WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER SETTING UP A DIRTED TANK

Have you recently set up a dirted tank and are unsure of what to expect next?
In this video I will go over everything you might expect in my experiences keeping dirted tanks the last 2 years.
If dirted tanks interest you check out my channel, I have many videos regarding this style of tank whether it’s setting one up or this one what to expect.
So please consider subscribing to my channel if you like what you see and I will share my journey with you in this crazy hobby of ours 😁👍
#dirtedtank #fish #fishroom #aquariumfun

[@FatherFish]

Excellent Patty. GREAT advice and technique.

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@FatherFish thank you sir! Just trying to do my part to help anyone with questions in this absolutely wonderful and crazy journey of natural tanks. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@FatherFish]

Hi Patty. Really good job. Keep it going. You are doing great!

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you so much Father Fish, Im trying to do my part to spread the word about my experiences with these tanks . I have learned a lot keeping them but listening and watching your passion for them encourages me even more. Thank you 🙏 Merry Christmas to and yours 😁👍

[@giba2951]

Great video! All my tanks are dirted and capped with sand. My personal experience which has been bullet proof so far and I’m talking no algae, no spikes in Nitrates, Nitrites, or ammonia is as follows. 1) more plants the better, I’m talking Dutch style aquascape. 2) I’ll do %20 water changes daily for the first week or two. And like you said just pay close attention to parameters. 3) keeping TDS 200-300 ppm and keeping PH below 7.5 4) clean up crew is vital, Siamese algae eaters, and Amano shrimp are a must. 5) I always start my light further from the tank, like 12” away. If it’s to close you will get algae over night! All my tanks look like over grown jungles which I prefer. All my tanks are no tech besides a light.

[@pattys_aquatics]

Wow that definitely sounds like a bullet proof plan😁 I like that! Definitely some good pointers to pass on to someone thank you for sharing. Thank you for watching 😁👍🙏

[@Wintersdark]

Yep. I don't go as bare bones for tech (I love my filters, air pumps, and heaters) but yeah I find a heavy sand cap and lots of plants are key. Between the two I never have spikes of ammonia or nitrites.

[@andrewskokan6372]

Amazing channel. I love how you go through these steps and/or issues step by step and are thorough. Very much appreciated and by far only channel on par with the legend Father Fish’s videos in terms of what you share. Please keep it up

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you that is very kind. I definitely love Father Fish and what he teaches, I’m in a preschool level of knowledge compared to him but my goal is to share what I have seen with my two eyes with experience and things I have researched. I appreciate the support it means a lot😁👍

[@PaulJohnson-rt4js]

Another great video Patty, thank you for sharing 🎉

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you very much 🙏😁👍

[@janemarriott3389]

Patty! Thank you so much! More, please 😜

[@pattys_aquatics]

You’re very welcome and thank you for watching🙏. Next week will be about feeding fish in these tanks so stay tuned 😁👍

[@thelittlethingsinlife239]

Great video Patty, and good advice around floating plants 🙂

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you😁 Yes I find floating plants to be very beneficial not just for dirted tanks but all aquariums. Thank you so much for watching 🙏👍

[@bigfishlad4847]

Great informative video again Patty 👍💯

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thanks Paul🙏 Much appreciated 😁👍

[@anthonybradd5070]

Great content! I like to add plants to the top of newly set up aquariums, like a big clump of crab grass or strawberries plants and vines. I do this to combat spikes until the tanks can sustain themselves, I remove the grass once my aquatic plants take off so they arent starved.

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you very much! Great tips and agree completely. Strawberry plants are an interesting idea, I like that. Thank you for sharing and thank you for watching 😁👍

[@stubbsaquatics6080]

Great job... I really need to get tests kits when I change tanks over to dirted. I haven't used test kits in years and years . I have always just let the fish tell me but your way is safer Grrrr algae ... It's weird how some tanks have algae issues and others minimal. Blue green 👃 Merry Christmas buddy Full view as always!!!

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thanks Chris, test kits can come in very handy but truth be told I don’t use them often. After setting up all these dirted tanks this summer I used them a lot but after the tanks stabilize I typically do what you said let the fish tell you. They are nice to have on hand as a safety net though Yeah with algae I think every tank can have different nutrient levels with different plants and my lights cause a lot of it as well. The blue green algae is annoying but easy to get rid of. Actually documenting the process now for a future video . Merry Christmas Chris and as always thank you for the full view and continued support 😁🙏

[@andreavalentine4609]

Once these tanks work out their kinks they are incredible. They will reward your patience. They are by far my most beautiful tanks but you HAVE to really cottle it in the beginning. After that....pure gold.

[@pattys_aquatics]

I agree with everything you said😁 Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@BM_knockout]

Thank you this helped out !!

