Setup a Fish Aquarium Using Dirt Potting Soil

You can use houseplant soil in a fish aquarium for crazy plant growth.

[@neilmunro7961]

I do much the same but I put the potting compost in the legs of woman's tights (remove woman first). The I layer them on the bottom and cover with sand (gravel if you prefer) The plant roots will grow through the tights and into the potting soil and the soil won't end up in your water column.

[@ballbagchris6920]

When I first started reading this I thought it was a troll comment lol but actually pretty smart

[@SamanthaDelintNeelysuccess]

😮😮😮😮 this comment needs more views bc your system makes sense and it's good! Thanks for sharing it.

[@FatherFish]

Nice job. Next year when the nutrients are depleted try my formula for a permanent substrate. You are correct about plants. They are the key to making this system successful. I have discovered 2" of sand over 1" of soil prevents leaching of soil into the water column.

[@willhedington6225]

What if i capped it like you do, but used organic potting soil. Wont the same self-sustaining processes happen? It seems like your method.

[@awesomeGking]

​@willhedington6225 I hope so I think that's what I might try

[@reaper22387]

Is 1" soil enough for plants to get a good root growing?

[@dreamforever3749]

@@reaper22387 I used @fatherfish method. I have about 1inch of dirt mix and a bit over 2inches of pool filter sand. My plants grow like crazy. :)

[@curiousarnab]

i wish i could but buy your supplements but i can not order from my country 😢😢

[@nathananderton8546]

Father Fish method; dirt capped with sand to minimize leaching nutrients into the water column. I add worm castings for extra bacteria and microorganisms. This type tank doesn't cycle like a gravel tank but goes right to the nitrate stage.

[@briandixon4931]

Exactly that man is brilliant ❤ father fish is brilliant

[@benwilliams3539]

That's not his method. He's just copied others

[@CorgeekWx]

​@@benwilliams3539hes been working with fish for 70 years... 70 years ago they were adding shit to the water that probably killed fishm

[@TismFishing]

Alstad method… father fish didn’t come up with anything new

[@FatherFish]

@@TismFishing My system is in fact a new system.

[@ryanoakes4629]

Great advice.I’m doing 4 dirtied tanks…yes floating plants are the quickest. And guppies..yes a week or 2 later.. another idea is cutting a piece of burlap and cap the soil with it before adding sand..❤it helps keep the soil from drifting up..and the burlap does compost over time..😅

[@The123tactics]

I've had good success with less soil and more cap tends to help keep it otherwise yes if you get any out it's a big problem and you'll need to do some water changes. Which is what some of us try to avoid.

[@guppy4169]

Omg this is my favorite potting soil eveeeer!!! All of my houseplants/succulents/cacti love it! And I water with fish tank water from water change. Never a need for fertilizers.

[@aidandalton7404]

It's not for aquariums. The nutrient content will create algae and kill your fish.

[@Blueman4956]

Oh gosh thank you bc I was checking out other u-tube videos & was overwhelmed by what to buy & expensive.

[@Yukiruu]

Me too! I don’t have sufficient funds to buy all those things either. This video was a life saver

[@fabiom.1095]

I tried mud, with the same method and it is going very well.

[@majorbruster5916]

For those who cannot wait long enough for the plants to deal with the ammonia, try using a chemical filtration technique. Fill a canister power filter with aquarium grade zeolite, not the large lumps sold for ponds. When running the filter, try not to stir up the substrate. You can use a large air-driven box filter as an alternative and these are much easier to service. Take ammonia readings at the start. Zeolite exchanges sodium ions for ammonia ions until all the available exchange sites are exhausted. Should this happen (you can tell from a steady ammonia reading) remove the zeolite granules from the filter and soak them for 36 to 48 hours in a strong solution of brine, doesn't matter which salt you use but cooking salt is cheapest. Stir occasionally. Rinse the zeolite, not too vigorously, and replace. This will remove the ammonia far quicker than plants can assimilate it. If you are careful, you can plant the tank at the same time and shorten the ammonia phase even more. Once you have a zero ammonia reading, check the nitrite reading and if this is below 0.5mg.L you can introduce a couple of cheap guppies as Don suggested. Not many plants assimilate nitrate directly. The vast majority prefer ammonium ion (pH 6.5 or below) because this route uses less energy. Anyway, this is just a suggestion. Worked for me, hope someone might benefit from reading this.

