HOW TO SET UP A DIRTED TANK: THE STEP BY STEP GUIDE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- Have you ever wanted to set up a dirted tank? Or just enjoy looking at natural dirted tanks? Then this video is for you
HOW TO SET UP A DIRTED TANK: THE STEP BY STEP GUIDE
In this video I will show and explain everything I do to set up a dirted tank. If you’re not familiar with my channel all my tanks are dirted and filterless and have been keeping this style of tank for around 2 years. I truly believe dirted tanks are some of the most lush and beautiful style of freshwater tanks there are. My goal is to help showcase this style of tank with my experiences keeping them and hope they may help anyone looking into them.
I definitely want to say the @FatherFish method is probably thy best way to set one of these up. He has been working with and keeping tanks for longer than I have been alive. That being said if this style of tank interests you also check out the Father Fish TH-cam, Facebook and Discord pages. Within them you will find recipes for dirt and so much more information to help you in this Dirted Tank journey. I may not follow his recipe to the tee but I fully believe in his vision and share in his excitement for the natural dirted aquarium
.
So if your still reading this sit back, put your feet up and enjoy the show😁👍 Oh and don’t forget to hit that subscribe button 😁#fishroom #dirtedtank #fish #aquariumfun
YOU ARE FANTASTIC! This is an excellent tutortial!
Thank you sir 🙏 your support truly means a lot. I love this hobby immensely and like to do my part in sharing my experiences and what I learned not only from those experiences but also from great teachers like yourself. Thank you and thanks for watching 😁👍
Really informative video! I did not know about the adding water before the cap step. Tank looks great! My lfs had a fahaka with a sold sign on the tank the last time I was in, got to watch it blowing sand off a clam in person, it was pretty cool. Have a great weekend and thanks for sharing! 🙂👍
Thanks Tara I appreciate it! Fahakas are a pretty cool species. I think it will like his new space😁 Thanks for watching and have a great weekend yourself 😁👍
Beautiful job Patty 👍👍
Thanks Mal I appreciate it. Had to move that tank and went back and forth whether I wanted to dirt it. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great video again Patty and I love Puff Daddy
Thanks Paul I appreciate it. That fish has the whole family involved which I love. Even my wife who pretends she doesn’t care about my fish.😂
Thanks for watching 🙏😁
Badass, thank you
Thank you very much and thanks for watching 😁👍
Dirted Tanks For Life 💪👍
Heck yeah 🤘 Thanks for watching 😁👍
Just giving a quick tip that I found. The sand must have a size between 0.5mm and 1.5mm, it helps the roots (plants) find their way easier
Great tip, thanks for sharing 😁👍
Thank you
I asked for this 😬👀🤩😍😍
Your welcome and thank you very much for watching 😁👍
What a beauty!
Thank you 🙏 and thank you for watching 😁👍
Have you ever encountered black areas on top of substrate or seeing it visibly in substrate front.
I lifted up a few rocks & noticed not clean white sand but it turned black. Plants died that I didn't plant very deep. All roots black and rotten egg smell sulfur.
I definitely have seen it in the front of the substrate, I have it in a few of my tanks. I always assumed it was a mixture of waste working its way down and algae from light hitting it from outside the aquarium. That’s what I thought it was anyway.
I have noticed it under hardscape sometimes. If the substrate isn’t established it’s possible the roots didn’t get enough nutrients and died which could cause the roots to go black and smell. Just a guess though.
Hope any of that helps 👍 Thanks for watching
Looks amazing! What soil did you use?
@@tracyramsey2976 thank you, I use 2 parts organic potting soil to 1 part organic compost. I also add Osmocote which is a time release fertilizer into it to help keep the soil rich until the tank starts feeding itself. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Do you feed your fish everyday day ? Or every week ?
Love this! Looks like play sand? What sand do you specifically use? Can't wait to set up another one! Keep it up brother! 💚💚
Thank you I appreciate it 🙏 It’s actually sand I collected from the shores of Lake Michigan where I live. I grab buckets and go down to the beach and fill them up. 😁
Thanks for watching 😁👍
wouldnt the air stone spoil the planted tank
Not at all. I kept air stones in all my aquariums for a while. They are beneficial. I recently removed them all but only because I want more natural tanks. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great vid Patty! Osmocote, I like it, great kick start! Many dirted tanks I see are nutrient deficient for a long time in the beginning. Are there any specific reason for using organic soil and compost? I love the plant choice and scape. Looking forward to see it develop.🙂👍
Thank you I appreciate it. Honestly when I set up my first dirted tanks a lot of videos and forums said to use organic because they shouldn’t have chemicals that could potentially kill your fish but I do put the Osmocote in there which is not organic I don’t believe 😁 I never had issues with it so just stuck with it.
