Planted Aquarium SUBSTRATE - The Most OVERLOOKED Part of Your Aquarium

[@Celt4400]

Blasting Sand: I have used blasting sand for over 30 yes 30 years as long as it is what is called silica sand. I put down a layer of Laterite and then about 3" layer of the sand in a 58g tank. The plants go nuts and grow like crazy.

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

What do you all think of me going live with a whiteboard on sundays over a video?

[@NisioftheNorth]

Personally, my favorite for the noobies out there! For the non noobs, I found it very entertaining. ;)

[@TheMinimunk]

good idea with the whiteboard sometimes seeing it drawn can help with the understanding especially for the younger audience. :) keep up the good work love your enthusiasme

[@localmemesonly]

amazing work

[@susannesteele535]

Fantastic Dustin. I am a raw beginner and your videos are leading me in the right direction. So glad to have found you.

[@charlesfitzgeraldiii771]

I like the Father Fish method! I believe Dustin has gotten his wisdom and knowledge from him!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Couldnt agree more about the substrate its the same with Shrimp ,get the substrate right and you will probably be very successful at what you want to do with the aquariums.

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

for sure man, any advice for shrimpers with Substrate to pass on?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Yes sir, use a mineral supplement and bacterial supplement with every water change and your tank will be alive with life ...Borneowild enlive is my favorite bacteria supplement and cheap montmorillonite clay is good for the mineral source...healthy bacteria equal a very healthy tank :)

[@pruittfarmswolfenterprises3573]

NOT LIKING, I'M LOVING THIS SUBSTRATE VIDEO. THANKS DUSTIN

[@Max-vf6xt]

Want to let anyone curious know, black diamond blasting sand (medium sized) capping mineralized dirt grows plants like crazy, looks real nice, and is very cheap

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+Max Sheah thanks- I've Never used this before as my substrate - glad to hear it max

[@Krispykashew]

video could not have come at a better time. Thanks man learned alot!

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

ToastedWalnut crystal ball was shinny today

[@jescowan26]

LOVE THIS CONTENT MORE PLEASE !!! this is why I'm into this hobby thanks for your support to the community

[@elzylinder5984]

Dustin your a crack up. Keep it up brother!

[@muddyriverdogz]

I use pool filter sand over the dirt and it works the best in my opinion.

[@aaqilian5.085]

really interesting stuff. Thanks for the knowledge buddy.

[@kelliebelle1205]

Glad I found this. I’m a born again tanker. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve had one set up. After watching this, I may have screwed up. Firstly, I’m not yet comfortable enough to try dirt. So I laid down 1 inch aquarium rock, 2 inches of clay pebbles, and 1 inch of fluval volcanic soil stratum. My plants are rooting. I’m not having much plant melt, and I have at least 1 medium to large plant per fish and am working on the small, carpeting plants now. I have a great air stone and a canister filter. Water quality seems to stay balanced. Problem... it’s almost always cloudy. I’m having the hardest time keeping clear water and that’s why I was nervous about using dirt in the first place! I change the water weekly and the filter according to load in the tank but at least monthly. How can I control the cloudy water??

[@mar504]

I'm a super newbie aquarist so don't hopefully someone will correct me if I'm off base. I'd guess the cloudiness is some kind of bacterial bloom, do you think you might be overfeeding your fish? Is there a fair amount of dead plant material? I started my first planted tank 4 days ago using the walstad method (I owned a goldfish 15 years ago, that's about the extent of it though), so potting soil covered with gravel. I know it's probably too soon to tell, but my water is clear apart from small sticks and such that floated to the surface. I'm not planning to use a filter at all, so we will see how it goes, but I wouldn't be afraid of the dirt.

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

GREENHOUSE SAGA: The FINAL Development Meeting kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3fUppitlJJgj68

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

ILLEGAL Aquarium Fish and Plants (TOP 5) kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4TImnh3n9ipppo

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

360° VR GREENHOUSE TOUR: Michler's Florist, Greenhouses & Garden Design kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIi4Z4iEorhkhK8

[@Igor-q3f]

Is one inch of dirt enough for water lily bulb?