[@cosmic4037]

I was doing this 30 years, 1 0r 2 inch soil, 2 inch sand onto, get some bugs from local pond....lots of plants... water changes every 6 months or more.

[@janetholley1004]

I'm starting one outside like this, had four in the past they did well & fish had babies. Two feet deep pond and my goldfish Wintered in North Carolina, ice melted & they were fine.

[@planetdee3587]

One tip for getting the water in the tank is use a cup or container method to poor into and let it overflow. This prevents that hard inpact on the dirt.

[@rdot980]

He used a bowl.

[@martincamenzuli4774]

Great method to a natural tank. The way nature intended.

[@brandonjohns376]

Do I have to condition my faucet water before I put it into the aquarium with the soil, sand, plants, and plant seeds?

[@jaqhass]

All soil, everywhere, is organic even if contaminated. "Organic" is a word that salespeople use because it sells and is technically not a lie.

[@sabine3769]

I love your house plants

[@sanketkillekar7158]

Thank you so much your video helped in planning my very first planted aquarium

[@nellygmclean9069]

Thank you for your great advice

[@Mikinct]

Or just connect an established filter that has biological bacteria to handle any Ammonia spikes along with plants ☘️ & small water changes.

[@billystanfield300]

can i use regular plant soil in my fish tank ? i have aqua soil and will probably make 2 layers

[@Karma_would_return]

Im sharing my review after almost 6 months of using garden soil mixed with organic soil and the plants in tank are running absolutely fantastic.... Big mug 🍺 🍺 🍻 cheers and thank you for saving the huge cost I would have wasted buying a branded soil that runs only for 2 years and then buy additional fertz. I agree with @jaqhass companies are using organic word shamelessly in everything ... Sugar less is expensive than sugar product. Organic is 4 times expensive than chemicals 😅.so they sell that as they know many of us are there who get sold by advertising such things

[@armandoa5468]

Chris, new subscriber thank you for saving me some money.

[@terrawilcox2911]

Okay so does the aquarium soil that they market as being better for your aquarium cause ammonia Just the same?

[@terra2468]

maybe it will better to treat the soil before with water changes for some weeks and then move to the aquarium?

[@rockyrodriguez1154]

Father fish is the best at this

[@petes3011]

beware potting soil usually contains peat and or bark so will leach tannins into your water. It will also want to "float" up through your and capping.. Air pockets not an issue to me.

[@SMELLYGAHH]

im making a brine shrimp jar and i wanted to make sure it will be safe for the shrimp now i know its safe i will add it to the saltwater jar

[@littlewigglemonster7691]

I just use garden soil

[@jl644]

dude it's suppose to be 1 inch potting soil and 2 to 2.5 inch sand for capping lol.

[@prasadanakapalli1089]

How many days the dirttank plants to settle and grow I put root tabs and adding liquid fertilizer also

[@brunkelashen5327]

starting my first dirt aquarium. will gravel over organic soil work? low/medium light plants. full spectrum light.

[@dodocheb]

Thanks

[@outlander271]

Loam based or fibre based compost?

[@baldeagle8500]

what is the difference between potting soil and pond soil ?

[@majorbruster5916]

Potting compost has more organic materials, minerals and trace elements, is not recommended for lime hating plants because of its acidic pH and only has enough nutrients for a 4 to 6 week growing period. After that you need to supplement heavily. The premise being, that once the plant roots have filled the pot, it's time for potting the plant on into a bigger pot. Pond soil has a different mix of nutrients, has a high clay content and little to no acidity.

