Dirt As A Substrate

[xcharmanderx421]

Can i use the dirt from my backyard as substrate? Of course i'll make a good rinse.

pros? cons?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

personally i wouldn't but some people do

it's really only used by planted tank enthusiasts or those constructing a bio tope which involves that sort of substrate.

it's v good for plant growth, however unless you have a heavily planted tank with all the extra things that go with it (Co2 injection, dosing routine, high lighting etc) then you're just gonna put loads of extra nutritents into the water and end up with a big algae filled mess.

also, who knows exactly what's in your 'dirt' outside, could be contaminated, could contain something that affects your pH

unless you're doing a full planted tank i would strongly advise you not to use it and to jhust go for a more conventional substrate, like sand or gravel

 

[Dan-25]

PROS - Its dirt

Cons - its dirt

 

[geo7x]

How do you wash dirt? Surely you'd have nothing left if you tried to wash the dirt off dirt

 

[OscarWilde]

How do you wash dirt? Surely you'd have nothing left if you tried to wash the dirt off dirt

LOL.

 

[fishyfreak]

I could see it being hard on your filtration system like sand, but at least sand grains are larger and stay at the bottom, whereas if you stir up dirt...

Matt

 

[waterdrop]

One of the local aquarium societies near me is having a speaker at their annual workshop in a couple of weeks - here is the blurb:

1:00pm - Diana Walstad – "Mycobacteria "Fish TB". Diana Walstad is the author of Ecology of the Planted Aquarium who comes from a family that always had tanks in the house and a pond in the backyard. Diana says she never had any luck with aquarium plants until she started using a soil underlayer in the tanks. Plant growth was phenomenal- like nothing Diana had seen before. With the robust plant growth, she found that she could keep fish healthy without a lot of tedious work (water changes, gravel cleaning, etc). Diana began combing the scientific literature for more information and started writing articles for the Aquatic Gardener Association. One thing led to another. She first published Ecology of the Planted Aquarium in 1999. The book has done well. It has been translated into German and Italian and is now available as an e-book. Diana is trained in microbiology and spent many years doing medical research. She works now as a cell biologist for the federal government.

I don't know, do you think "soil underlayer" means dirt?

 

[Mikaila31]

dirt is a good substrate to use if you are densely planting the tank. The dirt contains lots of nutrients and the plants will hold the dirt down. If the tank was not planted, you would most likely have very cloudy water and algae problems because of all the excess nutrients. either way when using dirt, you want to buy it from the store. You never know what chemicals and fertilizers have been used in your yard.

 

[OldMan47]

I have been trying the Walstead approach to substrate in one of my tanks. It has a layer of potting soil, not garden soil, covered by a heavy layer of sand. I plant through the sand into the potting soil and my plants are doing well with minimal care but very good lighting. The sand cover keeps the potting soil from floating around the tank and causing problems. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not but enough other people have had success with it that I figured it was worth a try on one tank. The rest have a more convetional set up so I can compare the care and results of the two approaches. In my mind its too early for me to nkow if its working but I can say it has not been a disaster.

 

[Piltdownpaul]

Just dont ask me to view your heavily soiled tank!!!!!!!!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

One of the local aquarium societies near me is having a speaker at their annual workshop in a couple of weeks - here is the blurb:

1:00pm - Diana Walstad – "Mycobacteria "Fish TB". Diana Walstad is the author of Ecology of the Planted Aquarium who comes from a family that always had tanks in the house and a pond in the backyard. Diana says she never had any luck with aquarium plants until she started using a soil underlayer in the tanks. Plant growth was phenomenal- like nothing Diana had seen before. With the robust plant growth, she found that she could keep fish healthy without a lot of tedious work (water changes, gravel cleaning, etc). Diana began combing the scientific literature for more information and started writing articles for the Aquatic Gardener Association. One thing led to another. She first published Ecology of the Planted Aquarium in 1999. The book has done well. It has been translated into German and Italian and is now available as an e-book. Diana is trained in microbiology and spent many years doing medical research. She works now as a cell biologist for the federal government.

I don't know, do you think "soil underlayer" means dirt?

if you do one thing this year...... go to see that speaker

Walsted is a truly innovative fishkeeper, even if you don't follow her methods that would be a v interesting talk.

 

[TribeOfShroom]

How do you wash dirt? Surely you'd have nothing left if you tried to wash the dirt off dirt

Wash it, then bake it. It's what I use to do for certain plants I use to grow. Everything had to be sterile. Although it made the house stink baking it

 

[waterdrop]

I have been trying the Walstead approach to substrate in one of my tanks. It has a layer of potting soil, not garden soil, covered by a heavy layer of sand. I plant through the sand into the potting soil and my plants are doing well with minimal care but very good lighting. The sand cover keeps the potting soil from floating around the tank and causing problems. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not but enough other people have had success with it that I figured it was worth a try on one tank. The rest have a more convetional set up so I can compare the care and results of the two approaches. In my mind its too early for me to nkow if its working but I can say it has not been a disaster.

In your experience, what's the difference between potting soil and dirt?

 

[waterdrop]

One of the local aquarium societies near me is having a speaker at their annual workshop in a couple of weeks - here is the blurb:

1:00pm - Diana Walstad – "Mycobacteria "Fish TB". Diana Walstad is the author of Ecology of the Planted Aquarium who comes from a family that always had tanks in the house and a pond in the backyard. Diana says she never had any luck with aquarium plants until she started using a soil underlayer in the tanks. Plant growth was phenomenal- like nothing Diana had seen before. With the robust plant growth, she found that she could keep fish healthy without a lot of tedious work (water changes, gravel cleaning, etc). Diana began combing the scientific literature for more information and started writing articles for the Aquatic Gardener Association. One thing led to another. She first published Ecology of the Planted Aquarium in 1999. The book has done well. It has been translated into German and Italian and is now available as an e-book. Diana is trained in microbiology and spent many years doing medical research. She works now as a cell biologist for the federal government.

I don't know, do you think "soil underlayer" means dirt?

if you do one thing this year...... go to see that speaker

Walsted is a truly innovative fishkeeper, even if you don't follow her methods that would be a v interesting talk.

Yes, dying to go to this but of all things I've been invited to go to concerts in sym hall in boston and carnegie hall in ny that same weekend so I'm in a bit of pain over it all!

 

[billy0510]

potting soil is dirt except in a pot