Avoid These Fatal Errors in a Dirted Planted Aquarium!

[@Sinserg]

Yes I agree with the tips on dirted tanks, if you don't cap it well for at least the first couple of months, you can be up to a disaster or lots and lots of water changes.

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

Yeah, I made that mistake with my Dirted Fluval Flex that I showcased in my video. Oof

[@stubbsaquatics6080]

Excellent video with great info So happy your channel is doing really well and growing quickly.... 👍

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

Thanks! 😊

[@IndoorEcosystem]

I agree with all of this 😊 Great information s usual! Made a few of these mistakes early on. I think most people do.

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

Even people who know their stuff (me) or claim to know their stuff (also me) also make these mistakes sometimes! But, it's a good learning experience! ☺

[@mercy4149]

Bro.....thank you so so so much.....i didn't know what was going on with my plants i gave proper lighting gave proper good substrate but still my plants kept dying....i finally figured thanks to you that it is ammonia burn....will fix it soon

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

Glad I could help and good luck! 😊

[@TarasTankFriends]

I have yet to try a dirted tank, but this is great to know if I ever do! Nice job, Justin and hope you have a great weekend 🙂👍

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

You should definitely try one! It's probably the cheapest way to set up a planted aquarium! Have a great weekend as well!

[@Gilsfishroom]

Great video. Another tip is to mix clay with the dirt layer to form mud under the cap. The clay will help to hold the dirt layer together a little when you uproot plants.

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

Interesting. Plus, I believe clay is a good source for iron

[@sharirhariparsad5777]

What you can do if you want to move a stem plant is to cut it out at the base and replant in a more suitable location...i dont think that this would work for rosettes though

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

The only issue with this is that lone stem can still grow new shoots. So, it's a temporary solution. The only permanent one is to uproot it

[@Phillycheeseaquatics]

hahaha, water changes....your funny

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

To each their own. I like tank maintenance and water changes. I find them very helpful in the beginning stages of a tank and when it comes to any imbalances. Plus, I get to physically interact with the tank. It feels like I'm actually putting in the work in creating a mini ecosystem and aquascaping instead of letting it take care of itself. I find it fun and relaxing

[@ryanrogers8211]

2” sand cap minimum according to Father Fish 👍🏼

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

👍

[@justin94431]

How often do i need to do water change first few weeks

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

Personally, at least once a week minimum. Although, the more, the better. It's just enough to make sure that ammonia levels don't reach dangerous levels.

[@justin94431]

@@TropiscapeAquatics another small question.. can I just use small amount of dirt on middle and cap it with just 1 inch soil.. will this lower the chance of having ammonia spike? Or I need to have 2 inch dirt substrate?

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

Are you using aquasoil and dirt? If so, I would highly recommend not to as both will release ammonia which will compound. It's better to use a non-nutrient rich substrate such as sand or fine gravel as the cap. As for your question, you're going to have ammonia build up in the beginning stages regardless, so it's best to stick with 2 inches of substrate and an inch or so of dirt. Let me know if you have any more questions or need clarification! I am happy to help!~ 😊

[@justin94431]

@@TropiscapeAquatics sorry for my amateur questions I'm new to this hobby.. I meant sand as soil, I seen couple of videos of dirt aquarium it's quite complicated for me cuz some use just 1 inch of dirt and 1 inch sand capping enough others recommending 2 inch dirt and 2 inch sand capping.. 😬 so not sure what would be the best way to Start.. nonetheless I'm ok to do water change ones or twice a week but if it's like 6 times a week I think it's hard to maintain for me.. you have any suggestions for me dude?

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

I know exactly how you're feeling! I've been thorough your exact scenario before! So, let's break it down a bit. Both 1 inch dirt/cap and 2 inch dirt/cap ratio are the same. Although, with a 2 inch of dirt and 2 inch of cap, you have much more substrate to anchor plants down. From my experience with having an inch and a bit of aquasoil, I've had plants uproot themselves before and float to the surface. Personally, I like having 1.5 inch of dirt to 2 inch of a cap. This way you still have quite a bit of dirt for nutrients for the plants and enough of a sand/gravel cap to keep the dirt down provided that the ratio is consistent where dirt is being used. Although, if this does fail, you can try a 1 inch of dirt to 2 inches of a cap when you choose to restart again. As for the water changes, once per week is definitely enough. It's what I do for all of my current tanks. You can start performing water changes once a week and then slowly start to stop them once you think that the tank has stabilized and has been cycled (0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, and 0 - 10 ppm of Nitrate). I applaud anyone who does more than 3 water changes per week! That's a lot of work! Keep an eye on water parameters and any algae growth when you start to stop doing water changes. If things start to go haywire, you might need to add a few water changes back to your schedule. Once advice I would like to give would be to plant quite heavily. By this, I mean to use a lot of plants and cover as much of the area where you used dirt and a cap with plants. Preferably a mix of fast and slow growing plants. Floating plants are great for the fast-growing plants section as they have direct exposure to atmospheric CO2 and can suck up a lot of excess nutrients in the tank given how fast they can grow. If you are unsure of a plants' growth speed, you can search the plant's name followed by 'Tropica'. Tropica has a massive catalogue of plants on their website that give the basic information on the requirements and difficulty of a certain plant. I know this is a lot, and I hope this didn't confuse you. Again, if you need any clarification, feel free to let me know! Also, check out my Dirted Fluval Flex playlist series I have on my channel. It goes over how I initially set my tank up to what it currently is at this moment. However, I will say that I made a lot of mistakes with that tank, but I think it's nice to know my mistakes and how you can avoid them as well. Here's a link: kzbin.info/aero/PLMmFl-WMZN3DQvhE-cK3u3EzdI2jHeZ-D I also have a Planted Tank 101 Guide playlist. I'll also link it: kzbin.info/aero/PLMmFl-WMZN3C3tzK3TKjYPux6ZgC01yi1 I think the best way to start would be to select the species of fish and other livestock that you want to have, find out their requirements, use those requirements as a baseline when researching plants (ex. Can both the fish and plant live in low pH water?), learn a little more when it comes to taking care of those plants, and then get your hands dirty with starting a tank and take it one step at a time! Basically, develop a plan of action (I might make something that makes it easier to plan things)! However, you're going to make mistakes, but those mistakes help us become better at this hobby!

[@wolk2]

Good video. No nonsons

[@TropiscapeAquatics]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😊