Help on starting a 20G (Long) Dirt tank!

[gnarlybr02k12]

Hello Aquarium advice people, I've always read threads on this site but I finally decided to make an account.

This week my cousin told me he had a 20g long tank laying out in his backyard, being obsessed with this hobby I asked if I could have it. Luckily he agreed and brought it over and now I have it cleaned up and it's ready to use! I've had a couple of fishtanks before but I never did things properly but now I am ready to this the right way with everyones help.

I am looking to have a dirt tank using Pool Filter Sand as the substate. Using the same methods Marconis did with his 10g dirt tank. (Thread here) I have been watching dustinsfishtanks videos and I really want to try this out.

I want to hold
Ceratopteris thalictroides "Water sprite"
Windelov Java Fern (already own)
Hygro Difformis water wisteria (already own)
Baby Tears (already own but very small amount on lava rock)
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'green' (already own)

This is not set in stone and I am happy to hear any suggestions.

Please help me out I really want to do this right and I need help on selecting the lighting for this future tank because I am very confused. The thing is that I'm not made of money nor am I working because I am about to have surgery and enter college so I am looking for the best bang for my buck!

Thank you, Michael

 

[Rivercats]

Welcome to AA! I have a few dirted tanks and my biggest is my 220g which you can view on the link at the bottom of the post. What you want to do is get Organic Potting Soil, don't get anything that says "mix". The mix has unwanted non-organic matter in it. For a 20L you want about an inch of dirt and an inch of your cap. Many poeple use Miracle Grow, I use Just Natural that you buy at Lowes, but any brand that is 100% Organic Potting Soil will work.

After laying your 1" of dirt you need to moisten it. The dirt should only be wet enough that you can pick up a hand full and ball it up. If you get it too wet your sand can just sink into the mud. After moistening the dirt, add 3/4" of sand. At this point you can either plant or fill your tank. You want to save that little extra sand to use after planting to cover any mess up. When planting you don't need to plant very deep, especially with stem plants and if you add any crypts or swords be sure to put them where you want them as moving them later with their big root systems makes quite a mess in a dirted tank. When you fill the tank be sure to put a bowl, plate, or something to keep the substrate from being messed up. Fill the tank really slowly. In a dirt tank you want to plant extremely heavy because in the beginning for about 4-6 weeks you will have a ton of excess nutrients being leeched out of the organic soil. You will also have tannins leeching out. Doing alot of frequent WC's (I did them daily for a week) will help keep tannins low. I also used Purgen in my canister filter as nothing beats it for removing tannins. You will also want to poke around in your substrate daily for 4-6 weeks with a thin skewer or long fork or something to release the inital gas build up you get when the organic soil first begins breaking down.

As for lighting I have a 20L with a 2 bulb T5HO fixture. They come in all price ranges and with it you can grow just about anything in a 20L. That is what I use on mine.

 

[gnarlybr02k12]

Thank you for replying! I really enjoy the look of your tank. You have a good eye for aquascaping.

I have seen many different soils used by members and I am thinking of going with Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix and although it is a mix I have seen people have success with.

Thanks for the help with the set up I will be using it as a reference when I start my tank. What is Purgen? I am still new with some of these terms haha.

I have searched for some lights but I'm not entirely sure on which one to pick or go with could you recommend me some systems? I have also heard that having T5HO with CO2 can create and algae problem is this true?

 

[Rivercats]

You have to get the Miracle Grow Potting "Soil". Don't get the mix as it has inorganic additives that are not good for your tank.

Purgen is a non-carbon resin made by Seachem that works good in planted tanks. It absorbs tannins like nothing else and can last up to 6 months and can be regenerated (which I don't do as I don't want to risk the process not fully working and killing my fish and plants). Many people regenerate it, I just don't and would rather just buy new and use it.

If you got a 2 bulb T5HO fixture you can grow most anything except the high light plants, which alot of those are carpet plants. I use Coralife fixtures but there are tons of brands out there. Just reseach and read customer reviews before buying one. Plus you can find them in all price ranges.

Thanks about the tank, it looks very different now that those new stem plants (mostly Rotala Macrandra) are grown to the water line and covering all the background you could see in the pic's. I love to garden and for me this is just a continuation of my outside gardening inside! And I can even do it in the winter.

 

[gnarlybr02k12]

I will be getting all my supplies slowly as I am heading in for surgery soon. So I want to focus on that for a bit but I will make sure to get the Miracle Grow Potting "soil".

I am excited on starting this tank and I am hoping to maybe get the lights soon I am still browsing as we speak. I'm looking to do a low light tank much like the one that Marconis did. Is it still a low light fixture if I get a T5HO?

That sounds really awesome! I bet it looks great. Having a planted tank does have the perks of being able to do some indoor gardening so its great for the colder months.


This is the current tank that I have set up.

The water seems cloudy because I had just finished feeding.

I have 15g tank that I had to pretty much adopt from my older sister. She recently had a child and could no longer focus her efforts for this tank. She really didn’t know what she was doing so she had bought a lot of the fish. She bought what she thought was “pretty” instead of the fish she could care for properly. I have done my best efforts of keeping them healthy and I believe that I have done a sufficient job with the parameters and the fish look healthy. I will be moving everything into the new tank because its a little bigger so why not move the stock over.

The tank specifications are 15g

Filtration-

Whisper 10i

Whisper PF10

Substrate-

Is some sort of Petsmart sand that seems to be very fine in seize.

Fish-

4 Zebra Danios

2 Red Minor Tetras

1 Dwarf Frog

1 Oto

1 Albino Cory

1 German Blue Ram

I believe that the tank may be overstocked so I am trying to maybe figure something out so that I can fix this.

 

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Not overstocked as long as filter is good

 

[Rivercats]

If you really want a low light tank they do make 1 bulb T5HO fixtures but I think your best bet would be to start a new thread asking what would be a good type of fixture to achieve the low light tank you want. There are so many people with so many different types of lights you will get alot of ideas.

 

[gnarlybr02k12]

Not overstocked as long as filter is good

Thats good because I thought it might be overstoked. The filters have been doing their job so I think its good. Do you think that once I move over to the 20g I could fill out the Red Minor school? Or would that be pushing it?

 

[gnarlybr02k12]

If you really want a low light tank they do make 1 bulb T5HO fixtures but I think your best bet would be to start a new thread asking what would be a good type of fixture to achieve the low light tank you want. There are so many people with so many different types of lights you will get alot of ideas.

Current USA Nova Extreme T5 X2 Freshwater Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 2X24 Watt, 30 inch

I am really considering purchasing this fixture what do you think Rivercats?

 

[Rivercats]

Current USA Nova Extreme T5 X2 Freshwater Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 2X24 Watt, 30 inch

I am really considering purchasing this fixture what do you think Rivercats?

The fixture looks fine. I've never used that brand so did you check customer reviews to see what other buyers had to say about it? I always try to do that just to see. By wanting lower light I think the T5's will be more what your looking for.

 

[Rivercats]

Thats good because I thought it might be overstoked. The filters have been doing their job so I think its good. Do you think that once I move over to the 20g I could fill out the Red Minor school? Or would that be pushing it?

If you upgrade to a 20g you could finish upping your school of red minors to 6.