How to setup a Dirted Tank - Guide to a soil substrate Aquarium.

A Guide to setting up a dirted tank. This is my 29 gallon tank that I am considering doing a black water setup in. I have setup a few of these in the past and believe I have learned from my mistakes.
Let me know if you have any plant or fish stocking suggestions!
Black Diamond Blasting Sand - www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro...
Dirt - www.walmart.com/ip/Nature-s-C...
Also follow me on Instagram - / theaquaticjournal

[@FatherFish]

Well done. Welcome aboard!

[@bevfrigon7142]

Good video. I prefer the voice rather than reading but really like how you stay on topic. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@abigail9206]

Nice video! It gave me some ideas for my upcoming (first) dirted tank!

[@rickwheeler15]

Enjoyed video it helped me decide how to setup my 40B thanks

[@AquaLady153]

I Line the dirt with aluminum foil with a plate on top and aim the water at the plate with very low pressure.

[@flybobbie1449]

I used potting compost with blood fish bone meal. Couple of inches plus sand gravel pebbles dead leaves from a pond on top. All my plants growing wild and bunch of happy fish snails and shrimp.

[@JCAnimals]

Can't wait to see you scape it!

[@giftofthewild6665]

Thanks this was great! I prefer the text & relaxing music to voice over.

[@seen69]

interested to see how the plants grow in this :)

[@AquaticJournal]

This has since been taken down but I've setup 3 dirted tanks and they all performed great for plants!

[@45kittyboo]

Todd have you ever use black gold organic potting mix

[@phillip1beer]

Would Malaysian Trumpet Sails be harmful or beneficial to a dirted substate? Has anyone had experience with this?

[@helengardner9958]

Darn it. 😟 I just put the soil in dry without mixing it first with water, then capped it with washed sand. I wonder if that will still work? I already have it planted, also added snails & baby Danio fry.

[@th3challenger895]

Really good video.Im really having trouble with the soil tho,I cant make its stable enough for water not to make it lift up.Im using the natural and organic seed starting mix

[@AquaticJournal]

Use more gravel or sand to cap it. The first time I did this where it went porrly I used less then one inch of sand to cap my dirt. My corys ripped out some plants and all the dirt leaked into the water. So the more cap the better.

[@MatthewSaratoreGarden]

I see that a lot of people use potting mix, I’m doing my first fitted tank so for sure not an expert… but I am a strong gardener. Potting mixes don’t actually contain soil often. That’s why they are so light. I am using an actual soil mix. Much heavier and I think will be a better option… that being said it’s day 2…? We will see

[@RCichard]

@@MatthewSaratoreGarden Hey Matt, its been 2 months since you started your tank - how is it going? I see you have alot of gardening videos, but nothing recently. Any chance you could make a video on your dirted tank - i would love to see it!! Thanks man, -Dick

[@randolfjuan9618]

use garden soil instead. Seed growers tend to be more light than the usual garden soil. Best of you can get clay like textured soil as it will surely retain at the bottom of your tank

[@enoughsunil1986]

Great video, subsbcribed! How did you get the water flow running to add water in your tank through the tubing? I end up using buckets, which as expected destroys the cap! My first dirted tank setup failed miserably because of that. I am not giving up though!

[@AquaticJournal]

I put water in a 55 gallon trash can and then run a submersible pump. Way easier to do water changes that way. Now I use a ibc your but at the time I was using a ro water trash can! Thanks for the sub!

[@ferragamo4570]

Am I able to use gravel instead of sand ?

[@Kalinux_ai]

in my experience, the soil can be anything. I used natural soil, or fertilized soil etc. All works well. I took sand from the river, dried it and I also bought sand and used. It doesn't really matter. What matters is, the soil needs to be capped by sand and bombarded with plants (Both planted and floating). Biggest mistake is to cap dry soil with sand. Make sure the soil is wet, not muddy, not dry

[@justin94431]

I seen father fish make it muddy

[@toddbigeasy]

hi Todd, how is the long term success with the dirted tank? I'm considering doing the same with a 110. Thanks, Todd

[@ragnar_rsa]

How long did it take for the merky water to become clear

[@liztaylor7133]

Great vid. Approximately when can you add fish and plants?

[@stoneysscapes7544]

Right away but you should use test kits and Seachem PRIME & Seachem STABILITY . If u need more to go with do your fish a solid and watch Kaveman Aquatics video on these 2 products and good luck

[@ricwhk]

THanks for the video. Which soil shd I buy - topsoil or potting soil?

[@AquaticJournal]

Any organic soil will work. What you don't want is any cow manure in the mixture. It should list it's components.

[@ehemehem1807]

Dirt and soil diff?

[@jackdaniels7675]

Will it make a difference if I also add fluval stratum substrate as well

[@miniguppy]

Yes it will

[@darrendempsey3190]

I like the black sand, where did you get that sand

[@AquaticJournal]

Darren Dempsey I got it at tractor supply. It’s called black diamond blasting sand

[@alexrouth4341]

Why slope the substrate deeper in the fornt and shallower at the back?

[@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058]

I did happen to notice he didn't squeeze the air pockets out that's why you see bubbles on the right end of the tank, I have seen some other videos say to squeeze the dirt while you add your 1st moisture of water to get the air pockets out. As for putting a hang on back filter system that will disturb the sand if the over flow is hitting the substrate it's best to use sponge filters, but hey to each his own, I'm just saying.