[@onlywei]

Hi Dustin. I found this video 3 years late. Around 9:28 you say to click links to see more videos about dirted tanks, but I no longer see those links. Do you know what those videos are?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

NEW GREENHOUSE SAGA + 5 HARDY Aquarium Plants kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5Cwk3iCi8eSb7c

[@phxfish3051]

vintage Dustin dirted dank tanks. great vid man

[@MRDOLLYCRUZ]

I have fluval stratum w/couple loaches cory cats tetras angel ram dwarf aq.lily bulbs HOB filter. Can I switch to (store bought) organic soil, do I toss my 6 mo.old stratum or can I use stratum/soil together & how? How long does a dirt tank last, will I ever have to dump the bottom layer of dirt? I guess I'm asking if dirt goes bad? Thanks

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

BEST TANK SETUP: Planted Aquarium Trim Part 2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/on7EoHVnaNdli8U

[@matt79hz]

I went out on a limb, without a lot of experience, and used a quality organic compost, covered with washed river gravel and washed river sand. Plants are booming. I do about a 30% trim every 3 weeks or so. Cherry Shrimp multiplying also :)

[@christinabettis4969]

Please please please drop a shirt with a little tank that has cute cartoon plants and scaped up super cute for the people 🙌🏽❤️🌱

[@johnbenson4045]

Do you consider cation exchange capacitity. Calcium Bentonite has a CEC of about 75 where potting soil is more around 10. It is the same stuff that is used in womens facial products but also - DADADA! - generic numclumping cat litter - about $1 for 7 pounds.

[@youwardasuci]

this is ultimate informative video.thanks

[@arunrsful]

Hi Dustin I started the hobby around 6 months back and got to learn lot from you guys....I am using sand with root tabs in my 50 gallon tank and the plants are not doing good...So I purchased organic soil and ada gravel...My question is how to put organic soil and gravel without destroying all the beneficial bacteria? And at what thickness I should use sand, organic soil and gravel?

[@Skysmeller1]

Dustin, the triumph reference just made my day. Lol

[@josephharper6803]

what do you think about easy carbo liquid carbon, have you ever used it

[@jessicacloud5387]

Your so awesome and informative! Tank on!

[@johnbenson4045]

What is a high fish load to planting?

[@jurgarrr]

how many inches should you add dirt and gravel coz from your 220 it looks like a lot of dirt and little gravel

[@mellie4174]

So I know this video is old but I am new to this method and doing research to get into it. My question is about filters. I thought I understood that the walsted method is meant to eliminate the need of a filter? Could you help me understand the method better? Thanks!

[@gdasphalt1205]

How can i take dirt from my backyard and make it safe enough for plants? Do i bake it for a while and then put it in water with a plant to make it safe? I'm just trying to save some money tbh

[@AlexanderPleasant]

GD Asphalt you can sift it to make it finer then bake it on 350 for 10 minutes

[@jerrywallendal4044]

enjoying the teaching. I am starting to add plants to my aquarium. I don't have a dirted aquarium but began to add plants like java fern which does not need to be rooted. Secondly I added some jungle vale in a shallow dish with dirt in it. It made my ors water cloudy and to my surprise the color on many of my fish such as the black neons actually shows up better. I am considering using cardboard egg cartons to add more dirted plants in hopes of turning my aquarium into a dirted planed aquarium as they decompose. What do you think?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

you can try that. I have never done it and think you might want to soak them really good prior to inserting them. (could make a huge mess though. Good Luck. (maybe panty hose soaked good first?)

[@jerrywallendal4044]

I saw a video on line on how to added a potted plant to an aquarium so I gave it a try. Soaked the dirt first and then submerged container in a bucket of water to take air out. Then added jungle vale and put in aquarium and it just made the water a little cloudy. I then covered with gravel. That is what gave me the idea of trying the egg carton. I thought if it works I would eventually have a dirted aquarium. Thanks for getting back to me.

