electromango
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2014
- Messages
- 86
I've been doing a lot of research and have come to the conclusion that using a DIY soil mix capped with EcoComplete would be the best substrate for a planted tank.
I found the article: How-To: Mineralized Soil Substrate, by Aaron Talbot - Library - Aquatic Plant Central
which shows how to make a DIY aquarium substrate by using mineralized top soil and other ingredients.
The author provides a list of general ingredients in his recipe but I'm not sure that the brands/products I found work like the recipe? Would this work:
Scott's Top Soil (for cheap top soil)
Vigolo Tomato and Vegetable Garden Plant Food Plus Calcium (for dolomite)
Espoma 4 lbs. Tone Flower Food (for muriate of potash)
Also I can't find the pottery clay for the mixture. Does anybody have any suggestions on what clay to use?
Also, I'd like to ask: does anybody here have any experience using this recipe? Also, would my recipe above work without any ill effects?
Thanks so much for your help, everyone's advice on this forum truly helps me create my dream aquarium!
Here are the links to the products I mentioned for the recipe:
Scotts 0.75 cu. ft. Premium Topsoil-71130758 - The Home Depot
Vigoro 3.5 lb. Tomato and Vegetable Garden Plant Food Plus Calcium-124346 - The Home Depot
Espoma 4 lbs. Tone Flower Food-100047185 - The Home Depot
I found the article: How-To: Mineralized Soil Substrate, by Aaron Talbot - Library - Aquatic Plant Central
which shows how to make a DIY aquarium substrate by using mineralized top soil and other ingredients.
The author provides a list of general ingredients in his recipe but I'm not sure that the brands/products I found work like the recipe? Would this work:
Scott's Top Soil (for cheap top soil)
Vigolo Tomato and Vegetable Garden Plant Food Plus Calcium (for dolomite)
Espoma 4 lbs. Tone Flower Food (for muriate of potash)
Also I can't find the pottery clay for the mixture. Does anybody have any suggestions on what clay to use?
Also, I'd like to ask: does anybody here have any experience using this recipe? Also, would my recipe above work without any ill effects?
Thanks so much for your help, everyone's advice on this forum truly helps me create my dream aquarium!
Here are the links to the products I mentioned for the recipe:
Scotts 0.75 cu. ft. Premium Topsoil-71130758 - The Home Depot
Vigoro 3.5 lb. Tomato and Vegetable Garden Plant Food Plus Calcium-124346 - The Home Depot
Espoma 4 lbs. Tone Flower Food-100047185 - The Home Depot