Why I Don't Use Dirt In My Fish Tanks...

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[@AQUAPROS]

Who's got a dirted tank??? Setting up a small one next week :) Get some seriously LEGIT. Fish Food ➡ geni.us/shopLEGIT

[@rafaelgonzalez4175]

I have three dirted tanks. a 125 a 75 and a 55. All are made of the same mix. The earth from my back yard and the sand from a few feet down. I have the strangest mindset. I would rather not pay for it. Too many laws around to tell me not to go to the park and take the roots of a turned over tree. Or not to go to the beach and remove the sand for my use. Capitalism. The wealthy know how to make you pay for it. I simply dig. My best three tanks. little over 3 inches of dirt sand and gravel. The Plants were doing well until my cichids ate them up. Now the plants are away from the fish behind the built in. My 55 has no plants but the bottom is the same. HOB filters run that and water is always pristine now. It took quite some time to get the parameters balanced. Fish had to be added slowly. Thankfully my 125 is stocked with Convict Cichlids. They just keep breeding. The 75 also has A Garden variety snake plant in the built in. Took a long time to settle and make an aquarium capable plant out of it. That 75 is my Silver Dollar community tank.

[@streettrash4220]

I ❤ dirt.

[@-EJ00]

I have a 40g dirted with sand cap. Use the media bags, then cap over them. Keeps everything out of the water column if you need to replant.

[@streettrash4220]

@@-EJ00 I’ve done this too . Media bags work great! Also I’ve had good results using a mix of 50% soil, 25% bentonite clay, 10% coarse paver sand, 10% crushed lava rock, and 5% worm castings. I sifted out all the wood chunks and random junk from the soil, then premix everything with a bit of water so it’s got a thick, pasty consistency. The clay helps keep everything stuck together so it doesn’t want to float up as much when planting. Use about 3/4”-1” of this with around a 2” sand cap.

[@TalisaAquarist]

I like using aqua soil and capping it off with sand, it’s more expensive than using potting soil but it’s much cleaner and easier to use! The plants love it and my tanks are thriving! You’re tanks look amazing! 🤩

[@FatherFish]

The last 7 years have seen an explosion of research in dirted tanks. All of the problems that frustrated you and other Walstad followers have been resolved. This is as close to bullet proof as it is possible to get. Hundreds of folks are experiencing the joy of fish keeping with this system. I challenge you to set up a tank acoording to the system we are teaching and compare it with your absolute best tank.

[@steefan2248]

Hey, FatherFish. I thought of you while watching your videos. Years ago (before Subscribing to your channel) I used a very similar method to your's by "bringing nature indoors". That tank was bulletproof, low tech, low maintenance and lasted for YEARS. Then I wondered why every "sanitary" pebble substrate tank I started was unstable and eventually fail. You got me back on track by realizing what I was doing originally that made it work, also I learned countless other tips from you.

[@ozpinoy]

Been in W.A where we have strict biodiversity laws. I chose to go mostly native. Followed your method FatherFish, I filled buckets with local river mud and hard scapes. Went through so much quarantine laws just to import Smaragdinas from Franksbetas. Been running over 2 years and I’m planning to have a 10 gallon long in my office. The single best advice was to leave it alone, and trust nature.

[@dimitrijekrstic7567]

​@@ozpinoynice! Hope it turned out the way you wanted it to, and boy are those betta smaragdina wonderful looking fish!

[@piercemccauley7079]

I have all of my tanks dirted and capped. I legit use the cheapest topsoil you can get and I have no problems at all

[@sebastianflores848]

I am biased I prefer natural aquariums over high tech manicured aquascapes. I experimented with the Father Fish method and mixed cow manure, with organic potting soil and peat moss and capped it with 2 inches of sand. so far I haven't had any problems with my tank it has been running for 8 months now. My plants are growing well and if you want a long term aquarium for the health of the fish and plants then a natural aquarium is a good option.

[@Arcadianx98]

Same

[@sbtw.zombie1798]

I love father fish

[@cottoncandyboigacha7052]

Did you wash the dirt before hand? If so how much?

[@wakomikro]

That's what I want. Fully self contained (what it can be) eco system in the tank. That's my dream. Tons of pants. Could I add leaves if I boil them?

[@Carolina-ql1kn]

What do you do when the soil runs out of nutrients? Use root tabs?

[@benserko]

He starts actually getting into the cons of a dirt tank at 11:00

[@Starkness1]

Tip for the rooting out og plants, use a panty hose to put the dirt in and them place it in the tank pat it down and then put your substrate ontop of that, later when you want to pull a plant the dirty will not come out much. Also do no worry the plant roots will easily find it's way to the dirt through the panty hose once planted into the substrate.

[@letsgonow5641]

Right lol dude can talk lol..

[@fernandacappucci8412]

Half of the complaints are that water sometimes get cloudy lmao

[@ronannezlev2276]

Aha, that’s helpful

[@RicoHarding]

Thank god! Monetizing videos def keeps the youtubers talk forever

[@bobs5596]

here's what i do, best of both worlds. i plant in clay flowerpots with dirt capped with sand/gravel! they get partially buried in the tank's gravel, no soil layer there. the plants grow terrifically, and i can move them about like plants on a windowsill, with no mess from disturbing gravel since there is no dirt. the plants still send down runners and carpet the tank, but those are stunted by the shallow gravel layer, and stay short which is desirable. use 6'' deep pots and give sword plants deep soil to grow big.

