Dirting 10 gal?

[Pandicorn]

Hello, complete newbie to dirted tanks here, so please go easy on me x). Anyway I have a spare 10 gal that has pretty much 0 use atm, so I'm thinking about trying to dirt it (and then probably raise fry in the planted environment).

Questions-

1) Can I just use normal gardening dirt? Any restrictions at all?

2) How will the water run clear? Should I rinse the dirt as I do sand? Filter floss?

3) I've heard something about cycling dirt... is this true, or am I just in need of a hearing aid?

Thanks!

 

[Mebbid]

Use organic gardening soil. You will need about 1" of soil to 2" of sand. There's really nothing special you have to do to it. Just add dry dirt, moisten and pat it down slightly, then add the cleaned sand on top.

After that put a plate in the tank and fill slowly pouring on top of that so you don't kick up dirt. Purigen might help as tannins can leech from the dirt sometimes.

 

[schoeplein]

Organic soil generally contains wood fragments. I'd highly recommend removing as much of that from the soil before bedding your tank. I'd also wash the soil in an unwashed pillow case, the same as you would do for sand. You'll also need a BBQ fork to poke the substrate to release the bubble buildup from the decomposing soil. Learn from my mistake. My soil developed a large "pimple" of bubbles under the substrate and blew up like a volcano, tossing debris everywhere and covering my sand with wood chips. I'm still working to clear the mess from my tank for over a month.

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[schoeplein]

Otherwise, the cycling process and everything else is virtually the same as any other setup.

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[Puckhog429]

I use laterite and crushed coral in my dirted tanks. Laterite is a type of clay that supplys plants with iron. The crushed coral keeps the dirt from becoming anaerobic and buffers my ph. Also i wouldnt use regular sand because its just too fine and doest allow enough "ventilation" for the dirt. I use pool filter sand that i get at a pool supply store. A 50 pound bag is 7-13 bucks. Plus you dont have to clean it. ( at least the kind i get)



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[reign]

Malasyan trumpet snails also help aerate the soil so you don't have a build up of anaerobic gas under the sand. You also might have a protein layer on top, so for a bit lower water levels so your filter can hit the water and use some purigen in the filter. Any seepage you see should be covered with more sand. I did 1.25 inch of dirt and sand. But I'd suggest doing a bit more of the sand, especially if your plants have long roots to reach the dirt.

 

[Rivercats]

I've been dirting tanks for years and only pick out the very largest pieces of wood pieces from the Organic Soil I use. It breaks down over time. I have also never washed dirt. You will have tannins in the water, especially the first month or so from the initial breakdown of the organics begin. Doing an extra WC the first 2-3 weeks will help a lot in keeping the tannins and excess nutrients down. The either carbon or Purgin can be used in your filter to remove any excess.