Should You Try a Dirted Tank? - Substrate 101 - Understanding the Dirted Substrate Tank for Plants
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2024
- Let's get dirted! It's time we talk about the dirted tank, where and when it's good to use and the pros and cons of this style of planted tank. Substrate 101 has you covered on everything dirt!
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I have alot of dirted tanks,and it can be tricky, got to always keep an eye on the ammonia levels for sure, and have a lot of plants. I have found out that adding floating plants to a dirted tank will help with keeping algae in check and ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites at lower levels. I am currently using frog bit in all my dirted tanks to get rid of nutrients in the water column, and allow more time between water changes. One should have a really good understanding of the nitrogen cycle and biological components of an aquarium before attempting a dirted tank.
In my experience the frogbit REALLY helps curb the excess nutrients.
Right on Ro!!!
Add a 2inch layer of sand. It creates an anaerobic layer which is beneficial for the plant roots and the sand keeps the excess nutrients out of the water column. I’ve done the walstad method with gravel to great short term success but it doesn’t create the anaerobic layer which is important for long term results. The plant growth was good but petered out after a year. When I used sand, the water flow is slower but it lasts longer and the plants have been thriving for years. With sand, you can use more than 2 inches of soil. And you don’t deal with turbidity which is common when you use soil with gravel. Also you can tuck the plants into the sand and their roots will seek out the soil while it breaks down rather than directly into the soil which burns the roots initially. For more info, please look up Father Fish on TH-cam.
@Tanked Up. I'm not surprised by your likes it's what you're experienced with. Just like Father Fish likes dirted tanks. When you experiment more with other systems like anoxic/anaerobic filtration or other soil media more than once, will your opinion be of more value. Use your Collage/job education help us all out and experiment.
@@mikeycbaby very useful tips , sand cap is A+
i teach a system based on the scientific research of Walstad that takes the risk out of creating a natural, balanced aquarium. It is simple, easy to replicate, and a perfect system for the beginner.
I mentioned you with good reason, there's also a card to your miracle of deep substrate video. Much respect for you!
@@BentleyPascoe I appreciate your kindness.
Bravo Bentley and much love for you and Father Fish! 🌿🐟🌱🤗💞🙏
Dear Fish Father, I have been watching your videos regarding Mud tanks, your method sounds like the key to the ultimate method. Father almighty can your blessings and miracles give us some kind of Collab Crossover?
@@pabloisraelgarzanava166 I have made efforts over the years to collab with other more sophisticated fish keepers. Sadly there is little interest in adopting techniques that are different from the ones the advanced hobbyist has already developed and developed to achieve good results. I try to influence new hobbyists to make the best start possible with a genuinely natural system.
Dirted tanks are the best I've ever owned. Breaching the cap is zero issue once the tank is settled and they run forever. I currently have one 8 years old. People just don't know how to run them. Algae free from day one
I have my first dirted tank, 1 month in.
My algae issue is all from me wanting too much light.
I'm pretty sure I added too many otocinclus, and was trying to grow them more food.
@@Unsensitive Yeah my guess would be too much light. Once dialed in you can run your light 12 hours w/ no problem depending on how strong the light is. I currently have a tank where I often forget to turn off the light for days and I never get algae. Thats because I have the light suspended a little higher above the tank w/ low tech plants like anubias, crypts, and jungle val
@@phxfish3051 the tank is also in my basement, where I keep my citrus trees..
Lots of LED lights, on 12+ hours a day.
I have one of my LED grow lights on the tank going at 10-20% power now. Any higher and I tend to get green water.
Lol i accidentally did a dirted tank. Or deep substrate or wdvr. 3 years on i havent changed my water, plants are god damn growing like weeds.
I demand you do a dirted tank for educational and comedic reasons.
I have 4 dirted tanks and they are doing great!!