[@MacTX]

Any planted tank eventually becomes a dirted tank given enough time. I have a planted tank that's been up for 4 yrs that has basically converted itself into a dirted tank even though it wasn't setup as one. There's a 2 inch layer of organic matter that has settled to the bottom over time that the root plants have tapped into. Their growth started taking off a couple years back and I couldn't figure out why until the dirt layer got large enough for me to see against the glass.

[@OceanLife6977]

Hey, went to your channel to see if you have any videos. You should make one so to see your tank! Subbed!

[@MacTX]

@@OceanLife6977 Thanks, I did a long time ago for both my freshwater and saltwater tanks but KZbin kept changing their rules, and the last time time they changed it, years back, I stopped posting videos and private them all because there was language in their TOS that I didn't like, including their ability to delete my account for something others did, like comments left on one of my videos.

[@OceanLife6977]

@@MacTX Wow! Frustrating to say the least! I am doing as much research as I can to achieve an aquarium with the perimeters like yours, and this KZbinr to where we left our comments. I saw your own comments interesting and would have loved to have seen a video, but I definitely understand your point about posting. Anyway, tank on!

[@MattyP650]

@@MacTXyou have autism bro

[@Aiken47]

I found the same thing with substrate that isn’t vacuumed, those tanks did so well

[@jacquejecker4435]

One BIG suggestion, KZbin "Father Fish". If you follow his recommendation for setting up a dirted tank, NONE of those negatives yo mention will be a problem. Basic rules are one inch of soil, two inches of rinsed play sand, add certain items to the dirt to help it through the first year, which he spells out, plant it the first day. Add a few fish the Second day, increase a few at a time a week or so apart, NO water changes, only replenish for evaporation, NO external or power filters, only a sponge filter and maybe another bubbler in the opposite corner just to add water movement. I am in the 4th month of my new tank and the only problem I had was tannin's from a large root ball I added, which gave the water a light tan hue. It has been crystal clear from day 1, well, maybe day 2. It was just a bit cloudy right after I filled it the first day. Father Fish's oldest continuous dirted tank that is 23 years old. He had a very successful store in Florida for many years until the government severely shut down on imported pets. He had to close up and move to Maryland a couple years ago. He continued his plant and substrate store after the move and is only now getting back into stocking fish in his new small warehouse. So if you have not heard of him, check him out. Even if you don't try his method you will probably still learn something from him. We never stop learning. PS, another PRIME point. Only feed the fish once or twice a week and then only a very small amount of food. Over feeding is a prime cause of foul water.

[@ethanvarnell6190]

I just stumbled on father fish today blew my mind I’m getting me an aquarium asap

[@sendit7777]

I just started reptiles. Then to springtails and isopods. Then started learning about aquariums by accident. Found father fish and have a 2 month old dirted tank now. It does make you feel alot more connected to nature.

[@CatFish107]

Love to have houseplants that I can't forget to water. Isopods are pretty neat too.

[@dimitrijekrstic7567]

Heck yeah brother. Very cool

[@zackmorisco1854]

I have switch to dirt tanks after 20 years. Basically no more water changes. From 50% once a week to maybe 20% every 6months. Make sure you have enough sand to top it off so it won't leak in to the water. And alot of plants. Wish I could post some fotos. Good luck yall

[@lalystar4230]

that's the main benefit of a planted tank for sure. I haven't done any water changes in 2 years, however, I have had to top up the tank pretty regularly (about 2 liters every 1-2 weeks), but then it's an open top with a couple of monsteras and herbs growing out of the tank haha.

[@CatFish107]

​@lalystar4230 LOL. There's not much more, beyond heating, that you could do to increase evaporation. Aquaponic monstera ftw.

[@lalystar4230]

oh.. i do heat my tank as well.. so there's that too hahahhaha xD

[@lindamorgan2993]

At 7.00 there is a tank in the background that has growing what looks like small trees. Or maybe like heads of broccoli. What is that plant?

[@IdratherbeinHobbiton]

I'm so glad I read your comment (about covering with sand) as I've been wondering if that would work. (That's the look I want to go for). I'm wanting to do a planted betta tank, my first time ever doing a planted tank so I'm trying to do my research first!

[@faceshredder2576]

I have a dirted tank capped with sand and have had it for a few years now and it’s my best tank. I used my garden soil from my raised bed and pool sand🤷🏻‍♀️ I actually call it my “mother tank” that’s where I get all my plant clones from. I actually have no filter on this tank just an air stone. That aquatic soil is ass and runs out of nutrients fast like less than a year FAST. The dirt releases gases essential for the plants by cleaning the water of nutrients and exchange that for oxygen and essential for the fish from the oxygen return from the plants I’ve tried other methods as well but Leme tell you the walstad method is the best and I will not change anything haha for dirted tanks to work well you need at least two inches of sand capping that soil and YOU NEED plants to the point you think you’re over stocking plants

[@dennisvanopstal7360]

I never understand why people are worried about anaerobic areas in the tank. The gasses indeed dont dissolve in the water that easily. And its the place where anaerobic bacteria live and break down nitrates to nitrogen. To get a full nitrogen cycle you need that right.

[@lalystar4230]

if the gass bubbles up, unless it's being diffused like you do with a CO2 diffuser, it's very unlikely the gasses will dissolve in any significant amount, during the time they take to go through the water and out the surface xD

[@RoyalMetal9]

1 inch of dirt maximum with at least a two inch minimum sand cap. No dirt will leach out if water is added very carefully without disturbing the sand cap. Plant heavily. Add a handful dry leaves every few months. I have several tanks like this. No root tabs needed ever.

[@Prairiefish64]

Thank you. I really appreciate hearing pros and cons of everything and you really gave some help with that. I will continue to consider doing a dirt tank but it has helped me understand how to better prepare for some of the cons. Keep up the good work.

