformis, Creeping jenny or a ludwigia, a Anubias barteri and some crypts.
don't mind the poor photos these were taken with a older phone camera.
View attachment 252821

View attachment 252823

I forgot to mention that this is a 10 gal.

 

[Fresh2o]

[ QUOTE=Fishey bricks;3066054]They are the stock incandescent lights. [/QUOTE]

Very natural looking.
The nice thing about your setup is that you can switch to cfl 6700k 13w (or higher) bulbs as needed if you want to bump up the lighting. Though I do like the shimmer effect you get when water ripples on the surface (from incandescent and LEDs).



Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Aqueonevolve4]

Dirt in pots count and I have the same hood as you! Toss those incandescent bulbs and buy some Aqueon 50/50 daylight blue light bulbs. The plants loveee it!

 

[Fishey bricks]

Dirt in pots count and I have the same hood as you! Toss those incandescent bulbs and buy some Aqueon 50/50 daylight blue light bulbs. The plants loveee it!

Thanks for the tip on the lights. The incandescent bulbs heat the tank so much that haven't had to use a heater. I've been thinking about changing to CLF, but that sounds like a better idea. How much do they go for and where could you get some of them?

 

[Aqueonevolve4]

You can get them online on amazon.com or at petsmart or petco online or in store for $10 each

 

[jetajockey]

You don't want 50/50 bulbs for planted tank, unless you just happen like the way they look. A daylight CFL from home depot or wherever works just fine as far as the plants go.

 

[Aqueonevolve4]

You don't want 50/50 bulbs for planted tank, unless you just happen like the way they look. A daylight CFL from home depot or wherever works just fine as far as the plants go.

I don't know why people keep saying this. If you understand anything about plants you'd know that the combination of the spectrums works wonders. I even use these bulbs to grow cacti!

 

[jetajockey]

I don't know why people keep saying this. If you understand anything about plants you'd know that the combination of the spectrums works wonders. I even use these bulbs to grow cacti!

I understand plants fairly well, I own a plant nursery.

50/50 bulbs are designed for SW tanks, if you don't believe me you can look at the box. It's not that they don't grow plants, but bulbs geared with a broader spectrum are generally better suited for plant growth. This is the reason why 'planted tank' bulbs, fixtures, etc, tend to be daylight (5500k-6500k-ish). Sometimes they include roseatte bulbs that help more with the red end. Generally speaking though, most people want a balance between plant growth and viewability, and most don't really like a yellowish/reddish hue or vice versa a blueish one.
The plants we keep in aquaria are generally in very shallow water where they still utilize both ends of the spectrum and not just blues like deep water corals do.