What kind of soil. I have potting soil but it's not organic
I was a complete novice two years ago and the more I researched the more I came to the conclusion I needed a lot of plants in my aquarium. But I had a coarse gravel substrate, so... not ideal. I experimented with anubias the local fish store recommended, but they didn't help my water column much. I experimented with pothos which helped. I got floating plants which helped. Then I had to move and decided I was going to change the substrate during the move as I was going to have to drain the tank anyway. I put two inches of organic soil capped with two inches of play sand. I kept my filtration media in old tank water and my wood in tank water and kept all my old tank water. Got the "new" tank up and running with my plantings and added some stem plants. I have had zero issues with my fish. Bentley makes a dirted tank sound like it's a nightmare either happening or just about to happen. I have experienced nothing but pleasure from changing to dirt. My plants are finally thriving. I have high light and did experience some green hair algae but that's under control as I cut my lights down to 8 hours from 12 and I'd honestly chalk that up to me still being a novice rather than the dirt. I'm going to be adding passive CO2 or a DIY system to my tank soon too. Cheap and easy. When I see what some people pay for soil and CO2 systems etc it just boggles my mind. I'd much rather spend less and learn more than buy my way out of some problem that hasn't even happened yet.
I’m definitely interested in learning about the mineralized top soil method
Yes make the video please
Look at father fish videos. He even sells the products needed for it. Takes him 20 mins or so to mix and prep the soil ready for the cap.
I have been setting up dirted tanks for over 10 years. I use 2" of organic soil and 4" of a mix of sand and gravel. I use lots of floating plants. I have not found most of the problems you talked about. I get algae blooms at the start. You need to use deep sand beds over the top of your dirt. And why would you move plants once you plant them. I think its a lot easier than you made it out to be.
How do you handle the algae bloom? Wait it out? Or is there more to it. Thanks
dutch style. Always replanting tops. Constant maintenance.
He's acting like it's is rocket science and its not.
Agreed 👍 It’s not complicated and if you do your research you’ll find it’s less work compared to the ‘mainstream’ way of keeping aquariums
My favorite dirted tank people...Father Fish and LRB
👍💓👍
Thanks for sharing Bentley!! I am a follower of Father Fish's method that he learned from his German grandmother!! There is a true beauty to setting up a tank like this! When done correctly it's a sustainable way to keep fish, especially smaller nanotype fish!! There's nothing better then seeing a beautiful planted tank that is lush and jungly 😁 I really appreciate your videos! You have wealth of knowledge and your thoughtfullness is so appreciated!!!I hope you're having a wonderful weekend and thank you for sharing! 👍🌿🐟🌱🙏✌️
Perfect timing on the video! Thanks for the advice.
Father Fish has always recommended to set up dirted tank or deep substrate tanks. I must say that it has helped me much, specifically with plants. It has also maintain the natural occurring chemicals in the tank.
Thank you for sharing. Substrate is a serious topic. I need to share my new mix in a video. Oh, yeah its awesome when you find leeches. Lol. I think everyone should do one "Dirted tank". It is a great experience.
Great info Bentley. I'm running, about 12 different types of substrates through out the fish rooms. I can definitely find pros and cons to each.
Bentley, I love your videos! I’ve learned so much. Please keep creating!
I learned back in the "80s of "Dutch style" planted tanks, which used clay as a base layer under a sand top-cap. Then the German Dupla company popularized iron rich Laterite clay as the base layer. So I've always known that this works incredibly well to grow plants. Both these methods are using inorganic "soil".
If I was to do a plant tank I wouldn't hesitate, but I've always been nervous to use this in a tank based around fish, where plants are secondary to the fish. I've had very good results growing plants in other ways.
Yes! Id love to watch that series/video. I just started my version of the walstad method. Thanks for the content as always! Youre a great creator.
Did it work out? Would you do it again?
Awesome video series, I'm listening to everything you say, you are awesome for sharing your knowledge, keep it up Bently!
I'm so happy that I watched this video! So many people on TH-cam talk about the pros but leave out all the cons! THANKS!!!!
To be fair, the cons are mostly incorrect; People tend to jump into dirted tanks half-cocked and screw something up due to lack of information, then they blame the tank rather than the tank builder. The main actual drawbacks of dirted tanks have more to do with restrictions on aquascaping than anything else, not just on hardscaping covering too much of the surface, or not wanting to look at thick uniform substrate, but also on certain plants you may not be able to grow alongside other plants because some plants excrete allelopathic chemicals into the substrate (these chemicals kill off competing plants) which are typically washed out or broken down more quickly in high tech aquariums using oxygenated pelleted aquasoils and heating cables.
