So TH-cam froze on me at exactly 9:50 😂😂 the tank looks great, and I really like that pearl scale angel with the black markings, beautiful fish! Really great demonstration on how to do a dirted tank without the brown, yellow, or cloudy water phase, clever test with the floaters as well. 🙂👍👍
Excellent job on your dirted tank Gil!! Plants grow great on a dirted tank, i debated whether to do one glad i did, as many other have said, your tank and Angels are top notch! I laugh my arse off every time you say you bore us!😂😂😂
Thanks for interesting and very informative content. It's gr8 how you bring out content that's hands on and easy on the hip pocket. I use to do dirted tanks in the late 90's. I use to use the red (laterite rich) soil I'd scavenge in some new estates. I used about a cm capped with about 4cms of fine gravel. I had the canister filter outflow pipe zig zaging through the gravel. The idea being the outflow water heat would provide a gentle convection current through the gravel for nutrient exchange to the plants. It worked well and would last about 2-3 years before I had gases building up in the substrate. Then it needed a strip down. KEEP UP THE CONTENT, ITS BRILLIANT!!😊
Absolutely love this Gil! Algae is definitely one of the most annoying parts to have to work through setting up a dirted tank the way I do it. If, heck when I set up another maybe I will try this and see the difference. Great info
I would of never of thought of beeing able to find dolomite. Great thinking.. Do you lot know you can get shoes? It's something you wear on your feet so they dont get burnt, freeze or you dont step on something sharp or squishy 💩 Some awesome branches you have collected
Well that was fun, Gil! This is also a fantastic how-to on setting up a dirted tank. The results are terrific. Curious: is the diatom algae a result of the sand? Seems to me I had heard something about that once upon a time. Your idea for the barrier to keep the Val in check is brilliant. I've seen the same principal used to keep bamboo in check in a landscape. I remember that shirt back when you did the stream with Jeff. I laughed my ass of then, and I'm doing it again. I'm going to have to make me one of those. Thanks, mate and Happy Humbug! 🙂
Dear Gil: Merely capping compost, with coal slag has not worked well, for my, last, few scapes. Diatom algae doesn’t die off, after a few months, but continues to cover everything. Perhaps I’ll give your method a try. Thank you for sharing this, informative video. All my best, Sincerely, E. J. Brinegar
The idea is to prevent the organics in the soil from decomposing and releasing excess nutrients into the water. The soaking and drying exposes bacteria, enzymes and other soil microbes to oxygen in a moist environment. The microbes break down the organic materials in the soil into bio-available minerals. As an added bonus these new bio-available forms of nutrients are generally only available to plants and not to algae.
Dear Gil: At present, I have two tanks, with little algae, where plants are doing very well. One is my, 75-gallon, CO2-injected tank. True Siamese algae eaters assist, in ridding it of algae. The other is my, 10-gallon, cherry shrimp tank (which contains some, sub-adult Gabon killifish). There are quite a few cherry shrimp, so they keep some types of algae down; though green hair algae and blackbeard algae do make an appearance; these are easily removed, manually. These, two tanks, have been set up the longest. So, your concept makes sense, as the compost in them has had plenty of time, to decompose. I intend to speed up the process, by sifting and repeatedly drying compost, for future set-ups. Thank you, so much, for educating me, on this technique. Sincerely, Brinegar
It's nice to see it works for you. I don't really get what the drying is for, aside from killing anything that requires moisture and may become a parasite in the aquarium, but if it is how it was described in the video, then I'd rather use "dark start" than do all of that, especially being in a rainy area. How deep is that gravel behind you?
The idea is to prevent the organics in the soil from decomposing and releasing excess nutrients into the water. The soaking and drying exposes bacteria, enzymes and other soil microbes to oxygen in a moist environment. The microbes break down the organic materials in the soil into bio-available minerals. As an added bonus these new bio-available forms of nutrients are generally only available to plants and not to algae. The deep substrate is kitty litter over a plenum. Another experiment in progress.
@Gilsfishroom Can't think of anything plants utilize that algae can't. It's the algae that can utilize nutrients like nitrite that plants can't. My main use of drying the soil would be to sterilize it from moisture-dependent parasites so that I don't get random worms coming out the substrate or other invertebrates after setting the tank up. The heat resistant microorganisms may survive but they'll be a problem for another time. A method that somewhat does what you are describing is the "Dark start method".