[@BarityOne]

Have you considered doing side by side test tanks and making a series on it? It would be awesome. E.g. soil vs active vs sand only vs gravel. Being you are an actual scientist, it would be legit lol.

[@MattyP650]

There is no comparison, anyone who has been growing demanding plants knows.

[@BarityOne]

@@MattyP650 You missed the point. The series would cover many topics. E.g. Subtrate, plant species, ferts, food, filters, etc etc... like a battle series.

[@racialslurry]

There are other youtubers that have done comparisons between dirted+sand cap vs. active aquasoil. Results look fairly comparable between them.

[@carravagio16]

when you decide to do another dirted tank maybe you could only dirt half of it, plant the same plants on each side so then you can get an experiment going using the same light / water/ and such. just a thought. happy new year

[@ChadGardenSinLA]

This video reminds me of soil vs LECA/semiHydro. It all depends what we're trying to accomplish with our setups and our own husbandry. Thanks for sharing the soilless options.

[@assiahinarkansas]

Excited to see your fishroom evolve! Most of my tanks are dirted, but not all. They are all so different, I've got em ranging from deep substrate to bare bottom. I enjoy the variety. And thank you, I am happy with the Legit food. Fish, frogs, shrimp, and snails are all going for it.

[@sjfarrell2.03]

I switched from all aquasoil to a combination of aquatic compost at the back of the tank and aquasoil at the front. All capped off with fine gravel. The plant growth has been better and my bank balance is healthier. I don't plan on removing any of the plants at the back so never have the issue of cloudy water and doing a trim at the front doesn't cause problems as its aquasoil.

[@gallardo20000]

I think dirted tanks are best suited for plants you never plan on replanting; crypt only tank would be an excellent example of this and they come in a ton of color variations which would make it a viable choice.

[@fayded.]

Crypts are awesome. Just pick out the dead leaves and new ones will grow right back. Super low maintenance plant

[@kento7899]

Dude, I just had the biggest scare of my life the other week. I had just set up a 20G long and put a thin layer of soil at the bottom, capped that with some medium gravel and topped that with sand. I was sitting on the couch watching TV and heard the LOUDEST roaring splashing sound. I spun around looking towards the tank and saw these huge baseball sized bubbles bursting out of the substrate. In that first instant I was certain the tank had a catastrophic failure and water was gushing out on the floor. I ran over in a panic, looked around and the tank was fine. No water leaks. Once I got my heart restarted I concluded it must have been built up gas from the soil. Don't ask me how that much gas built up and released all at once like a volcano. There was sand all over the filter and plants and hardscape but surprisingly no soil escaped. Never experienced something like that before. Anyhoo, you ain't kidding about gas buildup. It's happened again but now I know what's happening.

[@AQUAPROS]

thats wild.... what soil were you using???? how much roughly???

[@snra2374]

Its important to put water in dirt soil to make it mud before capping it with sand! Maybe you put sand directly on dirt without making it mud!

[@kento7899]

@@AQUAPROS Miracle Gro potting mix. Nothing fancy, but it does say "feeds for three months." I soaked it in a bucket first and added maybe a half inch or so.

[@BiGenXGardener]

did you wet it first? like if you make it into a mud, let it sit as a mud for at least 2 hrs (24 hrs is idea), then cap it, it should prevent that

[@EuroGupper]

​@@AQUAPROS Any natural (potting) plant fertilizer capped with a thick sand substrate will cause gas to buildup. It's pretty cool seeing the bubble escape. But soil is messy, I just use sand as well. It takes a bit longer to age and become enriched, but when I want to do maintenance or start a new aquarium I can use the sand again

[@Banchetph]

I built my tank that I have had for 7 years based off of your dirt method. I even used the mess sacks full of lava rock. Soil is going great. The crypts love it.

[@mr.tallow6606]

Never had those issues with my dirted tank. It is not only about the tank set-up itself. You need the right amount and variety of its inhabitants. Shrimps, snails, few ottos and corydoras added to your other favorit fish is the key. They are my dream team for every healthy eco-system. Feeding them once a week with fresh garlic keeps the good bacteria alive and parasites in bay. I never change water only add when it evaporates.

[@JimEJG]

Do you mind if I ask how you introduce the garlic? Is it whole or crushed..??

[@mr.tallow6606]

@@JimEJG Hi there! My fishes are small so I grind a small fresh garlic and mix it with some other food. I saw garlic juice in stores for aquariums but I assume a fresh one is better. The garlic smell will disappear within a day or so. Have a nice day!

[@GraphixGlitch]

Thanks for the great video! Only one out of my 14 tanks right now is a dirted tank. Mainly did it a few months ago just to experience and compare results with other builds. Cheers!

[@macsarcule]

Incredibly helpful. I’ve had planted aquariums on and off for 30 years, and was considering starting a dirted, planted tank. The clean-out of extra plants has been in my mind. I imagined it would pull up the soil and your video confirmed that. The biggest proponents of the dirted tanks on KZbin aren’t sharing this huge drawback to a planted tank. I’ve never had a planted tank that didn’t need thinning and discarding of plants every few months. Vallisneria and others fill so quickly, they have to be thinned. Excellent pro/con video. 🙂👍

[@CatFish107]

Oh yeah, jungle Val does need to actually be thinned. I enjoy the thick jungle look, with many hiding spots, so I usually only prune and trim. But the floaters and jungle Val do get yanked from time to time. I have had great success growing in gravel with broken up houseplant spikes as root tabs.