I really appreciate the in depth info and the honesty. Most videos just show what to do but don't get into any of what you've touched on. I've been wanting to combine my love of plants and my love of bettas. After seeing this I realize I am not ready to jump in just yet. That is not a negative in any way! You probably saved my bettas lives ❤
Thank you for your transparency.
Like your honest approach
Bentley, I really appreciate your honesty! I was on the fence with trying my luck on a dirted tank, but I don’t think I want the hassle. Your videos are educational and you explain things in an easy to understand way. Thanks!
I'm waiting for my holiday to end to start my father fish based dirted tank. I'm super excited
Would be great to see you do that setup , awesome content as always Bentley good job 👍🏻
Thank you for sharing this. Your patience in explaining about the pros and cons of setting up a dirted tank is very important to me. There’s a lot of science in this, but you’ve made it easy for me to understand it.
Thank you very much. You gave me my answer i was looking for.
Wow! My first tank is a 2 month outside 12 inch 60 gallon pond a my nitrates have been almost zero for a month. I put 12 guppies in the same day i set it up and have not loss one used a whole bottle of live nitrafying bacteria and a seeded lg. sponge filter . Organic soil 1 inch finely sifted twice with 2 inch gravel cap. I did make sure that i softly pushed down the cap to get rid of air pockets in the soil just like Chung from the water box suggested. 12 dwarf sags, and lots of frog bit , 6 water hiacynth . Started water changes every 2 days for a week, then every 3,4,5 days. Have rotalla , water sprite that love it. The hornsworth not so much. Great video Bentley and it sounds like all you say makes great sense. Yes if i pulled a rooted out of the base i would pull from the base and not rip it out. Like Chung says Jump in but realize you are going to fail. I failed of my first pond and ripped it apart and started over. Failure means you are learning.
I've got my first dirted tank fully cycled for several days and it now has guppy fry and shrimp - so exciting! Might not last, but where I'm at now is a huge win from the uncertainty of getting to this point. Which included white fuzz fluff growing 1/2" high for weeks on 3 areas of substrate. And cyanobacteria or something dark and nasty growing just under and along top surface of sand cap and killing plant roots. And light brown (diatoms?) spreading in patches. And light green spots of algae everywhere. And dosing prime every other day to make it safe enough for my snails - who then proceeded to have a crazy number of baby snails good for cleaning but wow the amount of snail poo they all produce. Lots of water changes and doing water tests several times each week and now nitrite testing daily just to make extra double sure it stays at 0 is tempered by getting to see cyclops and other critters jetting around tank, having my plants grow wonderfully and even seeing some plants that have not grown in any of my other tanks grow easily in this one. I’m now setting up my second dirted tank!
I have one stratum tank and it's fab but my year long project dirt tank is looking amazing. Loving learning from your channel.
thank you! attempting to start a dirt aquarium and this helped :)
I’ve been rewatching your Substrate 101 series, and I’m pleased with how much more information I’m able to glean from this, and the other videos. I’ve definitely decided that a dieted tank is no longer an option that I want to consider.
i try to keep an open mind to all possibilities. another point is you are listening to a person who tried it one time and became discouraged, and this experience has colored his presentation. once understood it could be the best way to keep fish and plants. while any aquarium is not natural, a dirted tank might be the closest thing to nature possible. i don't have an opinion, but i'm not closing off the possibility. understanding just how a dirted tank affects water chemistry is most important before you begin, and then your first try is simply an experiment to find out how much of what you thought you understood was right.
Great video
Appreciate your insight on this Bentley. I’ve never tried it & currently don’t have plans on doing so but always open to learning something new!