Thank you for watching 😁👍🙏
@@pattys_aquatics That was excactly why I asked. Osmocote is not organic. I never use mineral fertilizer in my garden since it destroy the mulch. In water I think different. All awailable fertilizer in water is mineralized already. And destroying the mulch is not that bad. Adding mineral fertilizer sounds good as long as it does not contain amonia. Never seen osmocote used in aquarium before, but makes sence in my opinion. My method of adding mineral potasium and nitrate to the pond in order to limit phosphate build up has got some hate from viewers. You may get some as well. If so, just delete the comments. As said, makes sence.🙂👍
@@greenmachinesweden thank you , appreciate it 😁
How do you choose the rocks for your tank? do you get them from lake Michigan as well? Thanks!
Actually yes I do, I collect all my rocks for my hardscapes from the beaches of Lake Michigan. If I have certain thing I’m looking for I will look for that shape but typically just grab ones that are not pebble size. They cost nothing and is an excuse to take a walk on the beach 😁 Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hi Patty, what are your thoughts on doing this dirt sand combo but also having Corydoras? I imagine the Corydoras will only disturb the top 1/2 inch or so of sand so would 3 inches of cap be okay for the Corys?
You absolutely can do Cory’s in this style of tank. I never have but have seen numerous other hobbyists that have. They probably would just stir up the substrate a bit at times but nothing terrible. Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@pattys_aquatics okay, thanks Patty, keep up the great work 🙂
@@SourceSpy91 🙏
Hi patty I live in Scotland uk I have never seen this done in a tank before. This looks to be a great way of keeping fish healthy and thriving in the tank especially if you want to bread them. I am thinking about trying it myself will just need to get the right soil and sand do you have to use any sertain plants or would most plants for tanks be suitable to use I don't want to rush in and get it wrong. Ps any info would be greatly appreciated. 😊
Hello, you can use whatever plants you like but ones that are fast growers are beneficial especially for the beginning because there will be an over abundance of nutrients in the water column until it stabilizes. I keep mostly live bearers and they definitely thrive and breed in these tanks for me and the best part it cuts your maintenance down as well. The next two weeks I will have videos on the cap of the dirted tank and also what to expect after you start one up so stay tuned 😁 Thank you for watching and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you have any. 😁👍
I have one question for you, what about the cycling of the tank. That’s my only thing that has me a bit confused. But love the video!!!
Thank you and that is a good point. Typically in my tanks since I do t run filtration I have lots of plants or wood or even the substrate that’s seeded and allows me to add fish right away. With this one the rocks and 2 branches were in my pond for months and are seeded. With these tanks though you can have spikes in nitrites or ammonia and am dealing with some nitrites right now but not critical levels. Obviously if everything is new in the tank it should be cycled first or use a cycled filter to add fish earlier. I plan on doing a video on a couple weeks exploring what to do after the tank is set up and will hit some these points in there. Thanks for watching I appreciate it😁👍
Your dirt recipe going to last 20 years? Father fish recipe is to many things for me to get
That’s a good question and one I truly can’t answer other than I hope so. My first one I set up 3 years ago is still going strong. My hope is it continues with organic material continuing to break down on the substrate and feed the soil but only time will tell. I haven’t seen a sign issues as of yet. I also looked into buying everything individually from Father Fish’s recipe but he does sell the additives all combined now on his website if that interests you which should be much cheaper than purchasing everything individually.I myself so far feel good about the longevity of it but can’t guarantee anything unfortunately 😁👍
@@pattys_aquatics thank you so much I’m gonna try one with a 40 gallon breeder. Small fear I have to spend $200 on plants to get started
Hi patty i have a question im doing a dirted tank.The tank i bought much to my surprise came with two large angel fish he told me they were peaceful fish and i liked them so i brought them home,all started well i made a area with wood and javafern as after research i found this is the prefered habitation on the left hand side of the tank and ivput in loads of plants which are starting to grow for the outher fish.Now heres my problem since the angelfish have gone into the tank with interest they have started fighting over the built up area i made for them they dont fight anywhere else just in that one area.I know very little about fish but again after research i pretty sure they are 2 males fighting over territory not a mateing couple.Do i extend the area iv built up for them or build another area on the right hand side of the tank im erring to building on the right of the tank so each has its own area i wonder as you know more than me would this help the situation? By the way is your puffer really called puff daddy.