[@bestJostar]

I just done aquascaping my 7 gallon tank with vermicompost so when can I add 1 Male betta fish in it?

[@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058]

Does it have to be an aquarium? what about a rubber stock tank? I've been listening to father fish on all what he said about using dirt & that's why I'm checking out what others have to say about it.

[@garysfishrooms]

just came over from your "Houseplant therapy" channel. How many different channels have you got that show your houseplants and aquariums?? - Thanks!

[@TheSwiftCreek2]

2nd channel, nice!

[@paradoxx_13__]

Can i mix carbon to with the soil???

[@kellycrowe3417]

Father Fish has additives to his soil like lime or peat moss to further the nutrient life of the soil. Once tank is established and plants have fully grown out, how long until the nutrients in the soil are depleted? Or does the constant cycle of fish poop, uneaten food, etc. are now the nutrients to sustain the plant roots?

[@Sorraiamustang]

Father fish has tanks that are at least 10 years old never swapped out the dirt and are thriving .

[@FinancialPains]

I messed up and my tank is full of Brown water lol. How long will it take to clear up? I have a sponge filter running.

[@user-ug4os5rb6t]

did it clear?

[@aidandalton7404]

Becomes anaerobic and toxic and the algae issues are a nightmare. Do not use organic compost in aquariums! Use of small amount of aquatic soil for water lillies or pond plants is much safer. But the proper manufactured soils are the best.

[@leesutton1845]

Can I do this with goldfish

[@musicdevotee2678]

Truth love it

[@charlieheatherley]

I like this idea....just a question about temperature. Obviously after a few months I'd like to add fish so should I start heating the aquarium from the word go?

[@Ceretrea]

Depends on the temperature preference of the plants you are using.

[@JoelBrown-cx9xl]

What kind sand you have Brand ?

[@PM-qp5he]

Wouldn't activated carbon help with the ammonia?

[@majorbruster5916]

No. AC does not absorb ammonia. Many people think it does, but this happens after it has been colonised by nitrifying bacteria when it technically becomes part of the biological filtration. AC is good at absorbing carbon compounds such as tannins because of the molecular charges (dipoles) present on the different ends of the molecules. That's why it is recommended for removing medications such as malachite green and methylene blue which are complex organic compounds.

[@kukukaka968]

go to your local pond get some duck weed and organizm in that pond to your aquarium

[@markcraven3842]

New subscriber here..Just got a 23 gallon tank. What kind of sand do I put on top of the potting soil? Thanks

[@francorosales3716]

Any sand I used black river sand and it works fine but fine sand is better

[@jonmanning7101]

Any type of sand works , I use play sand or general purpose sand because it's cheap and I like the look. Also I am using about triple the depth of the soil for sand depth

[@VS-q]

Pool filtration sand is already preached. All other sand wash thoroughly

[@willhedington6225]

Anybody know if I can germinate some dwarf hairgrass seeds with a (father fish) style sand cap to stop leaching?I want the grass to be kind of sturdy before I flood the tank. 129 gallon tank if that matters. In short is it pissible to have a carpeted, and capped tank if I have soil under the sand. Thanks whoever can answer. Ive watched dozens of videos, and google has nothing.

[@willhedington6225]

I feel like the sand will stop the germination from happening.

[@willparsons32]

@3:39 you begin to talk about ammonia in the aquarium after adding the dirt... Two things here; Firstly; I'm not going to argue this but by using a good grade (brand) of organic potting soil that has hardly any or no additives mixed in with the soil from its origin will have almost zero ammonia in it. Ammonia is a natural part of composition which dirt (of any kind/brand) has however, organic usually usually means it's a bit more prone to decomposition than regular soil does. Secondly; Thanks to our wonderful scientists at SEACHEM, we can immediately add fish into the dirted tank. Sometimes this is a step that cannot be delayed especially when there has been an crash in the chemistry of the water column to which we must act upon immediately. The scientist(s) at SEACHEM really really need a pat on the shoulder for creating PRIME. Without this magical serum, ALOT of aquariums wouldn't be what they are today. DISCLAIMER: I do not work for Seachem nor do I get paid to give mention of their name. I'm not one to add chemicals designed for Aquarium use but PRIME is one of which has spared me of MANY a frustration.

