# Planted tank with soil



## dj-damo (Dec 16, 2011)

Hi all

So now i have moved into my new place i need some help with regards to ressetting up my tank.

i am having trouble with the substrate to use, previously it was gravel, but as i am going to inject with co2 i though it would be a good idea to look into a different substrate mix. 

so far i have come up with

john innes no3 potting soil
Miracle grow soil
cat litter
eco complete

i would like to go down the soil route as i feel this would be cheaper and more beneficial as the soil would recycle the waste, and in some posts i have seen, some people are not even using filters.

The equipment i have is

Tank is 240 litres 

- eheim 2078 proffesional e filter
- vectron 600 uv sterelizer
- reverse osmosis unit
- aquamanta efx 400 filter
- 2 x fluval e 300w heaters
- 2 x air pumps
- 4 x twin power heads
- eheim mech pro 2 litre
- eheim substrat pro 5 litre
- jbl nitrate ex
- jbl phosex ultra

will be ordering

- TMC CO2 Pressure Regulator with integrated solenoid valve. din447 connection
- TMC AquaGro CO2 Power Diffuser 1500 (will this be to much, would like to ensure nearly 100% co2 dissolved!)
- and some sort of bubble counter

i did experiment with DIY co2 which worked well in my 450litre tank but i am going to move to pressurized for more stability.


If i go down the soil route how to i set up the tank.

this is what i would currently do with what i have researched

soak soil for 6 or more hours after removing any large particles

put soil in tank 1.5inch deep and cover with 1/2 to an inch of medium/ small gravel (left over from my last tanks.)

fill with RO water and start cycling process. i used nutrafin cycle before and this did work so will use this again. i did start with only 2 fish in a 240 litre tank and will do the same. 

as i understand it the soil will leech ammonia into the water so i will need to wait for this to stabilize before adding fish.

do i add plants at the beginning of the cycling process or after.

so in a nutshell

- what soil / compost mix
- what brand 
- am i ok to put the soil in before cycling??
- have i got the correct order.!!
- am i ok to use my exisiting equipment (uv sterelizer)

Your help would be greatly appreciated

Kind Regards

Damien *w3

p.s not sure what fish i am going to go for just yet!! 



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## Marci99205 (Dec 13, 2011)

Is Eco-Complete inert substrate? How come? - Aquarium Plants


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

There are a lot of people on here who have used eco complete without any issues. I have play sand, others have pool filter sand, and others use a beaslbob layering technique. Short answer, any of these substrates will work, and you should go with what you think will work best for your needs and what suits you best aesthetically.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

dj-damo said:


> john innes no3 potting soil
> Miracle grow soil
> cat litter
> eco complete
> ...


1&2. I would use the Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix, and follow the instructions I've used for mineralizing it (How-To: Mineralized Soil Substrate, by Aaron Talbot - Library - Aquatic Plant Central). Mineralizing it will preserve the majority of the nutrients but make it so you won't have any dangerous ammonia, nitrate, or phosphate spikes.

3&4. Yes. I would cover it with something like the Eco-Complete as well, to prevent the soil from further soiling (haha) your water. You can also add your plants right from the start - if there are any ammonia or other spikes, your plants will benefit greatly from these spikes (since, after all, they are minerals the plants love). They can also help speed up the cycle in what's called a silent cycle.

5. Everything but the air pumps. Adding bubbles to your tank completely negates the artificial injection of CO2, since the air bubbles will help "gas out" the CO2 from the water. If you'd like to use them still, use them at night only, when the plants don't consume CO2 (the lights are off, meaning no photosynthesis). Otherwise, keep them in the event of an emergency where you might have to medicate heavily and will need to use bubblers to keep healthy levels of O2 in the tank for your fish. One last thing - don't add carbon to your filter, as it will strain out any nutrients in the water that your plants need.


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## dj-damo (Dec 16, 2011)

i went to my garden centre yesterday and all i could see was miracle grow compost or john innes no3 compost, it may just be as im in the uk so it is named different, just want to make sure before i go ahead and buy.

i did have another thought....

would i be better off using an aquatic compost that is commonly used for ponds? i would presume that this would be safer and easier to start wiith. just nt sure if it would be better or worse for the plants. 

also ive seen quite a few posts where people are using soils straight from the bag and not following the mineralisation process. im not going to stock with fish right away. im more concentrating on the plants and getting it looking good. so i presume that i could do this.


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## archer772 (Nov 8, 2008)

I am just useing a thin layer of sphagnum peat moss and then capping it with about 2 1/2-3 inches of Saf-T-Sorb which is floor dry.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Safe-t-sorb is definitely the most cost effective route. It only cost $5-6 for 40lbs.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

You will have to do more home work if buying other soil. MG adds fertilizers, other soil makers may as well. You can't use soil that has too many fertilizers. (they'll leach into your tank..) Typical ferts are N, P, PO4. (nitrate, potassium, phosphate) All of which are great for plants, but in excess, kill fish.

Search online and you will find the qty of N,P, & PO4 MGPOM adds. You'll want to find soil that has less than that added. (Also, less wood chips the better)


I'm still learning this stuff as well, this is my understanding of store purchased dirt.


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## dirtydutch4x (Jun 16, 2009)

I got my Miracle grow at Walmart. I first put the soil and wet it until it was mud consistency. I let that rest for a bit then capped with Play sand from home depot, added water just above the sand level and planted. After this I carefully capped with a very small layer of small pebbles and filled. I used medium and water from my established tank(about 50%). All I am running is a sponge filter for some water movement and topping off after evaporation. This worked for mwe for a year in a 20 now its a 55. IMO


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Potassium is actually expressed with K. NPK is what plants need.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

The use of unwashed, raw soil as a bottom layer and sealing it in with top layers of sand and gravel is (I believe) called the Walstad method, after a paper published by Diane Walstad detailed said method. Her book, The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium, is a great read if you'd like to learn lots about plants and stuff in an aquarium.

My issue with the Walstad method is it is WAY too easy to screw up. Also, once everything's planted and you add fish, you CANNOT change anything. Pulling plants up runs the risk of causing a fert explosion that will wipe out your critters.

Many on here use the "beaslbob" substrate arrangement with a bottom layer of peat moss, then some play sand, then some PC select or Safe-T-Sorb. Great for plants and very cheap, however everything requires you to wash a lot, and soak the peat moss so it doesn't float.


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## dj-damo (Dec 16, 2011)

in that case would i be better of using an aqua soil!!! i.e

Oasis Aquatic Soil 20 Litres: Pond Planting Equipment: Pond Plants - Buy pond liners, underlay, pumps, filters and pond equipment from Pondkeeper: fishing out the best deals on the net.

i dont like the idea of the dry start method, nor having to mineralize soils as its winter here! ideally something that i can use straight from the bag and start planting a carpet!! without the aid of topping up with loads of minerals each week. im in no rush to get fish! also thats not gonna cost an arm and a leg!! im going to be using co2 injection with this aswell if it helps!!

my tanks size is 240 liters or 64 us gallons!!


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