Thanks so much Bentley for this video I feel like it was very informative and self-explanatory. I don’t do dirtied but I have kept my old substrate with different kinds of sand heavily planted aquariums there is only one that I’m having problems with because it is not heavily planted and that is that crazy algae that you were talking about that comes from the silicate that’s in the sand. Plus the stock that I have in the aquarium requires daily feeding and I am still adjusting the amount that I feed
Hi Bentley! My wife and I have black sand substrate in our 75. Plants weren't doing well so we tried organic potting soil in zippered mesh bags we got on Amazon. It took four bags. So during a 70% water change we scooped the sand aside and placed the bags on the bottom and covered them again with the sand. When we refilled the tank there was so much mud in the water it was scary. We could hardly see any fish in there! In a matter of two days, the Fluval 407 cleared everything up and we had good results in the long run. Fish all survived and the plants are all thriving. After the first few months, water changes are needed less frequently. Water parameters are good. So glad we did it! Saw this after the fact but you confirmed for me that we did it for the right reasons, Thanks!
Amen!! Thank you!!! Often folks misinterpret and use her method as a “catch-all” for anything dirtied. Rarely do I see evidence that they read the book. She talks about plants like Pearl weed etc…and is very specific. Thank you!!!!
I have had success with both organic soil and worm casting capped. But I agree that experience is needed with this method. Took me over 2 years to "get it right" and not get algae outbreaks. 😁 great video
Great video! I'm currently running a dirted tank with sandcap, an aquasoil tank, an inert substrate tank and two with tropica substrate under sand and have good results with all of them. So far the dirted one has the best growth of those without CO2, however I have seen others have huge issues with dirt and I do get some algea myself.
I'm trying out all sorts of methods to gain experience and learn, so to see how your plant gurus do mineralised soil would be amassing!
I’m seeing on a lot of recent led reviews that turning down blue spectrum to 5-10% is helping eliminate any algae.
Organic potting soil is all I use in all of our aquariums, love the results but it did take alot of experimenting and practice to get to where I am now. Theres alot to learn and basic plants are a huge key to making them work, unfortunatly to many people look at these tanks as a cheap way to aquascape which is the wrong approach to take with them.
Thanks for this series! I'm interested in hearing more about the mineralized substrate
Check out father fish
Dirted tanks are so good, i have 5 tanks all dirted tanks. Never had any problems with it as long as you have a decent cap like 2inch or more. You be saving in fertilizer, root tabs and expensive aquarium soil.
Great vid covering many parts. Personally I'm still debating on making my 110g tank dirted with father fish's method but modified. Father fish's dirt mixture with biochar, clay kitty litter and fluorite red mixture, and sand. Maybe add a sump with Dr Novak's biocenosis clarification baskets. But I might just be overthinking this.
I will note, father fish's mixture is specifically designed to help remove some of the problems in dirted tanks and tinkering with it can be problematic for that deep substrate method
Thank you for your advise about the cons of dirt substrate tanks... and please, it will be wonderful to know your opinion about mineralized topsoil method
I do dirt in pots and it work very well.
When I worked at my LFS during summer breaks for the past four years (I am a college freshman), many people would come in asking how to set up a Walstad Method tank. They would call it a dirt tank, or a cheap planted tank. I had asked the owner for permission to have one 10 gallon tank set up as a beginner level 'dirted' tank, and had planted several things in there. Whenever the new hobbyists would ask about setting one up, I would go over to that tank, and ask them to scape the tank to their preference. They would see how difficult it is. I would then go about teaching them the proper way of setting up a Walstad Method tank, by showing them one of our display tanks that was a Walstad Method tank. I told them that adding/removing plants had to be done just the right way to get it perfect, and that maintenance had to be done a precise way. They would later come to me (or someone else working at the store) saying how it was difficult, and that they had moved on to aquasoil as a substrate. This is why I think we either need more videos that teach about Walstad Method tanks for beginners, or to tell hobbyists to start easy with aquasoil tanks, and then progress to Walstad tanks.
This is a really smart idea!
@@BentleyPascoe Thanks!
I did two 75 gallon tanks using the @FatherFish method before Covid and they are doing well. I used potting soil, used AquaSoil, cow manure, peat moss and additives that I bought from Father Fish. I usually just top off the water when needed. I have some “mulm” in the bottom, but the snails and critters love that stuff. I’m curious as to how long the tank will last…so far, so good.