[@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058]

All in all it was straight forward & not a lot of talk, but it would help for those who are just starting in the hobby & wants to do 1 or all their tanks to know the pros & cons.

[@beautynhealthtrends4198]

Hi, for walstad method, can I put red lava rock sand on top of the soil or it must be river sand/gravel only? Thanks

[@thelittlethingsinlife239]

Yes you can, just ensure the soil is capped fully

[@harissohail4536]

Can I grow carpets like monte carlo or dwarf baby tears etc. using this method?

[@christopherlamar9285]

You would need a aqua soil but some say they pull it off I've tried both and had better luck with aqua soil

[@dellseasandoval8187]

That is so damn weird because my last name is Todd & I have 4 tanks. Coincidences are weird. I’m in Melbourne Australia but I don’t know where you are. Anyway I need all the help I can get to try to get my tanks set up in the dirted way.

[@quki3]

Hi! I’m working on my third dirted tank - 55 gallon. I add about 2-2.5 inches organic potting soil and 2 inches white sand - I’ve seen at least one KZbinr put the potting soil into giant mesh media bags - instead of just adding under sand cap. I always seem to bust through my sand cap when cleaning or planting and it makes a horrible mess that cannot be good for my fishies ! I want to try it but I don’t know how the plants will root through those media bags? Does anyone have an Oooo ion on using media bags for potting soil? Also- should plants be added dry or after water has been added to tank. I usually add plants after I fill with water only because I wait to get plants same day I add to tank and I’m impatient (working in patience) I have had a difficult time keeping my stem plants rooted and they usually float around in water column. Any suggestion in how to get plants to stay in place? Thank you 😊 🫶🏻🐡

[@justvalerie7144]

Use an inch of soil and 2 inches of sand. put your plants an inch into the sand & the roots will find their own way into the soil.

[@creaturehunter979]

I have a potting mix with peat moss and perlites. Im more concerned about the perlites and how they would affect the water. Did any of you guys have any issues in that regard?

[@AquaticJournal]

I would not worry about Perlite but peat moss has a tendancy to lower the PH. If you are going for that awesome but if you already have low PH this could cause issues for anything that wants higher PH water. Some of the perlite will escape originally but if you just scoop it out for the first few days you will be fine! Just google which substrate you have and planted tank and see if anyone has used it before!

[@creaturehunter979]

@@AquaticJournal thanks!! Ill do some more research

[@khianne_exoticph4720]

Can you make a video how to clean that dirted tank set up plss🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 i need it a lot

[@AquaticJournal]

Do you mean like for gravel vacing the tank?

[@Cal619Guy]

what song is this? :)

[@kellyready3773]

Great video! Subscribed. I’m just finding your channel. I uploaded my first video last month. Just started a channel. Featuring fish of course.

[@benitouchiha]

So I didn’t remove nothing from the natures potting mix bag?

[@AquaticJournal]

Sorry for the late reply but no and I had no issues!

[@HyeonsikLi]

Whats the point of using dirt? Is it nutrient rich for the plants to have an easier start?

[@Qihte]

right on the money, in fact most carpeting plants dont survive without nutrient rich substraye

[@razorramon3256]

Would you say its overkill to put dirt in a tank then fluval stratum then a gravel top if you want to make it a long term planted tank

[@stoneysscapes7544]

I would avoid Stratum for a few reasons from my experiences with it . First it is very , very light for capping your soil & when you plant (don't go into the soil ) You will want to let the plant roots break into the soil , which in time they sure will. Also it is easier using a heavier and courser cap . I have had 0 problems using pool filter sand or you can also cap it with blasting sand . The plants will actually stay planted , not always the case for planting in Stratum. So to ensure your soil stays out of your water column & your plants stay ..,.... using either sand is the only cap I will highly recommend & Fluval Stratum would be something you could mix in with your dry soil , carefully because it is very delicate and good luck.

[@christopherlamar9285]

Good plant growth I bet 🌿 Did you did it?🤔

[@razorramon3256]

@@christopherlamar9285 ya I did endup doing it and I recently had a lot of my plants die because I was being stupid but it works really well this past year my tank was self sufficient for most of the year and I only feed and added water I didn't even need a filter

[@markfranklin8831]

Like both but prefer voice over just me. 🖐️✌️👍

[@eddtv4548]

Will this make your water yellow

[@AquaticJournal]

eddtv this may make your water a little yellow. It goes away with good filtration, water changes, and time!

[@kannadiga3644]

is it safe to use organic compost/dirt substrate covered with gravel for cory dora tank? . I heard the compost is very rich in nutrient.. is there a chance cory would end up sucking particles or concentrated compost water..

[@AquaticJournal]

I do not know about compost. I only buy one brand of organic potting soil because I know it works. If you cap it deep enough with gravel that should not be an issue for the corys though!

[@Actias1974]

Why do creators always add over the top music? Seriously I don’t need a dance party while I watch. Mute button where are you my friend.

[@diyaquarist8624]

Very nice #diyaquarist

[@gopskals1424]

Plz gove me soil name

[@AquaticJournal]

Natures Care Organic Potting Mix

[@PlantswithCoffee]

Handsome 🥰🥰🥰

[@keylor_cr]

@Linh Nguyen This interaction is hilarious

[@DLMyth2]

Voice over txt especially if you’re listening to the vid instead of watching.

[@beutelm1]

Obviously works for you but seems like too many messey steps involved.

[@Edward-rw3kq]

Nice video, annoying music.

[@fownine4life853]

Voice