[@majorbruster5916]

Organic potting compost contains manure and mulches, which IME break down to produce ammonia and nitrogenous compounds. Some brands contain bat guano which is extremely rich in nitrogenous matter. So your case for organic potting compost is somewhat erroneous. But these are more bio-friendly than ordinary potting compost. The latter is also more acidic and contains perlite, which bulks out the volume and is superfluous in aquarium substrates. There are pros and cons to each one, but if you want to keep paying out for such an expensive product like Prime, then please go ahead.

[@cindypittman8776]

Can I use just regular dirt and moss growing on it?

[@aidandalton7404]

NO

[@Brando_w_a_bando]

what if the soil has “miracle-gro” ? is that bad or can i still use it as long as it’s organic ?

[@rdot980]

Miracle-gro makes an organic potting soil (black bag), but don't use the regular stuff.

[@Loja_das_Macroalgas]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@papascrumpeeh]

The aquarium subtrates are an absolute ripoff it's insane how expensive that trash is....

[@arkansasboy45]

No potting soil that has fertilizer in it should be used.

[@NEnigma777]

Sorry but I’m gonna go with Father Fish on this one and his biologist friend. You can add the fish right away. I’m so sick of all these KZbinrs who never took one college biology class coming on here and saying false things. I’m an astrophysics major, but I had to take plenty of chemistry and biology classes. Please stop this nonsense about the nitrate cycle and ammonia

[@Sorraiamustang]

He is so right about this , my tank did the air bubbles thing because I didn’t make it moist enough . Lots of plants is key . My dirted tank is going on 4 years and I can’t recommend it enough .

[@tiagomaia5173]

Does it have a filter or do the plants do all the filtering?

[@tomfromoz8527]

Nicely done mate, you are the first person to mention the ammonia problem and how to fix it, thankyou from the first fish to occupy the tank when it is done!

[@Splitleaf]

came from your other channel, as a plant person turning into a aquarium person (starting with walstad), pretty stoked you've expanded on this!

[@debrapetrovic499]

You must be following Father Fish, he's awesome and I'm just starting to set up a Father Fish natural Aquarium also ❤😊

[@tommycole24]

Yuuup

[@kukukaka968]

what confuses me is how will you plant plants without breaking the sand dirt barrier?

[@dreamforever3749]

You plant them in the sand part. The roots end up growing down into the soil on their own. :) * EDIT: A better ratio for dirt to sand is about 1 inch of dirt...2-2.5 inches sand. Thats what I do in mine anyways. Less likely the dirt is going to leak thru the sand.* Hope this helps :D

[@VS-q]

And also plant them when you added enough water just to cover substrate. Planting in a full tank is harder

[@railfe_]

Im unable to find that specific potting soil. Will PRO-MIX® Organic Vegetable and Herb Potting Mix work?

[@briandixon4931]

Make sure its no fertilizer in the organic. It should be fill the aquarium with plants and wood before adding the water then add floating plants .check father fish on imstant cycle aquarium add fish on day 2 not what this guy is saying 😂

[@billwalker775]

Can you clarify why you should do water changes while the tank is cycling? If you have a large filter with plenty of media for biofiltration shouldn't that build up enough BB to eventually consume all the ammonia and nitrite and start producing nitrates for the plants to work on? Thanks!

[@reaper22387]

Yes, you are correct

[@AricaLansford]

Dose it matter what kind of sand use

[@creecree4983]

personally, i would go with a pond soil mix or clay soil. might not go flying all over the place. Only issue i can't find an inexpensive pond soil mix, sadly they no longer supply soil i use for my pond, :(.