[@richardshen6404]

Yup, I agree with you I use coarse sand and have had good plant growth with no issues and worst comes to worst redoing the scape doesn't make a big mess because the coarse sand just settles down 🥳

[@aquahobby1982]

❤❤❤❤ what a beautiful video 🤗🤗 the same reason I gave up using substrate all together is simply because it's too much work while rescaping . Any plant uproot and my tank is the murkiest ditch I ever noticed..... now a days i just prefer to use hardscapes and epiphytes attachedbto it.. with co2 in almost no time they fill up the tank. I do save quite an amount of money here as well as i dont have to purchase substrate

[@OceanLife6977]

Love this video man! I went through the same and I am now trying your particular setup. That’s how I found your video since I am doing more research. Subbed!!

[@MDFishTanks]

This has literally made me want to do a dirted tank again 😂😂 The tank in the first clips and with all the s.repens is what made me try it about 3 years ago as well

[@AQUAPROS]

My dude! Lets both get on it!

[@johnjwedrall4290]

I really love that sanded tank with the dead tree. Awesome ‼️

[@danielcaridad2425]

This is crazy for me. I set up my first PLANTED and DIRTED aquarium ever less than 3 months ago. I have experienced literally EVERYTHING you mentioned on the video in a period of just about 2 months since I set up the tank. The rearranging, the gass bubbles, the balance, the plant growth, the gravel cap, the tanned water, and the SUPER PAINFUL gravel cleaning after I took the soil out of the tank (yeah, luckily the gravel can be washed, but it was a horrible and hard experience and even after al the work the gravel is still not entirely clean). Basically every single thing you mentioned was the stuff I concluded from this small gap of time 😅 and it seems I wasn't so far from the truth. Great video! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

[@sebastianflores848]

I used sand to cap my soil and so far my tank has been set up for 8 months with no problems.

[@danielcaridad2425]

@@sebastianflores848 don't get me wrong, I didn't have a single problem with the tank while it was dirted, it was always really healthy and balanced. It's just that it's not the most practical thing depending on what you want to do with the aquarium. I loved doing the dirted thing!

[@andrescastaneda5362]

@@sebastianflores848I did mine with dirt and added sand 3 times the amount of dirt. That much of sand won’t let any dirt mix with your water ever.

[@yurigaming4068]

If you have problems you must have done it wrong.

[@discordiacreates6669]

Great video and yes, all excellent points and I'd like to add that dirted tanks really are not for aquascaping, due to the problems you mentioned with rearranging and pruning, they're actually far better suited for jungle style aquariums in my experience since those are much more wild and plants may be trimmed down but are rarely fully removed in that kind of setup. Keeping that in mind and never forgetting to presoak soil before capping and filling the tank should save a lotta people a headache later down the line. I'm currently primarily using the dirted tank method because it is a bit cheaper and you can get more plant growth early on when done right, though I do feel like long term growth levels out with sand or gravel only tanks so it's really more personal preference imo, but yeah... If you're an aqascaper then you might wanna stay away from dirted tanks not because they're bad or inherently wrong, but simply because rearranging or replanting things is extremely messy and I won't lie about that, I've instead decided to focus on slow growing plants or a monoculture carpet if I can get anything to carpet without CO2 so that I don't have to worry about keeping plants to their designated areas so much. Good luck with any new dirted tank project btw, it's true they are super fun and a great learning experience, but they do tend to start out looking like a dusturbed pond lol Question btw, in the tank with the neon tetras and rummynose tetras, there's a nice little group of bright green plants in the front right corner of the tank with long, thin, toothed leaves that almost looks like a tiny version of a terrestial fern, name please? I don't recognize it and would love to look up their availability and care requirements as they look super neat and have a unique texture for an aquatic plant. Also I guess I have two questions because I'd also like to know if they're in a larger tank because they get big or grow more aggressively or they're relatively small and it's just an aesthetic choice, because depending on care requirements and size I'm getting a nano tank idea from looking at them ^^'. Ty for any responses

[@markfranklin8831]

What a awesome video about the pros and cons of a dirted tank. Im still on the fence but diffitley leaning towards a dirted tank in the future. Thanks for sharing

[@AQUAPROS]

do it! they're fun :)

[@RampartPh]

i just use a regular garden soil capped w/ gravel and so far so good. but i do process it a bit by washing it over and over again w/ water in a bucket until i'm left w/ the fine stuff.

[@gsellis]

I have tried a UG filter driven by my canister filter and a bubbler head. At 1 year, it suffered from soil compaction causing a backflow issue. I then probed the base to loosen it back up. Biggest problem has been the black beard algae. Oh, and Purigen in your canister gets rid of brown water faster than you would believe.

[@DPac9]

ADA, Tropica and all other aquatic companies will be very thankful for your valuable perspective on dirtied tank. Hopefully this attempt will get more customers buying their active soil products! 👏🏼

[@matthew_thefallen]

The problem with soil is that people tend to plop a great quantity of it without sifting it. You just need a tiny amount of it under where you want to plant your plants. At least this is what I saw doing from those who do it without any dirty water issues.

[@SwissFrogGuy]

I find this absolutely fascinating. Thanks a lot for this really great video!

[@rowanwhite3520]

I just put an inch layer of sand with no plants in the substrate and have lots of wood with epiphytic plants on the wood. Sooo... much easier to maintain and looks amazing. Love your videos!

[@neutronshiva2498]

Thats a good way of doing it!