I just set up 2 of them (75 and 10 gallon) and had no nutrient explosion or tannins, cloudy water etc. I just put 1 inch of organic potting soil and removed big sticks and covered with 2 inches of pool filter sand and it was clear at first fill. Did same with a 10 gallon and had exact same results. I think all those horror stories are from people capping with large gravel instead of sand.
The soaking and drying exposes bacteria, enzymes and other soil microbes to oxygen in a moist environment. The microbes break down the organic materials in the soil into bio-available minerals. As an added bonus these new bio-available forms of nutrients are generally only available to plants and not to algae.
The organics break down and release excess nutrients into the water, and yes I believe the gas bubbles are co2 created by the decomposing organics. The gas can build up and "erupt" and blow a hole through the sand cap.
Awesome to see Australia content, great information...
Thanks mate. Made for Aussies, by Aussies.
Nice! I really like your soil composition, plants are loving it!
So much joy in one vid Gil, the hat, a trip to Bunnings, learnt how to wash sand, babies 😍 Tank looks fantastic!
That's me Sarah, bringing joy wherever I go...
So TH-cam froze on me at exactly 9:50 😂😂 the tank looks great, and I really like that pearl scale angel with the black markings, beautiful fish! Really great demonstration on how to do a dirted tank without the brown, yellow, or cloudy water phase, clever test with the floaters as well. 🙂👍👍
Thanks Your Highness. That Angel was a rescue, and now that pair just can't keep their fins off each other!
Ooh look at all those baby angels 👀 you’ve raised loads Gil and your dirted tank certainly sidestepped the ugly stage 👍👍👍
Those are the ones I haven't been able to catch yet. Should have followed your experience and not used a planted tank for a growout.
Planted tank whisperer at Work!!!
Not much whispering, maybe a little swearing perhaps.
Excellent job on your dirted tank Gil!! Plants grow great on a dirted tank, i debated whether to do one glad i did, as many other have said, your tank and Angels are top notch! I laugh my arse off every time you say you bore us!😂😂😂
Thanks Jeff. Perhaps I'm just boring myself.
@ I do that to myself all the time, but I don’t think it’s possible for you
Thanks for interesting and very informative content. It's gr8 how you bring out content that's hands on and easy on the hip pocket. I use to do dirted tanks in the late 90's. I use to use the red (laterite rich) soil I'd scavenge in some new estates. I used about a cm capped with about 4cms of fine gravel. I had the canister filter outflow pipe zig zaging through the gravel. The idea being the outflow water heat would provide a gentle convection current through the gravel for nutrient exchange to the plants. It worked well and would last about 2-3 years before I had gases building up in the substrate. Then it needed a strip down. KEEP UP THE CONTENT, ITS BRILLIANT!!😊
Thanks mate, I appreciate the kind words. Your method sounds really interesting .
Absolutely love this Gil! Algae is definitely one of the most annoying parts to have to work through setting up a dirted tank the way I do it. If, heck when I set up another maybe I will try this and see the difference. Great info
I would love to see you try this Patty. You could probably explain it a lot better tan me.
I would of never of thought of beeing able to find dolomite.
Great thinking..
Do you lot know you can get shoes? It's
something you wear on your feet so they dont get burnt, freeze or you dont step on something sharp or squishy 💩
Some awesome branches you have collected
Or something venomous… Austrailia is the easiest place to push up daisies 😮😅
What's a Shoe???
Shoes? Is that them there fancy things y'all wear on your feet?
Exactly Colin.These Canadians think that they are so fancy!
@Gilsfishroom ya . Just new. We likes themms ins the winter snow
Great work. Amazing as always, thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks mate. 😀
Thats great to see and know im just about 2 weeks from setting up my first dirted aquarium thanks for sharing ill be giving this a go for sure.
Give it a go Mark, it worked pretty well for me.
Well that was fun, Gil! This is also a fantastic how-to on setting up a dirted tank. The results are terrific. Curious: is the diatom algae a result of the sand? Seems to me I had heard something about that once upon a time. Your idea for the barrier to keep the Val in check is brilliant. I've seen the same principal used to keep bamboo in check in a landscape. I remember that shirt back when you did the stream with Jeff. I laughed my ass of then, and I'm doing it again. I'm going to have to make me one of those. Thanks, mate and Happy Humbug! 🙂
Yeah Ron, I have heard that the diatoms have something to do with the silica. That shirt really attracts the ladies!