[@sevensurvival]

What an excellent personality ! Man You are funny as hell ! Keep up the excellent work My Brother. Thanks, Blessings to You and Yours, and Respect. Joshua Seven Thunders///////

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+Ivan Quin thanks

[@bailey2913]

Would it not be better soaking the soil first and rinsing it out daily over a week before adding to the tank?

[@pruittfarmswolfenterprises3573]

MEGA LIKE DUSTIN

[@kekistanifreedomfighter014]

this is so helpful. thumbs up!

[@tallboygomery]

hey Dustin I only have sand in my tank with a bunch of root tabs, frequent water changes, do you think that would suffice ?? Also do you have any ideas on what can do with my 175 ?

[@chrisdiehl8387]

so the day you set it up automatically do 4 50% water changes?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

Chris Diehl that or like one ever day, depends on how it looks, assume its full of particles early

[@pruittfarmswolfenterprises3573]

How long and at what temperature do you bake the substrate please?

[@tylerjohnson4600]

Im having alot of issues with eco complete really wish i could start over with out stressing my fish =/ would u say it would be a bad idea to switch it out?

[@19672701]

I use a under gravel with a flourite type substrate and the bottom is all roots, been going 15+years.covered with gravel,setting another with under gravel since it worked the first time .like your tank looks great!

[@pruittfarmswolfenterprises3573]

What's that stringy plant floating BEHIND YOU?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

PLANTED AQUARIUM SETUP: Best In Wall Tank - Adding New Aquarium Plants and Seiryu Stone PART 3 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXmyYYOnfs58n9k

[@kathleenjones6948]

can I use natural red Clay from my yard?

[@NJDevilDad]

The only thing I'd add to this is that plants absorb ammonia too! They actually prefer ammonia! Diana Walstad even says that plants denitrify the nitrate back to ammonia to take it in

[@lylebrendan1218]

I realize I am quite randomly asking but do anybody know a good website to stream newly released series online?

[@hamzajaxx2230]

@Lyle Brendan I watch on flixzone. You can find it on google :)

[@kdr1048]

Dustin, if i swap my substrate from my planted 20 long to a 55 would you rinse the substrate or no? It is eco complete. Thank you

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

No, I would throw it away and dirt it ;)

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

Don’t rinse if keeping ;)

[@kdr1048]

Dustin's Fish Tanks seriously i did think of dirting it. I'm trying to figure out what to use for substrate lol. I know your huge on dirted tanks and they always do look amazing i must say

[@DemonLord_D]

can you go into more detail about the mineralizing process

[@remingtonewing6072]

I had a question about substrate Dustin... so when I first got into the hobby, I decided it would be a great idea to put blue gravel in my 37gallon tank, not knowing I would make it a planted tank later on. So, lets say I put a think layer of black gravel, or eco complete above the blue layer? Would everything be ok, or would I experience problems?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+Remington Ewing i would remove as much as ya can, like 75% then cover it with a large grade of black, lots of it (you don't wanna see the blue ramdomly- add some clay before the newest layer

[@remingtonewing6072]

+Dustin's Fish Tanks thank you so much! So would all my fish be ok after that? The bacteria colonies would still be ok right? And the plants would stay in when adding because of their deep root systems also I presume?

[@thomasashe2681]

Dustin, for the listing of "Red Clay (Iron for your roots)", how many pounds comes in each order?

[@ashlynwanderer]

i have no clay or additives and my tank is almost one months old, but i never did big water changes, only 10 percent weekly or so.. am i screwed?

[@drarbo1]

Very informative. Question. I see sand being used as a substrate. would sand on top of the dirt not work out?

[@Funsun39]

What % gravel to sand mix.

[@matt79hz]

Would like to know more about how long the soil will provide nutrients. I understand the variables are limitless. But in your experience when would you consider replacing the substrate ? I guess when you see the plants not growing so well, but is ithis usually 12 months, 2 yrs, 3 yrs, or more ? It will be quite a task !! .