[@tierneylogan5943]

That is the direction i am going in too. It looks amazing and sooooo much less stressful

[@rossallen738]

One thing that I saw on a couple videos was putting high nutrient soils in bags. I put soil into panty hose and then capped with fine sand. Theoretically, the soil shouldnt be able to come out and get into the water column, but the plant roots should be able to access the nutrients. My tank is only 3 weeks or so into its life but it seems to be progressing decently.

[@0action847]

I recently started aqua scaping but i have had bonsai for many years. I bought a bag of aqua soil and realised it is just a fried clay, like Akadama from my bonsai soil mix. Then i read that Takashi Amano used akadama in his early tanks. So i set up a akadama tank and it's going amazing, a lot cheaper than aquasoil.

[@0action847]

i have my suspicions that ADA just remarketed akadama into a more expensive product.

[@Orwellian-Purple-Grapes-1984]

Where I am, Akadama is pretty expensive. Kitty litter is cheaper.

[@benwilliams3539]

Need to add fertz though yeah? Those fired clays wouldn't have any of their own I'm guessing?

[@0action847]

@@benwilliams3539 yep you need to add it but akadama pretty much soaks up fertilize and make it available to the plants.

[@0action847]

@@benwilliams3539 also you need to start fertilizing aqua soil after about a month anyway.

[@zacharnold6350]

I just got my order of LEGIT fish food my fish love it an Mike u give me stickers an a Autograph sticker Buy you and I've never been so happy in my life. Thanks for bringing me all that joy.

[@AQUAPROS]

Zach, you rock! Merry Christmas dude

[@strangerthings88]

@@AQUAPROS why is there whey in your fish food?

[@hugoalvord2779]

As someone who really likes the idea of dieted tanks but doesn’t have a ton of experience, it’s interesting to me to see someone’s perspective who doesn’t prefer that method. Thanks for sharing!

[@Richiko06]

Aww those guppies and the other fishies ❤ they are just so cute 💙🩵😍😍😍😍😍

[@lj4160]

Love the look of the moss in the tank you’re showing in this video. How do you attach it? Why does it look so beautiful and green? Do you fertilize the water column?

[@keyahsblair]

Alllll of your IDK's father fish actually has an answer for! He's tried and tested the dirted aquarium for over 30yrs. He has a 22yr old tank

[@sarahwoodring5587]

I think a lot of folks go through their Dirted Tank Era early in their hobby, then come out the other side realizing that it's a lot of work and mess for something you can do easier with fertilizers or aquarium-specific substrates. It's a cool experiment, but I decided it was more trouble than it was worth in the long term.

[@fatturtleking]

@@madji6886 i dont think you're shadowbanned lmao

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

I would argue that "long term" is an advantage of dirted tanks. Short term tanks, such as what youtube aquascapers tend to do, remodel, or tear down when they get tired of it, work better with the baked clay, regular fertilization and subsequent water changes to remove excess fertilizer (also removes allelochemicals secreted by plants) that high tech'ers tend to do. It's a synthetic set up that allows maximum design options. Most people are not THAT into aquascaping, are less likely to regularly alter their set ups, and are less likely to be willing to do constant tank maintenance. The low tech dirted option is for those people, including myself, who have no interest in overpriced aquarium goods that I don't really need, though they may offer some advantages.

[@michaellacaria910]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@WhatIsMisophoniathat’s a great observation, which i agree with. I’m getting back in the hobby after a few years off, re-caulked my 90G and been researching substrates. My goal is little maintenance and minimum chemicals, I like lots of plants and I’m leaning to short term pain for long term stability using dirt. I’m still not sure which dirt. It’s not cheap to set up a 48”x18” base aquarium.

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

@@michaellacaria910 Wish I had room for that. Hell, I wish I could take up a whole wall with a giant tropical paludarium. Then again I wish a lot of things... Anyway, good luck with that. The cheapest option is probably a rich clay topsoil from a back yard garden. Fertilize if it's gonna be under a deep sand bed, don't fertilize if it's under a thin layer of small gravel. When I set up my 20 gal, I collected some mud from the bank of a local creek and mixed it half and half with some black dirt from an old garden. Didn't sanitize the mud or black dirt, just added it wet into the tank, put 2 inches of sand over it, planted and stuck fish in it same day. Next day, fish were gasping at the surface and a chinese algae eater was literally trying to escape. Turns out the rapid decomposition that occurred by mixing the creek mud with the black dirt de-oxygenated the water, so I did a small water change and added an aerator which instantly fixed the issue. Since then, it's been my most stable tank aside from when I was breeding a ton of mystery snails in it, and the hardness, alkalinity, and ph dropped like crazy.

[@amiedoll60]

I use gravel because I wasn't going to plant the tank this time around. 10 Years later I wanted plants again, so I put some Aquarium plant substrate in terracotta pots for my substrate needing plants (amazon sword, etc), and I got a bunch of Hornwart and Java fern to put around, and I have some Duckweed coming for the top. All in all I have a lot of plants now, and I didn't need to change my entire substrate or tank layout. I think it all looks great, and I can't wait to see how it all grows in.

[@-EJ00]

Try dirted tank in the mesh bags so it dosent come up into the water column so much if you have to rescape

[@TheFatAssCat]

This is the big thing. I would never cap dirt with sand like he did - you'll always get the messy mixing whenever you rearrange things. Strange the video author never mentioned it, he otherwise seems knowledgeable.

[@-EJ00]

@TheFatAssCat yeah I did dirted in mesh bags with a sand cap..much less messy than without the bags

[@johnjwedrall4290]

Informative video, thanks 😊

[@scottplumer3668]

I have two dirt tanks because you recommended it a few years ago. Neither one has had any cloudiness issues. They've had tannins, but I like that, even if the water does look like pee. I'm going to be redoing my 55, and will probably use Controsoil, but that stuff is expensive.