Btw loving the angels
I have hundreds! Don't know how I'm going to get rid of them all.
@Gilsfishroom hopefully LFS
Dear Gil:
Merely capping compost, with coal slag has not worked well, for my, last, few scapes. Diatom algae doesn’t die off, after a few months, but continues to cover everything. Perhaps I’ll give your method a try.
Thank you for sharing this, informative video.
All my best,
Sincerely,
E. J. Brinegar
The idea is to prevent the organics in the soil from decomposing and releasing excess nutrients into the water. The soaking and drying exposes bacteria, enzymes and other soil microbes to oxygen in a moist environment. The microbes break down the organic materials in the soil into bio-available minerals. As an added bonus these new bio-available forms of nutrients are generally only available to plants and not to algae.
Dear Gil:
At present, I have two tanks, with little algae, where plants are doing very well. One is my, 75-gallon, CO2-injected tank. True Siamese algae eaters assist, in ridding it of algae. The other is my, 10-gallon, cherry shrimp tank (which contains some, sub-adult Gabon killifish). There are quite a few cherry shrimp, so they keep some types of algae down; though green hair algae and blackbeard algae do make an appearance; these are easily removed, manually.
These, two tanks, have been set up the longest. So, your concept makes sense, as the compost in them has had plenty of time, to decompose.
I intend to speed up the process, by sifting and repeatedly drying compost, for future set-ups.
Thank you, so much, for educating me, on this technique.
Sincerely,
Brinegar
3:55 dang! 🤣
It was pretty bad mate. 💩
It's nice to see it works for you. I don't really get what the drying is for, aside from killing anything that requires moisture and may become a parasite in the aquarium, but if it is how it was described in the video, then I'd rather use "dark start" than do all of that, especially being in a rainy area. How deep is that gravel behind you?
The idea is to prevent the organics in the soil from decomposing and releasing excess nutrients into the water. The soaking and drying exposes bacteria, enzymes and other soil microbes to oxygen in a moist environment. The microbes break down the organic materials in the soil into bio-available minerals. As an added bonus these new bio-available forms of nutrients are generally only available to plants and not to algae. The deep substrate is kitty litter over a plenum. Another experiment in progress.
@Gilsfishroom Can't think of anything plants utilize that algae can't. It's the algae that can utilize nutrients like nitrite that plants can't. My main use of drying the soil would be to sterilize it from moisture-dependent parasites so that I don't get random worms coming out the substrate or other invertebrates after setting the tank up. The heat resistant microorganisms may survive but they'll be a problem for another time.
A method that somewhat does what you are describing is the "Dark start method".
I just set up 2 of them (75 and 10 gallon) and had no nutrient explosion or tannins, cloudy water etc.
I just put 1 inch of organic potting soil and removed big sticks and covered with 2 inches of pool filter sand and it was clear at first fill.
Did same with a 10 gallon and had exact same results.
I think all those horror stories are from people capping with large gravel instead of sand.
Sounds like having such a deep sand layer is managing to contain everything.
I love your channel & the content is so informative 🙌 , I have a doubt when you rinse the potting soil will it not lose its nutritional value....?
The soaking and drying exposes bacteria, enzymes and other soil microbes to oxygen in a moist environment. The microbes break down the organic materials in the soil into bio-available minerals. As an added bonus these new bio-available forms of nutrients are generally only available to plants and not to algae.
awesome !
Thanks mate!
Doing a dirted tank is on my list of things to do in 2025 😊
It has been interesting, that's for sure.
Are there any clay substitute that we can get from Bunnings?
Have a look at modelling clay perhaps? Anything containing iron.
I'm off to Bunnings. Do you need a new pickaxe?
Yup. Bent my crowbar too!
I like leaving likes, so I left a like
Good on you mate. 👍
Ive heard of a dirty tank lol.I have a few.
It's dirt-ED. Not dirt-Y. 😂
I thought the organics that are released are CO2?
The organics break down and release excess nutrients into the water, and yes I believe the gas bubbles are co2 created by the decomposing organics. The gas can build up and "erupt" and blow a hole through the sand cap.
So much joy in one vid Gil, the hat, a trip to Bunnings, learnt how to wash sand, babies 😍 Tank looks fantastic!