Ive been running dirted tanks a long while now and this perfectly described my experience. I will probably move away from them when my dirt is done as far as nutrients.
nice video bro !
Yes please do a mineralized tank and show it over time. Thanks
I’ve only ever had one dirted tank, and it actually turned out really nicely. Some of the best crypts I’ve ever grown came out of it but the tank sprang a leak and it had to come down. Nowadays I use either inert stuff or aquasoil. I find it’s much more predictable and easier to work with than dirt, but there’s no denying the potential a simple dirted tank can have lol
Havnt seen it mentioned anywhere but I’ve also added some aqua soil to my dirt substrate for extended longevity.
With a few dirt tanks kept I think the biggest issue folks have with Diana’s method is just underestimating the amount of nutrient available in the soil and overestimating the nutrient uptake of their plant load. I like 1/2” of soil and 2”+ of cap depending on grain size of the substrate with a wide variety of plants. I get great growth and solid reds without having these kinds of extended nutrient leeching into the water.
My dirted tanks are the tanks where I've had the least amount of algae, ammonia and/or nitrates. Bright light is one of the big things that grows algae in just about every tank unless you can take care of any, and I mean ANY, excess nutrients. As far as the ammonia/nitrates go, You've got to cap it well, especially if it's going to have heavy ferts in it, and it's best to have two or more inches of cap sand. Bearing in mind, Walstad does not recommend fertilizer, but that's because she doesn't do more than one inch of cap, and doesn't care for sand; Fatherfish is of course a little different. One time I built some baskets to hang down into the rear portion of my tank, and even though the baskets were dirted with a good cap, I had apparently not sealed up around the base of one of them, and ferts were oozing out of it. To test this, I took out the problem basket, put it in a plastic bag, and put it bag in. Nitrates started going down immediately because this was already a heavily planted tank. Even if you've only recently set up the tank, if you've got a lot of plants in it, they will automatically start absorbing ammonia among other things. I've recently set up a father fish tank with some crypts and some giant danios, and it's doing fine. Also though, I have a powerhead going to create flow, but currently it's set up as a diy filter with already cycled filter floss shoved in a cut off plastic bottle which is attached to the intake of the powerhead. I may remove the bottle portion later but maintain the powerhead for flow; The filter is just something I have right now to help as the tank matures and the crypts fill in. I'm not really worried about nitrates, though nitrites could become an issue if I end up with incomplete denitrification or nitrate respiration going on.
Thanks Bentley.
Thanks Bentley! I’d love to see your take remineralized top soil :) I have a 75 with heavy root feeders, zero stem plants and love it.
If someone wants to try to do what father fish is doing, they just have to look at his tanks and understand that THAT is what theirs will look like as well. If that's what they want, then go for it. personally I enjoy my tinkering and customization as well as the science of it all.
He doesn't do any type of maintenance on some of them, I'm sure your tank doesn't have to look like an underwater Jurassic Park jungle just because it's a dirted tank
Love Father hes fish is brilliant Dustins fish tanks also i love the idea of a natural aquarium and deep substrate but dirted tanks can be tricky would love to see you do one
I’m going to try dirt someday, trying aqua soil first. Thanks Bentley.
Great Video please make the video about preparing the mud for the mud tank and make one again!
My first dirted tank is about a year old.
It cycles between gorgeous and full of algae.
Due to my work schedule, I don’t really have time to micro, prune and micromanage this 29 gallon.
As a result, it grows to the top of the water, and then I prune it short.
Algae then takes over and I’m managing hair algae removal for a month until the plants start rocketing skyward again.
I have frogbit in another tank that helps to control algae, but I use a surface skimmer that creates a lot of sideways flow, and the frogbit gets pushed to the sides and edges.
I need a way to reduce the flow out of a powerhead so that it’s diffused and doesn’t drive my floaters to the corners and edges.
Amber [bigcitybettas] does a modified dirted tank that I'm trying using clay cat litter, worm castings, and eco complete with a sand cap. I may try a true Walsted Method tank as well just because I'm curious. I do have a 29 gallon high and a 20 gallon long with a deep sand bed. One is home to my 6 pea puffers, the other to my school of "skunk" cories. My plants don't really like it all that much. I suspect I should have used a more corse sand. I think the bed is packed too tight for the plants to spread readily.