First congrats on the dirted tank😁 As far as the Angels, if you think they are 2 males they definitely are fighting probably for dominance and territory. I’m not an expert on Angels I myself would consider building some structure on the other side but that being said it’s not a guarantee it will work. They could continue at each other yet. It’s one of those situations where you have to decide what’s more important to you.. the scape you want or the fish. If your fine trying different things in the tank to make it work then do that but if you like the scape you have and don’t want to change it the other option would be to get another tank for one of the angels or rehome it. Like I said I’m not expert on it that’s just the routes I would
go. Hopefully some of that helps you. Let me know how it goes 😁
And yes my puffers name is Puff Daddy, my daughter named it when we got him. It wasn’t my choice but it stuck and made her happy 😁
@@pattys_aquatics Thanks for your help I'm not too precious about the scape I just want the fish happy so I will try another area on the right of the tank and see how things go.I think your daughter picked an excellent name for your puffer fish it suits him. Look forward to seeing more of your videos they are much appreciated.
From where do you get such sand? Any brands to search for??
I collected mine from a local freshwater lake. But pool filter sand or any type of inert sand will work 😁👍
@@pattys_aquatics Perfect, thanks man
@@danishshaikh4979 anytime 😁👍
You didnt cycle the tank?
Some of the material I added (rocks ,plants and wood) were seeded and allows me to add fish right away. If everything was new I would suggest cycling it or using a seeded filter if you want to add fish right away. That being said these tanks can have build ups of nutrients in the beginning and is still good to test your water regularly until it has stabilized.
Thanks for watching and the great question🙏😁👍
I have to say, what an absolutely beautiful and fascinating pufferfish you have! Loved this tutorial as well, I am planning on setting up a dirted tank (which I have never done) and it’s my next project! I’ve recently had a surge of Pygmy and Salt and Pepper Cory fry (the adults have been very busy! 😂), which are healthy and growing more by the day! It pushed me to get a larger tank and try something new! ❤
@@pattys_aquatics oh ok. Yes a bit dodgy for beginners to do that. I enjoyed the video anyway. 😊
@@AudreyCooper-n4k thank you and that’s awesome. Dirted tanks aren’t difficult just do some research to be prepared and you will enjoy them😁👍
Thanks. I set up one dirted tank the Father Fish method and am considering a second tank that I’m redoing. It’s good that you also have a very similar method. It sets me at ease in doing this next tank.
@@KerryScottCooke7402 your welcome, FF has so much great information to help us succeed and I just try to do my part to help as well. Dirted natural tanks are the best 😁👍
Very cool patty, I used a plate as it stays put, and didn't have to put anything over my python hook to reduce flow, very cool seeing u do a larger tank, as a follow up my plants are still doing ok so far from putting the roots right into the dirt, ill continue to watch them and report back!
Thanks Jesse, I use that pre filter on my python all the time. With sand substrates it stops from making holes in the sand. Glad your plants are still doing good 😁 Thanks for watching 😁👍
do you perform water changes?
Yes I do but I don’t do them routinely, typically every couple months. Many have opinions on this but I feel that water changes are beneficial to the plants.
Did you add a declorinator? If so when?
I might have, I honestly don’t remember. I have declorinator and typically use it but not always. As far as when to use it I honestly I don’t think it matters. I usually add it either right before or while I add the water.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
You use very few plants. Why did you dirt it?
Those were just the plants I had within my other tanks that I had available at that time. I had to move this tank before I was planning to so I didn’t have all the plants that I wanted to start it with but have filled it since then. I definitely would suggest more plants in a dirted tank.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great video Patty, I really love how you set it up it looks beautiful 🎉
Thank you very much I appreciate it 🙏 I really think my puffer will enjoy it as well😁👍
Thanks for watching😁👍
DO YOU HAVE TO ADD ANYTHING TO THE WATER BEFORE FISH IS ADDED?
Not at all. You can dechloronator if you like ( honestly I don’t all the time) but other than that nope.
Thanks for watching 😁🙏
Great video Patty, I really love how you set it up it looks beautiful
Thank you very much 🙏 I appreciate it.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
If in doubt Dirt It!!!
😂
Doing it your own way I always recommend.
Mud pies ..