[@HopeB555]

I have 7 tanks currently, 6 with a 1-2" sand cap, fluval stratum middle layer, and organic potting soil as the bottom layer. My 7th tank has pots layered the same (breeding tank for angelfish). Only one of my tanks has had any bubbling and that was for the first couple of weeks and since then zero issues. I've never had a tank cloud up on me yet. It's interesting hearing a less than 100% positive review of dirted tanks.

[@6speed818]

I was thinking about doing the fluval with potting soil capped with sand on my next big tank to save some money. I have the fluval capped with sand in my 20 long. I love that stuff but expensive I put 3 bags in.

[@HopeB555]

@@6speed818 lol. Yeah it's pretty pricey. 😅 Sounds like a fun project!

[@Fishtory]

Yes! I totally agree with you. I only use aquasoil blends,/ADA and fluval stratum now, but still, I like the inch cap for planting and clean looks. Aquasoils like Amazonia and all the big active soils are 2 composite materials... a dense clay and pourus clay or mud. Dr. Tom Bar has a published paper on the action of each little sphere of aquasoil... and anything over a milimeter radius allows for anoxic microbes and future ammonia sequestration, and the outside is aerobic for up to 1.5mm, I did a video on the paper called " What is the best substrate".

[@marycollins1024]

I was wondering if I could cap the active substrate with sand.

[@cheh1311]

@@marycollins1024 Yes you can, no problem.

[@TheCallmom]

I like that we both like fishtanks and became obsessed as soon as we figured out we can create planted ecosystems haha. Was like. This is the way.😂🎉

[@OK-pi6fq]

I’ve been checking out no or low maintenance tanks and the recommend that substrate, but capped with several inches of sand, as the sand filters waste down and seal in nitrogen etc. mixed with lots of plants and best included wild pond flora fauna to create a biosystem. It’s a cool see.

[@dinoprimi3914]

In my opinion, nothing beats an established dirt tank. All those aqua soils won’t last very long. So if you are someone that experiments and wants to change their tank every year or so, then definitely use aqua soil. If you are chasing long term balance and overall health for both fish and plants, go with dirt. I’d recommend searching father fish and watching a few of his videos, his supplements(additives to the soil), has solved many of the issues people face with dirt, and his soil mix is 2:1:1(2 parts peat moss:1 part potting soil:1 part organic compost), allows for long term nutrient release, while not being overpowering like going with 100% potting soil. Peat moss is inert so it just hold the roots. 1 inch of the soil mix with a 2 inch sand layer(I use pool filter sand), and you are ready to rock. It will be cloudy the first day, but after you do a few water changes, you are sorted. This is all assuming you want a heavy planted tank.If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[@darrellelliott1553]

Father fish is getting pretty annoying with all that

[@dinoprimi3914]

@@darrellelliott1553 it’s only annoying because it’s true. Most people really, really want to believe their extremely expensive aqua soil is the best around, unfortunately it’s not. Most people that use aqua soil also use liquid fertiliser and that is a ridiculous amount of work to maintain.

[@helzing5114]

@@darrellelliott1553 the affiliate links sums it up... just trying to sell you something

[@dinoprimi3914]

@@helzing5114 last I checked, all KZbinrs are trying to sell you something. Simply having a KZbin channel is you selling whatever it is you have to offer to the world. At least make an argument that makes sense bud

[@retro6652]

Just wanted to say thanks for the video. I think we all aspire to have beautiful tanks, and when you look online (Pinterest, etc.), it's easy to fool yourself into thinking everyone else was able to create gorgeous masterpieces while you are struggling through a messy tank as though you were doing something wrong.

[@jpcreativeimagery]

Great video with lots of useful info. What is the foreground plant when you're talking about how messy dirt tanks are to rescape? Looks like a low growing hygrophilia?

[@dwcroyals]

What plant are you using for those trees? I am looking for a plant to give the effect of leaves and yours looks great

[@aquaestate6241]

should be monte Carlo

[@dwcroyals]

​@@aquaestate6241brilliant thank you will get some ordered that looks really good setup like that

[@andyacosta151]

What is your opinion on Father Fish then? Because he preaches the dirted substrate & soil.

[@dgleitaocontratos]

Do you have any videos specific about should I vaccum clean or not the substrate for a planted aquarium?

[@CatFish107]

After mucking around with several smaller tanks, I decided to put all my rescued tetras and big colony of guppies and mystery snails into a 75-gallon. I chose to go plain, low cost. Just aquarium gravel and busted up Jobe's houseplant spikes as root tabs. Sponge filters, and some vine plants growing out the back. I have had zero issues over 9 months so far. Jungle Val, dwarf saggitaria, a couple types of sword, and crypts. Ludwigia and rotala aren't doing great, tbh. But everything else jungled out.

[@TR-ry1xv]

What sand do you use?? I love how course and natural it looks compared to the pool filter stuff I us.

[@TherealShabbadang]

In my main tank (360 l) that I set up about three years ago, I put clay plus peat in the bottom layer, that I mixed, then I put ECS substrate on top. I don't know if ECS is what you call an active substrate but it is like small, brown pellets, and it is burnt, mainly out of clay. It is quite porous but it sinks and it looks great. If I was to set up another tank I would use the clay, but skip the peat, I think. It seems that the peat produces some gas that some plants roots don't like and they seem to get brown roots from it, f.x. Sagittaria. Crypts don't grow fantastic in it but Nymphaea grows fantastic, as does Aponogeton and Echinodorus. I also put micronutrients in with each water change.