[@haumai8933]

hey Dustin, do i need to add a high plant the same day as setting up my dirted aquarium

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+Hau Mai I would add plants the same day you dirt your aquarium substrate - yes

[@haumai8933]

I also did not bake my soil.. will this be bad for my aquariums? if so how could i fix it. Also where do i get clay balls? thanks dustin.

[@thomasashe2681]

Dustin, you said add aragonite. Wouldn't that raise the pH and create problem for fish that like low pH?

[@christiandowling6219]

Hi Dustin, love all your videos. You focus on the most important things in fishkeeping, and explain it in a fun way, keep up the good work! One thing I want to know is the name of the plant in the tank on this video. Looks similar to jungle val from further away but I know it isn’t. Just to right if you at start of video, Christian from England!

[@eastsaxon67]

when you say dirt, do you mean potting compost ftom a garden centre?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+eastsaxon67 that would work, you'd want to bake that at 350 for 10 minutes imo

[@crawfordviolin]

With Koi or Goldfish, where they like to suck the substrate into their mouths, you said the other day that you prefer to use larger substrate so that they do not get it stuck in their mouth... What size do you recommend in that case? BB size would not work in that case.

[@conman20000]

So the nature care does work then ?

[@tomcatmeowmix]

I am about to do a tank with azoo aquatic plant bio pro, fluval stratum, ada amazonian, and some more stratum as a cap. Wil be a nano hi-tec. Thoughts? Also...Dustin got my first shipment in from you guys.....epic!!!!

[@Dudeyoursooojdm]

Hey man! I have aragonite substrate in my heavily planted tank, I was actually thinking about swapping it to eco-complete but after watching this I'm kind of up in the air. My plants are thriving, should I just leave it be?

[@omgwtfhax1]

Don't change what isn't broken!

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+Mickie Frial leave it and add clay to the substrate

[@jurgarrr]

How much gravel and dirt do you add

[@josiereyna864]

Can clay pebbles be used inside a planted aquarium

[@MsArtemis01]

Wait have to draw this fish diagram. 😋🐟 I think I have less fish load and can't keep up with the heavy plant load. I'm still trying to figure it all out.

[@susannesteele535]

Wish I could give you more than one like lol.

[@25Aditya25]

can I create those half sand half substrate aquascapes using dirt

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+25Aditya25 yeah- just two different types of caps on on your substrate- my 220 does this

[@25Aditya25]

Great.Thanks for the reply.

[@FMonou]

So how can you make sure you have a balanced load of beneficial bacteria, and how does this bacteria become to be?

[@pisto_run_cycling]

is it really a bad idea to use activated carbon in my filtration system.. ive got plants in my tank..

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

nah- go for it....i don't run any, but i wouldnt worry about it unless your plants start looking bad :)

[@pisto_run_cycling]

Dope.. thanks man.. Been following you for a few months now.. Learned alot.. Keep it gangsta homie..

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

Brian Veliz thanks man- I try to keep it real for ya ;)

[@alvaroavalos8577]

What kinds of clay are useable

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

red potters clay, not fired :)

[@BlakeGJ]

Snails keep my PFS free of dead zones. I also keep the sand layer to less the 1-2"

[@fishrrelaxing9361]