I would enjoy seeing you set up a proper Walsted Method tank.
Father fish method is an enhancement to the walstad tank.
All good.
Would love to know more about these plant gurus in Seattle and see some of there tanks and maybe see a set up of that
love your videos thank you for the information your awesome man
The problem is most of them are very shy folks and don't want to be on camera or interviewed. I've tried!
@@BentleyPascoe Sorry for the posts. I did not realize I was posting on your vid. I have deleted. Apologies.
I woyld like to see u do a dirted tank we can never have enough knoledge from quality people like u. I have one 30 and 55 gallon dirted for 3 years on 55 and 10 yrs on 30. Both doung great on father fish method 30 started in florida and other in ca the 30 did better in ca i tkink because of my hard water
Laughs in Father Fish dirted tanks X2 ... No fish deaths, totally stable, balanced tanks, minimum water changes, complete biospheres, and as long as you don't disturb sand cap, fish can be added immediately!...
The 2" sand cap is the minimum ESSENTIAL cap you can use...
What is the thickness of your dirt substrate?
Less water change?
I think it'd be fun to see a video of my mineralized topsoil process. Quick while it is still warm outside.
I'm a month in on my first dirted tank. I followed Father Fish's method and have a heavily planted and well stocked 5 gal. I'm just beginning to see the first signs of diatom algae just like every other aquarium I've ever had. It's part of the food web. If you're interested in creating as natural an environment as possible, give the dirt a try.
I've got 3 dieted tanks, yes so much alge for so long but once it calmed down they have been fine for me. My oldest is just over 3 years
Just getting back into the hobby after a 5 year break. I found your video quite informative. I used to DIY root tabs in sand and had great results growing easy plants like Crytps, Hygrophila, Anubias etc but have wanted to do a dirted tank for quite a while now. I'm actually local to you, what clubs are in the area aside from GSAS?
There's a small reef club, can't recall the name, and there was a North Sound Aquarium Society, but they stopped meeting.
I've had a lot of success with dirted tanks and have never found them to be that difficult. About .5-.75" of soil in the front, getting to about 1.25" of soil in the back. 1.5-3" cap of coarse sand. With the thicker cap I don't have any problems with moving plants around, just wiggle them as you uproot them and cut off any roots that are too big and leave them in the substrate. Algae can be controlled easily with floating plants. Once algae starts setting in, just allow floating plants to grow more than usual and they will outcompete the algae. Also haven't found the dirt to be harmful to tank inhabitants either. Once had a pleco dig down and breach the cap, resulting in a tank that looked like mud soup, but with no harm done to my shrimp or tetras/guppies that I had in the tank. Maybe I've just been lucky. I do overall prefer dirted though because it allows me to use gravel/sand as a substrate which looks far more natural than the aquasoil type substrates.
How long did it take to clean up the "mud soup?" Appreciate hearing your experience!
6 tanks all with diffetent substrates. I did this for the experiance.
My dirted tank has 4" dirt lotts of sticks and stuff. I topped it with play sand. Its just fine after 3 years, but ill not do it this way again. Never an issue with ammonia.
Im a better gardener now lol. Fishkeeping has gotten me into chemistry.
Hi Bentley. Ive been considering a dirted tank because of Dr. Kevin Novak's videos. The plenum and noxic (i think noxic is the right word) filtration. What do you think of him? Thanks......Mike
I'll be honest I haven't seen him, so that means I'll be checking him out.
I got some nice big rocks laying around, if I wanted to use these should I put them on the sand or put the rocks in first and fill up the dirt and sand around them? Its a 6ft tank
Put some sand in first, then the rocks, the finish adding sand until you have the depth you want, it will help hold them in place.
The trick is to have the biodiversity form any local water body to turn the dirted tank into a food web ready for all life.
I started a dirted tank, about 1.5" of organic soil and a thin cap of sand/gravel. Likely too thin. The water is very brown even with 50% daily water changes for 3 weeks. Add more cap and keep trying, or just go to a gravel bottom?