Excellent job and well explained especially about burning the roots
I don't blame you on the driftwood with black algae. .
Full view as always my friend
He looks to be enjoying it..
Thanks Chris , much appreciated 🙏 I went back and forth whether to dirt it or not and said why not. The puffer definitely is enjoying it already, begging for food like normal. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Luv this Ty
@@heatscore77 your very welcome and thank you 😁👍
Love your Tutor.. I myself have 8 adult discus in a dirted tank, and oh boy.. I did only 1 water chance in the past 9 months.. I adore dirted tanks.. they are just a piece right out of nature... 😁😁
@@oliverwinsome6059 absolutely, dirted tanks are a passion of mine. I would love to try discus one day, they are one of most beautiful freshwater fish in my opinion. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Very nice, Patty! I ran out and fed all the farm animals early so that I could put my feet up and watch your video. :) Your puffer fish looks happy. I set up a quick, dirted 10 gallon this afternoon and brought in my Japanese Rice fish and White Clouds for the winter. They've weathered a few good freezes but I don't want to risk leaving them outside in the deep sub zero temps come January. Hopefully, they'll breed early now they're inside where it's warm.
Thank you very much and it’s always a good thing to put your feet and relax to watch some good old fishtube videos 😂 That’s at least what I do.
Probably a good idea bringing them in don’t want to risk losing them because the cold winter is coming. That would be very cool if that triggered some breeding for you.
Thank you for watching I appreciate it 🙏😁👍
I read somewhere that more than an inch of sand will stop fish waste from i guess adding nutrients to the soil, but FF does 2-3" sand cap also. I just wonder how the dirt does/doesnt go inert
I’m no expert on the science of this and won’t pretend at all I know but from my understanding of this is the waste will breakdown and make its way to the soil level even in deeper sand caps. I guess the proof is Father Fish’s tank that is over 20 years old. My oldest has been running for 3 years so far with no signs of failure. Not sure if that answered your question but I do truly appreciate the question and watching 😁👍
@@pattys_aquatics yeah i think it would eventually work its way down. A question I have is can I plant seeds and dry start a carpet with a sand cap over it? I feel like the seedlings wont make it out of the cap. I havent found a video of anyone doing it. I dont want soil qithout a cap
@@willhedington6225 I’m not 100 percent sure on that I have never seen it myself on a video but in theory I wouldn’t see why it wouldn’t be possible.
What was the name of the granular nutrient you put in there? I have 5 no tech dirted tanks now and I’ve been crushing root tabs and sprinkling them in the dirt.
That’s Osmocote , it’s a slow release plant food. Haven’t had any issues with it since I have been using it. Thanks for watching I appreciate it😁👍
Is it fish safe or designed for ponds? The reason I ask is because I use the same thing right now for my plant tanks (no fish). I am thinking that after a while in a heavily planted tank it won’t matter as the plants will absorb any bad stuff (bearing in mind they are slow release). Would be curious to know thanks. Osmocote do a pond product I could use but the one I have comes with the potting mix I like and it is a really good potting mix for plants. Been using it a while.
@@thesolaraquarium I can’t find anything on the bottle itself that says it’s fish or pond safe but did a lot of research on it in the past and a lot of people I read have used it in the soil level of dirted tanks. I can only speak for myself and I have been using it for 2 years with no issues.
The only thing to worry about in my opinion is putting way to much in and something breaching the cap that allows the ammonia to enter the water column I would think.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@pattys_aquatics OK thanks. I really should test mine. I have the test kits I just don’t use them. Lazy lol… One day I will test it for the important things and put a fish in there and see.
@@thesolaraquarium no problem any time 😁👍
Thanks very much for your reply I can't wait to see the next videos
Anytime and thank you 🙏😁
Great tutorial 👌
Thank you I appreciate it 🙏 Thank you for watching 😁👍
Nice
Thank you 😁👍
Father Fish sure is awesome, i just found him recently, but am glad i did. That purple plant is a perfect staple. I did enjoy the video thanks for posting.
I really enjoy Father Fish’s take on the natural way of fish keeping. Also love LRB Aquatics they both were big inspirations for the way I keep my aquariums.
That is a red lotus plant will eventually get lily pads . I love them.
Thanks for watching I appreciate it 😁🙏👍
Nah father fish is talking about his method of dirted tanks as if he is the one who created it. Father fish tanks are just Walstad style tanks with an extra layer of cap and a lot more nutrients to be supposedly better and forever.