[@SininStyle]

Really questioning the need for soil. How much do aquatic plants really take up from roots? Really think true aquatic plants get it from the water column. Any studies on this? Tests?

[@tierneylogan5943]

This was well known back in the day, before companies started pushing expensive products and claiming aquatic plants can’t take up nutrients from the water column lol. I never even use fert tabs. Plants get all they need from fish waste. If i see a deficiency i use a water based fert for a bit.

[@ProductRandomReviews]

I discovered using soil from experiment and then decided it was cool to use and helped plants grow. Soil is best because it is free. lol. I get it from my yard. Anybody without a yard can get it from a park. Its great. Its like getting tap water vs buying water.

[@oioioioioioioioio]

Awesome informative vid but what’s your take on dr novak’s plenum UGF since you mentioned clay laterite in the video. Is it worth doing it? Do you have a video of pros and cons or if you did experiment on it? I’m not sure if I buy into it and considered trying it in my 45 gal with fancy goldfishes.

[@konagirlguppies1374]

So I tried my first planted tank 2 years ago. I used Fluval Stratum alone. Didn't cap it or anything. It is now all dissolved into a muddy mess. Any disturbance makes the water black. Is this how these substrates act? What do you do? Start over every year or two? I guess I just stupidly assumed it would stay pebble like forever! 😢 I plan on dumping it all out and using sand next time. Thanks.

[@ShaunOnToast]

The ghetto aquarium video got me back into fishtanks too ! 😂

[@rusle]

I have tried several things as substrate. I have used clay, cat litter, potting soil and turf and also used strong acid to kill the alkaline in the clay. Most of the time I was making a mix that I put into the tank. Yes it was working great but the easiest is the pre made active substrate that I mixed with gravel and I am not able to see the big difference when it comes to plant growth.

[@mackgmoney1515]

Eco complete.....after a year or two youll have enough mulm down in the substrate that its pretty much dirt anyway. Works for me.

[@wheelbite14]

I never had the cloudy water problem with any of my dirted tanks. I always used cheap, no-name top soil, removed every stick, stirred it up with just enough water, and let it off-gas, stirring occasionally for a few days before capping and filling, so that might be the reason. From my experience, beginner root feeding plants actually benefit the most from a dirt substrate. Crypts, vallisnerias, swords, and especially dwarf sag go crazy in soil even though they do well in anything. Plants that are a little more needy like hygrophilas don't seem to have the same benefit, and I've actually had a few higher tech plants get root rot in soil. They need dosed no matter what the substrate, and I see my hygros doing better with just fish poop in gravel and ferts vs dirt and ferts, so I'd love to see your dirted tank video test that aspect if possible. I've switched to aquasoils recently after seeing Fishtory's video on substrates, but I'm too new to them to give any kind of review there. Another con to dirted tanks is the smell when you tear them down. Omg it's like a port-o-potty on a hot summer day.

[@neutronshiva2498]

Pretty good comment, thanks for writing it. I had similar experience. Nobody told me that, but most of the stem plants dont really benefit in any way from dirtied tank because they feed off water rather than what little root they might have.

[@Aiken47]

Thanks, what are your thoughts on bentonite, zeolite clay (used for sandy soils)?

[@shaunbroughton9848]

Hey Mike! What's your opinion on capping aquasoil?

[@ryanmassey586]

Trumpet snails rapidly sequester nutrients into the sand bed. You can season a substrate very quickly if you start with enough snails. I use this and good quality root tabs for 20 years with good success.

[@raytokumoto2200]

Great tips! Ty

[@adeptusmagi]

yeh ive got a Tropica aquasoil deep bed (3.5inches) tank atm basically 3 sacks found in a thrift shop( a fiver each lol) as the stuff aint cheap normaly but yeh with the nutrient powder under it its great and TBH never had a problem with deep bed tanks they are more stable in my opinion and last for decades as long as you just let them mature and dont try to "sterilize" them every month as for plant explosions I aim for LED lights that are adjustable so i can dial them back if needed

[@CarolynnMc01]

Thank you for an interesting video! May I ask where you got those feeding rings?

[@AQUAPROS]

Custom product im working on releasing soon.... only on legitfishfood.com !

[@Frailerpark]

As with any pond you definitely never want to use any kind of compost mix which has lots of organic matter to break down and create a rotting, gaseous, smelly soup . A loam based soil or even just baked garden soil better for aquatic environment.

[@yashtapase3821]

Hello sir I do have potting soil outdoor pond with no cap of sand or gravel straight up potting soil cause never think that i need to cap the soil with something now the videos are saying that it needs to be capped But iny case never had any issues even the water cloudyness cause i didnt use the fishes that swim through bottom or inspect what going on here there My pond has bettas , angels , various tetras , gouramis , they all are happy in it 😀 But i dont have tanks that i scape with potting soil because i have so much corydoras they like to dig alot especially when there is potting soil in it i dont they smell or feel that thing 😅 So i have epiphyte plants for tanks And they are doing good for me ❤

[@Helpfulsuggestions]

I have a question concerning the sand ??? I’m preparing to do an aquarium set up my question is what sand is preferred you have aquarium sands. You have sands with bio and you have playground/construction type sand that you could buy at the hardware store. Are they all equal or their stuff in them that may harm my fish in the future what are your thoughts?

[@acaro08]

Una cosa intermedia seria usar macetas de trerracota, hay algunas muy decorativas,, puedes poner trierra, arena y la planta, y el resto del acuario arena, asi si tienes que cambiar o hacer mantenimiento puedes sacar la maceta y trabajar con la planta fuera del acuario, es practico y evitas ensuciar el agua, yo tengo algunas plantas en macetas tipo anforas de terracota con plantas que quiero mantener en control y otras de cresimiento lento como la lechuga de agua en maderos o rocas..