[@pattys_aquatics]

I’m glad, when I first set mine up I had no idea what to expect or if anything was “normal” so I wanted to help anyone out with this video that might be in the same situation as I was. Thank you for sharing and watching 👍😁

[@pelhamsaquatics]

I keep teetering back-and-forth as to whether or not I should set up a dirt tank, every time I watch one of your videos Patty about dirt tanks. It makes me want to start one.😅 I might just do that, be a good experience and now that I’m starting to ease my way into live plants, I think it would be a lot of fun. Thank you so much my friend and happy holidays to you and your family and have a wonderful weekend.🙂👍🏻⭐️🎄

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you Jeff, it definitely can be an awesome and rewarding experience and yes the plants love them 😁 Thanks for watching and Merry Christmas to you and your family as well 😁🙏👍

[@casey1204]

A dirted, balanced tank will be the healthiest, lowest maintenance tank you have ever had. Give it a try!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@casey1204 couldn’t agree more 😁

[@TarasTankFriends]

Really great video on what to expect when dirted tanks are settling in. Makes sense with the algae, but I had no idea you'd have to burp the substrate 😂. That angel at 6:55 is stunning 😍! Merry Christmas to you and your family 🎄🙂👍

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thanks Tara🙏 it doesn’t always happen that big( the burping) sometimes it just has bubbles getting released from the soil. So you could say it also passes gas😂 That angel is my female in my breeding pair. Definitely a looker, thank you. Thank you for watching and Merry Christmas to you and your family as well😁👍

[@mickeysr5817]

Great video Detroit 😊

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you so much 🙏 Thank you for watching 😁👍

[@casey1204]

Frogbit and anacaris will help keep the algae from starting up. Put a couple of platys in the tank and they will eat the algae nonstop. I add a few fish the day after the tank is set up too, I just don't feed them for a few days. The tank will catch up with the bioload and you can add a few more every week.

[@pattys_aquatics]

Awesome, great tips I appreciate it. I’m not familiar with Anacaris I will have to check that one out. Thank you for watching and sharing 😁👍

[@bipolaraquatics]

great info

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you 🙏 It’s much appreciated 😁🙏

[@CamsAquatics]

Great video. Happy holidays

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you very much I appreciate it and Happy Holidays to you as well 😁🙏👍

[@aquariumdelirium]

Great info Patty The only problem I’ve had is trapped wind 😂 No seriously the first one i didn’t properly soak the mud thoroughly enough Great video buddy

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thanks Mal and I have that trapped wind problem as well😂 I just felt there is a lot of info on how to set these tanks up but not what happens after. Appreciate your support as always my friend and thanks for watching 🙏😁

[@Funnyworld2023-Lk]

very nice.

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you very much 🙏 it’s greatly appreciated and thank you for watching 😁👍

[@adamlasch3966]

I never used to put any leaf litter or botanicals in my new dirted setups, and would end up with the normal algae situation as time went along. Since Ive started adding quite a bit of leaf litter (oak leaves, small twigs, acorn caps) my tanks no longer go through the algae phase like they used to. I believe this is because dead leaves are very high in carbon, and are helping balance out any nitrogen from the soil, or fish waste. Also provides a slow release food source for the microorganisms, and becomes the basis for a food web.

[@pattys_aquatics]

That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing and I planned on diving into the food web a lot more here soon but what you said makes a lot of sense. Great info 👍 Thanks for watching 🙏😁

[@adamlasch3966]

@pattys_aquatics Try laying a few leaves on top of that cyanobateria spot as a little experiment. See what happens. Keep up the great work!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@adamlasch3966 it’s pretty much gone already. But definitely something I would try in the future. Thank you and I appreciate it 😁👍

[@TheSalient1]

Great video buddy !

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you

[@teetowwelds8251]

I start all my aquariums with RO water , i grow pearlweed and hydrocotyle tripartita japan in grow out tanks , I encourage green hair algae to grow in them because this is a fast growing algae. Whenever I set up a new aquarium and I see algae growing on the plants , I then use the pearlweed with all the green hair algae on it and float it on the aquarium that’s getting algae, the pearlweed and hair algae grow fast and gets rid of the algae on the plants below having the algae problem. The floating pearlweed also temporary gives shade to the areas with more algae, cuts off direct light. Pearlweed and green hair algae grow so fast when it’s at the surface of the water right beneath the leds,

[@pattys_aquatics]

Wow that is an awesome idea. I do have pearl weed and may just try this. Great tip thank you so much for sharing and thank you for watching 🙏😁👍

[@AI.planet]

Good video. New subscriber here from Aquafinity. 👍

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you very much and thank for the support 😁🙏 I put out new videos every Friday so stay tuned and thanks again 😁👍

[@Gilsfishroom]

I mineralised my soil by soaking, then air drying several times. This allows enzymes to remove the organics from the soil. I found that there was very ammonia released compared to soil that had not had this treatment.