More cap, you have soil leeching up into the water column. I would target 3-4" of cap
I thought you were going to say "Dirt Cheap" lol
And "older than dirt"! lol
Love your informative videos! Do you know if you can grow the "pest grass", nutgrass, submerged in an aquarium? Thanks
Not sure to be honest
@@BentleyPascoe Okay, thanks!
It’s really interesting to me that so many people use a miracle grow style ‘dirt’ for dirted tanks. The reason is those mixes generally are made with no soil or dirt… I’m trying a dirted tank now that uses actual composted garden soil with a sand cap. I think this will provide a better long-term solution. If you develop the biology in the soil then it can be self sustaining. If you use a miracle grow potting mix it seems like that would be way more difficult to achieve. Only a month in but so far it’s going well…
I don't trust miracle grow; They add ferts to everything, including their peat moss. Better to go with just about anything else. Walstad mentions using 'organic' soil vs. 'mineral' soil, and has had success with both. Organic soil is just compost without silt or clay, whereas the mineral soil is mostly clay topsoil. In natural aquatic systems such as slow rivers or lakes, mulm which is mostly decomposed plant matter can make up several feet of the surface soil, so a largely composted soil layer in an aquarium wouldn't really be unnatural. In fact, you can just do 3 inches of sand with no soil layer and plant it with tough plants that don't need rich soil. The mulm will build up over time, but that's just a much slower method than adding in some soil right off the bat.
How did the tank go?
Hey Bentley, curious about your thoughts on using dirt in an outdoor patio type pond?
Should be ok if you follow similar steps to a tank, ponds unless they're full out dug into the ground with bog filters, are just outdoor tanks
Well damn I just started my first dirted aquarium...Thanks for the morale boost...haha
I'd like to know how this went
I live on an island where everything has to be imported so as to keep costs down i would be interested in the dirted tank series
I have a dirted tank but my fishes die 1 or 2 every 2 months what could be the reason..i sometimes dose liq fert twice in a week..stopping the doss has helped lessen mortality buy not much
My dirted tank (not a true Walstad) when set up 2 months ago never saw a spike in Ammonia,Nitrites or Nitrates. 1" dirt with 2" sand cap. Two things come to mind 1- I am using a eheim canister filter with containing previous biology. 2- I used existing cycled aquarium water. Could either of these contribute to the fact that I saw no spike . I have hardly done any water changes.
I’ve kept 5 dirted tanks and only one has had a steady algae issue. I suspect that the cap on the soil is the issue, so I plan on switching it out. Other than that, I haven’t noticed any ammonia issues.
I would like to see how to mineralize soil...I went through a 4 week process creating mine and would like to see how someone else does it
This is an awesome, awesome explanation, thank you! I just did the math on the cost of an enriched substrate for my mega flex, then triple checked the math because I didn't believe it...
I was going to do shell dwellers on sand but a dirted tank feels like a better fit for the flex dimensions, methinks?
It can work well yes
@@BentleyPascoe lol I wrote that comment before I got to the "for the love of God, consider more than just price!" bit, lol....maybe I'll save for that enriched substrate after all...
What about aquatic compost, used for ponds, has a lot of the organics taken out?
Potentially could be used. One of the best things I've seen used was worm castings. Cheap and widely available.
Are you familiar with the Jaubert plenum system used for marines ? I have been interested in doing one for a planted tank for years & am now just about to give it a go. I have heating cable for the bottom & then the egg crate. I'm using volcanic rock from JBL as bottom layer , then mesh, then worm castings & sand capping - probably some mesh between castings & sand - what do you think ? It's going to take a while but will probably start it dark ?? Then drain & growed emersed ?? Then finally LOTS of stems & fast growers !!
What do you reckon on my chances ?? Any advice or things to look up ? 👍
It's possible, though that system usually wants the heavier compaction of sand to accomplish the effect
@@BentleyPascoe isn't that to promote anaerobic filtration to remove nitrate ? Not really necessary in a planted tank as want it for the plants !! May have to use a power head to circulate a bit more or may try a heater underneath to create more flow .... bit risky in case it sticks on - I suppose I could always use an external thermostat 🤔 Do you know of anyone who has tried this??