[@tasheekam4299]

The tank that's behind you, what did u put in it ? Kind of plants, etc. Could I do this with my Axolotl

[@KingOfShenanigan]

Can you please do that sand vs. soil planted aquarium experiment you were talking about where all the other variables are controlled?

[@mikehopkins5584]

If you just cut the plants at the root at the bottom o the sand layer and then pull the plants up they should still be replantable and i dont know if the roots would just die off under the sand and then become part of the soil layer? Would this be an option?

[@rajgill7576]

I managed to get my tank walstad method going with judt cichlid sand as substrate. Its a 3.5g that some would say is overpopulated, but my plants are thriving and its a jungle of clean water with no nitrates (:

[@gguabes]

Try the Ibaraki Akadama Fine 1-3mm substrates for bonsai tree. It's cheaper than aqua soil, and you just need some root tabs.

[@mickeysr5817]

Great video Detroit

[@nikkidevans1454]

This video was perfect!

[@jayblomquist3339]

Dirted tanks work for me I do flat fields for plant growrth. I like the sand beach look. I also can't afford the expensive dirt. I have used carribsea and Fluval as layers more of a lasangna substrate. My last tanks I set up, this is all for growing out live bearers, were straight dirt and sand cheep as I could. I had sand tubes in my pickup for weight in the winter they ripped and started leaking sand . Both bags are now capping 6 tanks lol. I recommend TwinCity sand😂❤

[@richriv1257]

I’m pretty new to aquascaping….i don’t use co2. If I want to order community fish food from you how can I order, if I’m in Canada?

[@papascrumpeeh]

have tanks with soil and tried just with sand too they both have plants that thrive really well

[@raza_the_nerd]

awesome man love it awesome video

[@quandaledingle83]

Is the controsoil better than fluval stratum? Cause I want to get a substrate like that but I need to know cause not only will fluval help my plants but also lower my PH which is generally high where I’m currently at I tested the tap water I use and it’s a 8.0 and I’ve been having issues with my betta cause they prefer softer water

[@KirstineTermansen-zj8lc]

I made a Experiment 10 fish slørhaler, in a tank They got fresh Water each Week, no reuse, no chemistry No filteret, air yes, lot of Food That water, was used to Plant in garden. Great ❤ Fish great

[@crab_aesthetics]

I set up a 30 gallon used tank last year, dirted and capped with sand, planted, had some tiger barbs and other things in there, then I left for Thanksgiving and when I came home, I saw through the window that the tank was only half full. I go inside and find that the back panel of the tank had begun to separate from the right side, and about 15 gallons of water had leaked out all over the floor. Luckily none of the fish or invertebrates had gotten out. I ran and got some clamps, clamped the tank together, sprayed the outside with flex seal, and ordered a replacement/upgrade 55 gallon tank. When I got the 55 gallon, I got some buckets, added tank water and a lot of salvinia to a bucket, removed the fish, snails, and shrimp from the 30 gallon, put them in the bucket with the salvinia, added some more tank water to another bucket, put all the plants into that bucket, then removed the hardscape and put that into the third bucket. Then, the hard and disgusting part was removing all the dirt and sand from the 30 gallon tank. I ended up sifting it through a wire serving tray thing to remove larger rocks or pebbles, into a big tote box, and it smelled terrible, just the worst possible smell of decomposition. After I got it all scooped out I put the old tank outside, put the new 55 gallon tank in place, added the old dirt back from the original tank (at this point the dirt and sand were mixed and I didn't see much point in trying to un-mix them), added hardscape, capped with new layer of sand, planted the plants back in, and left it overnight. The next morning I added the fish, shrimp, and snails back in, and a few days ago I added more tiget barbs and a couple of zebra loaches. Everything seems fine, the water is clearing up, and the crypts didn't even melt at all from all that disturbance. Long story short, dirted tanks are very cool and if I were setting up a new tank again, I would still use and recommend using dirt + sand cap, but breaking them down can be a tedious and gross job. Also, if you buy a used tank, you might want to reseal the silicone before you set it up.

[@AQUAPROS]

Dang, ya thats a horror story for sure.... Mostly cause the tank leaked (obvi) but ya dirt tanks are def a pain to tare down, just the cost of doin business 🤷‍♂️

[@crab_aesthetics]

@@AQUAPROS So true, but worth it for a budget build, low tech sort of setup.

[@howardhudson5475]

I do have a question for you about live plants. I have had them in the past but it seems like every time I've purchased them I've come up with a snail infestation. How do I make sure that any live plants I get don't have snail eggs on them? I have tried fish and chemicals and I was never able to kill them off except by taking them out of the tank and I don't like doing that as I feel it's cruel.

[@dannyobject5581]

question, but can you use active substrate topped with sand to save cost and to avoid the negatives of soil?

[@DonniReigns]

1 inch of soil 4 inches of sand in my mbuna tank. Water been crystal clear from start. Heavily planted with no water changes. Better Days

[@rossallen738]

You heavily planted a mbuna tank??? How have the mbuna not destroyed your plants and substrate??

[@evilone543]

I might try dirted some day. I have a little 6g nano I could setup and give it a try, but it’s never been much of a priority for me. I’m fine with mostly sand. New food order in… 😊

[@AQUAPROS]

thanks sooo much! Happy Holidays :)

[@diysolaradventures7894]

after adding soil do u have to use sand just wondering