Should also be mentioned the plants don’t really use the nitrates they just consume them and store them.. they are not removed till you trim the plants and remove the clippings. You can remove it via water change or via trimming of plants either way the fish keeper has to do something. The biggest difference is one they build in the water column and the other they are safely stored.. but if that plant were to die in the tank.. the tank would see a spike in ammonia and nitrates. The bacteria and other plants would consume the ammonia and would likely not be noticed but nitrates would sky rocket and for most people they wouldn’t understand why this happened. Consumption is via growth so trimming is a must.. To reduce or prevent hydrogen sulfate.. use undergravel plates minus the filtering so there is some water flow under the substrate and as thus.. anoxic instead of anaerobic conditions still allowing for fully cycle but without the hazards.. with sand or dirt simply place a regular weed matting for outdoor gardening on top of the filter plates to prevent clogging and settling on the bottom glass. The biggest reason nature can’t be completely duplicated inside an aquarium is because lake and river beds are not sitting on top of glass stopping water flow.. water flow is gradually reduced via depth until reaching rockbed and flowing to aquifer. Another bit on iron and clay, it’s a heavy metal with fuels anoxic and anaerobic bacteria with amino acids. Clay has a negative polarity ionization allowing it to naturally attract nitrogen components from the water column and absorb them similar to how say an ammonia filter pad works.. then your plants roots will find and consume over time providing two different ways of safe storage. As for your questions.. Florine and zeolite are both clay based.. they are regularly used to substitute for the long lost laterite. Many use natural kitty litter which is basically a zeolite clay blend. But hard to find the perfect kind that will not dissolve over time and become mush.. many are finding what they think is the right kind of kitty litter and weeks or months later finding out it’s turning to mush.. safe bet just use fluorite or zeolite. Seachem has many fluorite compounds that are very high in iron. Damn I can’t stop adding lol.. would be good to add that plant roots oxygenate the substrate around them which also eliminates hydrogen sulfate. Deep rooting plants will solve a lot of issues in a deep substrate.

[@yigs7339]

I used too much dirt and I think I got h2s (rotten smell) what should I do?

[@kekistanifreedomfighter014]

i did that once too i removed plants and fish and scooped dirt. it stinks to do specially indoors but having a just perfecy tank is so so satisfying

[@shaonpurkait8839]

Can I use soil from my lawn in planted tank?

[@Poison_Paradise]

yup, just bake it first to be safe; although, honestly, you don't even need to do that

[@michaelmitchell7797]

If you don't like eco-complete, then what's the next best plant substrate besides dirt and regular gravel?... do u like seachems flourite?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

I like the brightwell rio cafe, seachem's stuff as ada are also good. Stratum from fluval isn't bad

[@Ajaymoon07]

Dustin can u put play sand as a substrate?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

I would NOT use play sand as your substrate- too tightly packed and could cause anaerobic conditions.

[@duncanward9337]

I have been using play sand to cap my dirt in my planted tank. It's been set up for about a year. I agree I would never set it up again like that. Every water change I use my aquascaping tongs to stab through the substrate to release any gas build up. Seems to work for now

[@sevensurvival]

Hey Dustin, You wouldn't happen to be related to Jack Nicholson now would You ?

[@jimhande9706]

Do you gravel vac (Python) or just suck debris off the top?

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

Jim Hande just suck it off

[@jimhande9706]

Cool, thanks

[@leohernandez8760]

bro luv

[@slownas11]

🌿>🐟💩

[@alecthenice8115]

Lmfao "hide the women and children project" so true

[@robertsvettberg313]

Sportscaster talking about fishtanks?

[@alvaroavalos8577]

How can I have koi with plants

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

alvaro avalos I have koi with plants in my pond ;)

[@DemonLord_D]

Dustin's Fish Tanks my goldfish eat my lily pads. What do i do?

[@duncanward9337]

Second ;)

[@mfmax3452]

We would seriously be best friends u like wu tang, obviously u smoke bud once in a blue moon ... but the deal breaker is ur a browns fan

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+Max well haha- it's not easy liking the Browns - and bombing atomically

[@TheSkruer]

Everytime I try useing dirt my tank gets overwhelmed by cyano bacteria and algee. I leave it, for weeks but, it never goes away.

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

Then your bacterial load is off. You may not have enough gas exchange in your aquarium. I would run multiple air stones

[@TheSkruer]

@@Dustinsfishtanks Next time I will keep that in mind :D

[@Ajaymoon07]

First?

[@kathleenjones6948]

So informative 👍

[@smilingmermaid]

Hey Brah....you gotta chill on all the emails you send after you get an order. It's fuckin too much.

[@Dustinsfishtanks]

+Jennifer we have a new crm- something might be messed up- can you forward or reply back with what all you are getting? Sorry!!!