[@pattys_aquatics]

Interesting… that sounds like that is a very good way to do it to prevent ammonia spikes in the beginning. Very cool Gil , thanks so much for sharing and thank you for watching 😁👍

[@sherlockbonez]

When you fish pads in the summer, you can see the lake burp like that all the time.

[@pattys_aquatics]

Absolutely, that’s an awesome point! Thanks for sharing and thank you for watching 😁🙏

[@DashDrones]

You need more plants in that new tank! Then you never have to worry about nitrates or nitrites👍never done a water change in any of my tanks🙏

[@pattys_aquatics]

Yeah I know, I had limited plants when I set thiat one up. I have a bunch of octopus plants floating in there now, debating whether to plant it or not. Have some new potential plants coming soon and don’t want to overload it with the same plant. Plus I love seeing how much they grow in 😁 I do water changes in my tanks but more like once every two to three months, not because of nitrates or anything but I just feel it’s good for the water exchange occasionally for the plants. Just what I do. Thank you very much for watching and the support 🙏😁👍

[@DashDrones]

@@pattys_aquatics thanks dude, happy holidays

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@DashDrones Happy Holidays to you as well 😁👍

[@FishmanEricRussell]

Hey Patty! I am very interested in seeing how this goes with a fish that needs so much food.

[@FishmanEricRussell]

The tanks are looking great by the way

[@pattys_aquatics]

I believe it should be fine . I only feed him once every 3-4 days but definitely will keep everyone updated. Thank you for watching I appreciate it🙏😁👍

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@FishmanEricRussell Thank you 🙏 😁

[@GCaquatics]

Hahaha ive had a gas bubble once or twice myself. What benefits do you get from dirted to just like sand?

[@pattys_aquatics]

lol I hear you with the gas bubbles Well first and foremost plant growth. There are soooo many nutrients in the soil and plants go nuts with it. I could get good plant growth from just sand and gravel in the past but for me anyway my growth rates are a lot more with dirt. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@kpocala1061]

How deep are you planting your plants. Are you pushing the roots into the dirt or just under the sand. We're getting ready to start a dirted tank. Great video thanks

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you, I only plant them about an inch or so into the sand. I don’t put them directly into the dirt. The roots will find there way to the dirt one and two the dirt could possibly be very active with ammonia and is a possibility to burn the roots of the plants. So that’s why I like to give it time by planting them just about an inch into the cap. Thanks for watching and if you have any other questions feel free to ask 😁👍

[@kpocala1061]

Thank You

[@kimyork6774]

Great job! Mine has killed 4 fish so I am not so lucky. What do you do with your ph. I know that FF says don't worry about it but mine is really high and everything else is normal. At this point I have no fish in it because I don't want them to be killed. Any advice would be great.

[@pattys_aquatics]

Thank you very much! I’m sorry about the loss of your fish ☹️ I honestly don’t do anything with my ph. I don’t even check it to be honest. If you know it’s your ph and nothing with the nitrogen cycle as far as Ammonia or Nitrites I know adding driftwood, peat moss and Indian almond leaves are great ways to naturally lower ph. Otherwise I would try slowly adjusting them to it. Like drip acclimation or if you have another tank add some of that tank water in gradually a couple times a day. These are just ideas off the top of my head. How long has it been set up? Hope any of this helps😁

[@kimyork6774]

@@pattys_aquatics I have the driftwood which hasn't done anything but I will try an Indian almond leaf. I think FF sells them or do the drip method when add fish to it. Thanks for the quick reply!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@kimyork6774 no problem, let me know how it goes. Otherwise maybe I can help figure something else out that will work 😁👍

[@adityaghosh2539]

The pufferfish just sleeps

[@pattys_aquatics]

No, it’s actually the most active fish I have . Always swimming around begging for food

[@ALvatar3]

How long do you have the lights on for?

[@pattys_aquatics]

10 hours, I use to have them on over 12 hours because it was easier for me for when I would be working or feeding in my fishroom but with that much light I obviously was getting more algae so I cut it down. 10 hours has been doing good for me. 😁👍

[@Outside-InAquatics]

Do you notice a difference with a bigger tank compared to a smaller tank when setting up a dirted tank?

[@pattys_aquatics]

Honestly none at all. Exact same so far in my experience. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@NamelessNancy1312]

the puffer looking fish what is that?

[@pattys_aquatics]

That is my Fahaka Puffer “Puff Daddy”. Absolutely love that fish😁 Thank you for watching 👍