[@burakkanidagli9968]

Hi , soil also should help to lower the ph would you be able to let me know how low does ph go to and how long does it keep the ph low ?

[@DarrenMak-cu8jh]

what if adding potting soil on lowest bottom then following by mixing of biochar, worm castings and red burnt soil then sand and aquatic soil on top layer?

[@mursalmaqsudi1879]

I have a betta fish and I did this before knowing that I have to wait to add him back can you please help and my water also turned brown

[@SportCapperRD]

How about CO2 system for dirt planted aquarium?

[@MelS-ve9wd]

Thank you for your video, it was perfect for helping me set up a bonsai lotus fishbowl for my desk! I'm only planning on adding a couple of snails when it's ready, but it looks great and the lotus seedlings are loving it so far. Because it's very small, and I probably won't keep the setup for ages, so I'm trying layering organic paper coffee filter between about 1 1/2" of soil and 1/2" gravel at the top - so far, very little soil in the water column and a nice clear fishbowl!

[@luyahroz9313]

What about doing this to a cycled tank and reusing the cycled waster

[@othatdude30]

Yes, and the poop from the fish is good for the soil

[@basilbiscuit9817]

check the total amount of substrate he has in there. if you dont cap the dirt well enough you will constantly have problems with tannins. Also if the capping gets distured/penetrated you will have tannins and floaty debris clouding the water, although the fish don't seem to mind. I had no issues at any time with amonia and my plants had no issues with die back when planted.

[@JonahMendoza-k7p]

What kind of of sand

[@Charlseification]

Will loam soil will work too?

[@stephencraig8578]

Great video! Thx can a hob filter be used?

[@mcem17]

thank you very much

[@oqsy]

Is it rocket science?

[@danielsampaio2975]

Top👍

[@Keldren.]

where'd you get the sand tho? where'd that come from and what kind is it?

[@BassManStrikes]

Use hth pool filter sand, super cheap.

[@99Rayees]

​@@BassManStrikescan I use sand I collected from the beach?

[@alij9167]

I have seen videos on adding potting soil to substrate,in some tanks worm also appears. Has this happened to any one not baking the soil? And was it dangerous to fish?

[@francorosales3716]

I had worms in my dirted aquarium it's not a problem at all your bottom dwellers will eat it and baking the soil is fine minerals will be there but all the beneficial life will die

[@aidandalton7404]

Do not use this compost in an aquarium! It's toxic to fish. This guy is a liability.

[@papascrumpeeh]

​@@aidandalton7404nope

[@AsianAmericanGuy]

The last time i tried using dirt it causes the water in the tank to not clear up for days so I turned on my water filter to try and clear it up it destroyed my water filter releasing some kind of motor oil which happened to kill all 30 of my fish leaving my live plants and heater smelling like gas.

[@Alhabeeb43]

Sounds like you put the dirt in an already established tank.

[@AsianAmericanGuy]

@@Alhabeeb43 no i setup everything that same day and everything was brand new. No idea why but I crushed up the stratum fluval soil than poured water which caused the water to become muddy so i put up the water filter.

[@Alhabeeb43]

@@AsianAmericanGuy some people recommend capping your soil with sand to prevent the soil from leeching into the water. Hope everything is well now. There are pre filters available to prevent things from entering the filter btw 🙏

[@Alhabeeb43]

Also cycle the tank before adding fish. This step ensures that everything is ok before you add fish

[@AsianAmericanGuy]

@@Alhabeeb43 awww ok thanks i was planning to go to home depot tomorrow to get some lava rock and play sand to restart. I had to throw away everything besides the live plants and put it into a different tank. Currently the new tank is just a empty tank with 3 inches of soil where the live plants are growing for the past couple weeks. Instead of a water flow filter I replaced it for a sponge filter that has a air stone inside. How long should I wait for the tank to cycle.