One question - when you have fast growing plants in a dirty tank , how do they cope when moved to a different tank ?? Is there a way to transition them ??
@@peterbill7827 using a thermostat helps. Usually you do all you can to avoid moving plants from dirt. If you have to, turn off flow and very slowly remove
My secret to starting off a dirted tank is to use a mature filter before handing over to the plants. 👌
That's a great idea!
Is 2.5mm grain size coarse sand okay to use as cap over an inch of aquasoil?
Should be ok
A dirted tank is the only thing ive had much success with. ive tried eco complete and fluval stratum before and the eco complete didnt seem to do much and the stratum gave me worse algae issues than ive had before ever. it made my BBA go nuts. im not saying my tank looks awesome with dirt but better that it does with anything else.
Is fluval stathem ok for plants and bio fluval stathem
Yes.
I just started one and expected Ammonia I mean duh fresh dirt in some water I’m going to try activated carbon to deal with the nutrients causing ammonia and daily water changes till it’s stable
I like to "play" with different methods and sytems. You do not need to but it what happens to be what I enjoy about this hobby. The funny thing is you get proponents of all methods swearing by what they do. As if it is the only way to succeed but that simply not the case. Everything I tried has strong and less strong points about it.
Thx for this video. I have a dirted tank done specifically by Walstad method standards. Water parameters were good. But just lost my entire tank to ich. Can dirted tanks harbor ich?
Off the top of my head I don't know of any specific correlation between ich and dirted tanks
I know this is a year old, but just fyi for anyone reading: Ick can easily be solved by raising your aquarium temperature to 85 for a week, as Ick can't take the heat. Furthermore, although many pet stores will tell you to keep your tanks between 75 and 78, on average, keeping your tank around 80 is best at keeping things like Ick away. Tropical fish are perfectly fine with temps even into the upper 80's or 90's, so don't sweat it. Of course this isn't true for cold water fish though.
Bentley, I would like to see how to you create a balanced Dirty Tank Substrate.
I just wanted this video, many information are not correct according to Diana. For an instance Diana introduces live stocks next day after a big water change, algae issues, big water changes. Any method has its own pros and cons, choose one works best for you.
Through last vid I was looking for bright wel soil type F , but it's not available near me, but I find a simular type of soil. While searching on bright well .com I think , I found a product called Rainbocode ( a special addictive for the health and coloring of Rainbowfish) did you know about that??
Yep, I've been using it, almost done testing it
I’m doing lots of research on dirted tanks. I’m setting one up with a fluval substrate cap but sheerly for the sole purpose of keeping a natural environment for my wild caught eastern newts (afraid they swallow the gravel so Im going this route). Price isn’t too much a factor since I catch them in the wild with my kids when camping for free. Some of the rules may be a tad more flexible but I’m not sure. I plan to follow the instructions nearly to a tee. It’s just a 10gal, minimal plants such as Java fern and moss and lobelia cardinalis, maybe a couple swords. But this is an extremely informative vid dude. I appreciate it so much. About how long before the water clears? Do you think it would affect the newts or plants?
Plants no, newts yes.
Ok thanks for the reply. And super quick I might add. What would you recommend in terms of clearing the water, waiting before adding them to the tank, or cycling first using the filter I have? I know they’ll love the setup but I’m a newb. I don’t want them to die quickly after all the effort. Thanks again!
@@SanQuenton410 as far as clearing the water is concerned. It's mostly just water changes, but it's very possible that what you're using for a cap is to course and it's letting the dirt get up into The water column and you'll just keep having this issue. So the question is by clearing the water, do you mean of ammonia or do you mean of like a kind of brown color? If it's the brown color, that means the cap is too coarse and it's getting dirt up into the water column. If it's ammonia, just time and water changes letting your system cycle walk through the nitrogen cycle build up beneficial bacteria. All those kind of things
@@BentleyPascoe haven’t had them in just yet so wasn’t sure about an ammonia issue. Mostly the color. I was thinkin it was the soil combined with the substrate. Thanks for your expertise! I’ll see what I can do